Nourish the Nervous System at Night

Jul 14

3 min read

Aaaaahhhh, we’ve made it through the day! No matter what stressors 🤪 you faced today, now is the time to release them from your system. It’s officially time to slow…down… 🫠…and…unwind. It's time to nourish your nervous system.

How you do this is entirely up to you, of course…however; before you reach for that glass of wine 🍷 or the remote control 📺, consider relaxing in a nourishing 💟 way instead. Consider one (or more!) of these five options:

~Engage in Ujjayi Breathing 🌬️

~Try Meditation 🧘🏽‍♂️

~Soak in a Bubble Bath 🛀

~Burn some Sage ✌🏼

~Write in a Journal 📔

1. Ujjayi Breathing

Ujjayi Breath, also known as Ocean’s 🌊 Breath, is a very soothing 🩵 breathing technique that can be done anytime, anywhere. Simply follow these steps:

With lips closed 🙂, breathe in slowly through the nose 👃🏼, allowing the belly to expand as you fill the lungs 🫁 fully

Hold the breath 🫢 for a moment at the top of the inhalation

Slowly release the breath, allowing the belly and lungs 🫁 to deflate as the breath hits the back of the throat and exits through the nose 👃🏼 in an audible sigh

Hold for a moment at the bottom ⌛️ of the exhalation

Repeat for at least 10 cycles.

2. Meditate

It can be challenging in today’s fast-paced ⚡️ society to take the time to sit in meditation, but the benefits just may be worth it! Some of the recognized benefits of a regular meditation practice are:

~reduced stress ⬇️

~improved sleep 😴

~lower blood pressure 🫶

~less anxiety ☮️

And there is more than one way to meditate, too. You may choose to sit in silence or use a focal point such as music 🎶 or a candle 🕯️ to help stay focused. The point of meditation is not to pretend that you have no thoughts 💭 but to begin to separate yourself from those thoughts. To realize that YOU are not those thoughts. Instead of reacting to every thought, you slowly allow yourself to detach from them as you realize that there are two separate entities 💕 at play.

3. Enjoy a Bubble Bath

This one is pretty straightforward, 🫧 but make it a mindful activity.

Make it special. 🩵

Set the scene. 🛁

Dim the lights, add essential oils 🌹to the bath water, light some candles 🕯️, play some music 🎶. Do whatever appeals to your senses. Then slip into the warm water, sink down and visualize the liquid 💧 therapy washing away your worries.

Bonus Tip: add some Epsom Salts to your bath to enhance the experience!

https://amzn.to/3zBlVIh

Bath time nervous system regulation — Epsom Salts

4. Burn Sage

Engage in a Sage-burning ritual 🪔, known as ‘Smudging’ in more modern terms. Sage is known to be an air purifier so not only will you physically purify 🤍 the air around you but you can turn this ritual into a mentally purifying visualization 👁️ practice as well. Rituals encourage mindfulness which in and of itself encourages relaxation.

Try a bundle! https://amzn.to/4cZSpKR

Ritual for nervous system regulation — Sage Bundle

5. Write in a Journal

If you consider yourself more articulate in writing ✍️ than in speech 🗣️, you may find journaling 📝 a wonderful outlet for stress and anxiety. Allot some time before bed to write down whatever flows out of your pen. Don’t overthink 🤔 this one. Just let your writing utensil move with your free-flowing thoughts, paying no attention to spelling 🔠 or grammar.

This one is chockfull of nurturing guidance: https://amzn.to/3Wi3oJV