A few weeks ago, I was feeling quite activated in my nervous system. It was the first day of school and the air practically vibrated with excitement.

How did I know that my nervous system was activated? The body always knows first.

My breathing was shallow and short. My stomach felt quabbly – yeah, I just made that word up, but I’m sticking with it. My stomach quabbled! I felt a weight on my chest and up into my throat. My shoulders ached with tension.

A Little Nervous System Video Reset

It was still early in the day, and I didn’t want to use all of my emotional energy on trying to calm down my nervous system. I pulled into the local grocery store parking lot, shut off my car, and started this video.

I haven’t done a lot of videos, except for my stand up comedy stuff over here. But in the moment, I figured that other people might be feeling like me – a bit anxious – as we navigated another transition in a pandemic. This time, with our kids.

I’ve come back to this video in the days and weeks since I first put it up. I find it a welcome retreat in the middle of a busy day. Plus, I like to look at myself, I’m not going to lie.

Feeling Into Safety

As a trauma survivor, my “normal” has consisted of PTSD triggers under the surface, muscle tension, shallow breath, and brain and body disconnection.

Fortunately, these patterns can be broken. In fact, I’m still breaking these patterns. The patterns of holding stress in my body and staying anxious and trying to force myself to be calm.

We don’t have to live in survival mode! We can create a safe place right here, within our bodies. How do you feel in your body right now? What parts are tense and need a little stretch or some movement? Is there a weight on your chest? Does your stomach feel…quabbly, or does it feel settled?

If you have a couple of minutes and you are interested, take a small time out, catch your breath, and reset your nervous system.