Worthy: 10 Mindful Moments to Bring Peace to Your DaySample

Bringing Calm to Your Body

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. PSALM 73:26 ESV

Anxiety is often not only in our heads but also experienced in our bodies. The nervous system plays a key role in the brain-body connection. So learning to partner with our bodies to regulate our nervous systems can help reduce the immediate physical feelings of anxiety. Specifically, stimulating the vagus nerve has been found to help bring feelings of calm back to the body. There are several ways you can stimulate your vagus nerve:

• Breathwork through deep and slow belly breathing

• Cold exposure by taking a brief thirty-second cold shower or immersing your face in cold water to decrease your heart rate

• Prayer and meditation

• Movement: dance, exercise, and literally shaking it off

• Humming, singing, and gargling can help activate the vagus nerve, which is connected to your vocal cords

• Massaging specific pressure point areas gently, such as right behind your earlobes, around the curve of your ears, both sides of your neck right below the jawline, and your feet

God can bless us with many options to utilize out of a toolbox of resources for our well-being.

AFFIRMATION:

Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him. PSALM 62:5 NLT