SAFETY FIRST: THE QUIET POWER OF NERVOUS SYSTEM REGULATION
Before we understand what’s happening in the world, our bodies already know.
They tighten, brace, speed up, shut down. Long before the mind catches up, the nervous system has taken note.
I work with people all day, every day. People from all walks of life, from different states and countries. And I keep hearing the same question: What’s going on? Things feel crazy everywhere. We are living in a time of immense global change.
If you’ve ever tried to change a belief system or shift a habit, you know that chaos often shows up first. Now multiply that chaos by billions of people (over 8 billion, to be exact), all navigating uncertainty at once. You get the picture.
The collective energy affects all of us. There’s a particular quality to it right now. Things feel fast, loud, and unsettled. Many of us are carrying more than we realize, absorbing the state of the country, the world, and the people around us into our nervous systems and bodies, often unconsciously.
If you’ve been feeling tired but wired, on edge for no clear reason, emotionally flat, or unable to fully rest, nothing is wrong with you. Your nervous system is responding exactly as it was designed to in uncertain conditions.
Our bodies are not meant to hold constant alertness or hypervigilance. They are meant to move between activation and rest, engagement and repair. In the unpredictability many of us are experiencing, that natural rhythm gets disrupted. The nervous system stays on guard, scanning for what’s next. Over time, this can feel like anxiety, overwhelm, shutdown, or a quiet bracing for impact.
Nervous system regulation isn’t about fixing yourself or checking out. It’s about creating enough internal safety to stay present without becoming overwhelmed. Having tools at your disposal gives you choice. In my own experience, the more regulated I am, the more present I become. Knowing we have tools, and a choice, is empowering. Our bodies react first; our minds scramble to keep up.
What’s important to understand is that nervous system regulation doesn’t happen through effort or insight alone. Safety is a felt experience. The nervous system listens to breath, sensation, movement, rhythm, and connection far more than it listens to logic. This is why telling ourselves to “calm down” rarely works, and why small, embodied practices can be surprisingly powerful.
In times like these, tending to your nervous system isn’t self-indulgent. It’s foundational. A regulated nervous system allows you to respond rather than react, to stay connected to yourself and others, and to meet the world with discernment instead of depletion.
The world has always been uncertain. You and your body can learn that this moment is survivable.
A simple grounding practice
(It won’t work unless you do it.)
Sit comfortably and take a moment to arrive. Feel your feet pressing gently into the floor or ground. Let your shoulders soften. Close your eyes and bring your awareness to your breath.
Inhale slowly through your nose. Then exhale longer than the inhale, as if you’re softly fogging a mirror. Take three of these breaths.
Gently open your eyes and let them rest on something neutral or comforting. If I’m indoors, I focus on my plants. If I’m outside, I might choose a tree or a rock. Notice one sensation that feels steady or supportive. Stay here for a few breaths. Nothing to change. Nothing to fix. Just allowing your nervous system to register that right here, right now, at this moment, you are safe.
You don’t have to wait for the world to calm down to feel steadier inside yourself. Your nervous system can become an anchor, even in uncertain waters.
Take a few conscious breathing breaks throughout your day.
I wish you peace and calm,
Tina
