5+ Simple Exercises to Calm Your Nervous System

These practices are not a substitute for therapy, but they can help you settle day-to-day. If anything feels too intense, pause and return to a neutral anchor (feet on floor, looking around the room, slow exhale).

1) Balloon Exercise (for heaviness & pain)

• Place a hand where you feel heaviness (chest, stomach, shoulders).

• Imagine the sensation moving into a balloon you’re gently holding.

• With each slow exhale, picture a bit of air leaving the balloon and the sensation softening 10–20%.

• Continue for 6–10 breaths. Goal: lighter, not 0/10.

2) Dimmer Switch (for overwhelming emotion)

• Picture your anxiety/anger as a light on a dimmer.

• Ask that part to turn the intensity down a few clicks - not off, just enough to stay present.

• Check your body’s feedback (breath, shoulders, jaw). Repeat as needed.

3) Tip-of-the-Fingertip Technique (inspired by Jim Knipe)

• Ask the overwhelming feeling if it is willing to drop as big of a tip of a finger tip from this ocean of emotions its feeling

• After noticing a small change you can use slow butterfly tapping

4) Shake & Roll (release stuck energy)

• Shake wrists and hands for 10–20 seconds.

• Let it move into forearms and arms.

• Roll shoulders forward and back 5–8 times each way.

• Pause. Notice warmth or tingling (signs of discharge).

5) Make Space for Yourself (posture reset)

• Stand or sit tall, open your arms wide, palms forward.

• Inhale into the chest; exhale slowly like a sigh.

• Gently stretch your wingspan and imagine creating more room for you in the space you’re in.

• Hold for 3–5 breaths, then relax.

Bonus: Orienting (reset the alarm system)

• Slowly look around the room. Find 5 neutral or pleasant objects.

• Name colors, shapes, or textures.

• Let your body register, “I’m here, now.”

Use any of these before a meeting, after a difficult conversation, or when you wake up tense. Small practices, repeated often, teach your nervous system new pathways to calm.