Regulate

find your way back to a more grounded state with the following sequence you can do from anywhere: grab and journal and find a space you feel safe in. come into a comfortable seat, with your feet or legs rooting into the ground.

• soften your gaze or close your eyes, whichever feels best to you

• begin to notice your breathing pattern, your thoughts. let both flow freely. sit with them for a moment before turning more inward

• slowly begin to take deep inhales through your nose, preparing to move into a three-part breath.

• begin to breathe deeply through your nose into your low belly, imagine the lower belly beginning to fill up like a balloon. once full, let that breath continue to up into your rib cage as it begins to widen and expand. lastly, fill up those lungs all the way up.

• pause for just a moment

• exhale loudly with the mouth open or out through your nose while contracting the back of the throat. making a hissing sound in the back of your throat.

• repeat this 10x or more. whatever feels best to you

• once finished, grab your journal and take a moment to write down 10 things you are grateful for

• give yourself a hug and thank yourself for taking a moment for YOU today!

deep, intentional belly breathing with your lower abdomen is one of the fastest and easiest ways to regulate your nervous system. the vagus nerve, a major parasympathetic nerve that runs from the base of your head down to your lower abdomen, plays a key part in coming into this much more calm state. every time you breathe with your belly you activate your diaphragm and that vagus nerve which aids one so much in re-regulating how they may feel. the audible exhale or the humming also helps to stimulate the vagus nerve and wake it up. use these powerful tools at anytime, anywhere. i promise you won’t regret it.