How to Build Nervous System Regulation Into Your Daily Life

Regulate & Rewire Podcast, regulation tools

Episode 8: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube
View transcript on Buzzsprout

“I don’t have time for self-care. I’m barely making it through the day as it is. I’m already at capacity—I can’t add one more thing to my plate.” If this sounds like you, you’re not alone. This is the most common objection I hear when people learn about nervous system regulation: the belief that healing requires more time, energy, and capacity than they have.

But here’s the truth: you don’t need to add more to your already overwhelming schedule. You don’t need hour-long morning routines or daily gym sessions. What you need is to do some of the things you’re already doing differently—in ways that support regulation instead of depleting you further.

This episode is about micro-moments of regulation: tiny practices you can weave into your existing routine that poke holes in your stress bucket throughout the day, preventing overwhelm before it happens.

What We Cover in This Episode

  • Why nervous system regulation is like building a personalized fitness plan
  • The difference between reactive tools (crisis moments) and proactive tools (daily habits)
  • How to “poke holes” in your stress bucket throughout the day
  • 10 simple regulation practices that require no extra time
  • A real-life example of how to weave regulation into your daily routine
  • When micro-moments aren’t enough and you need comprehensive support

The Personal Training Approach to Nervous System Regulation

Before I became a mental health coach, I spent over a decade as a certified personal trainer, including five years as a wellness specialist at Google headquarters. The process of creating personalized workout programs mirrors exactly how I now help clients build regulation practices.

Just like any good personal trainer would ask about your fitness level, goals, injuries, and available time before designing a program, nervous system regulation requires the same personalized approach. Different people need different tools based on their starting point, capacity, and goals.

The Universal Principles:

  • The program needs to fit your real life, not an ideal version of it
  • Consistency matters more than intensity
  • Small, sustainable changes compound over time
  • What works for one person may not work for another
  • You can’t build strength without regular practice

Reactive vs. Proactive Tools: Two Different Toolboxes

Reactive Tools: The crisis management practices you use when you’re already activated, anxious, or shut down. These are your “in the moment” tools for when you’re already dysregulated.

Proactive Tools: The daily habits and lifestyle practices that build nervous system resilience over time. These prevent overwhelm and increase your capacity to handle stress.

Think of your nervous system like holding a stress bucket. There are two ways to make the load manageable:

  1. Build strength so you can carry more weight while staying regulated (proactive tools)
  2. Poke holes in the bucket throughout the day to release stress before it overflows (reactive tools used proactively)

The Power of Regulation Reps

Just like muscle is built through consistent repetitions over time, nervous system regulation happens through what I call “regulation reps”—small moments throughout your day where you consciously shift toward calm.

Why practicing when you’re calm matters: You can’t wait until you’re in crisis to try new tools. If you know you’re moving soon, you don’t do bicep curls on moving day and expect them to help. You build strength beforehand. The same principle applies to regulation practices.

When Micro-Moments Aren’t Enough

Before we dive into the daily practices, let’s be honest: if you’re dealing with unhealed trauma, chronic stress, or living in constant survival mode, these micro-moments won’t be enough to completely reset your nervous system.

Think of it like fitness: if you’re recovering from an injury or training for a marathon, you need a specific, comprehensive program—not just general wellness tips. If you’re struggling with severe anxiety, depression, or trauma, you’ll likely need more personalized support.

But these practices are still valuable as a starting point and as foundational habits that support deeper healing work.

10 Micro-Moments of Regulation (No Extra Time Required)

1. Consistent Bedtime Research shows that consistent sleep and wake times significantly improve sleep quality—one of the top predictors of mental health. Pick a bedtime you can realistically maintain and stick to it.

2. Morning Sunlight Get outside (not through a window) for 5-15 minutes within your first hour awake. This natural light exposure sets your circadian rhythm, improves sleep quality, and decreases stress hormones. Instead of drinking coffee inside, try drinking it on your porch.

3. Bathroom Breath Breaks Trade Instagram scrolling on the toilet or at red lights for taking deep breaths. You already go to the bathroom multiple times daily—use it as a cue to check in with yourself and take a regulation breath.

4. Shake Out Tension Any time you notice stress or tension (jaw clenching, shoulder tightness), give yourself a quick shake or take a big sigh. Shaking is how animals naturally discharge stress energy.

5. Legs Up the Wall If you have trouble falling asleep, lie on the floor with your legs up the wall for 5-10 minutes. Gravity helps blood flow toward your heart, slowing your heart rate and activating your relaxation response.

6. Gargle Water After brushing your teeth or in the shower, gargle for 30 seconds. This activates your vagus nerve, which switches on your relaxation response.

7. Cold Shower Finish End your shower with 30 seconds to 3 minutes of cold water. This activates your vagus nerve and provides major psychological and physiological benefits.

8. Move Your Body More Stand at your desk, take walking breaks, or do any physical activity. Movement helps regulate your nervous system.

9. Spend Time Outside Take your laptop to the porch, eat lunch outside, or just sit outdoors for 10 minutes. Nature exposure is naturally regulating.

10. Eat Real Food Choose less processed foods and more whole foods. Your gut health directly impacts your nervous system regulation.

A Real-Life Example: My Daily Regulation Routine

Here’s how I weave regulation into my day (remember, this ebbs and flows based on life seasons):

Morning: Wake up 30 minutes before my toddler. Take deep breaths while using the bathroom (not sexy, but effective). Gargle for 30 seconds after brushing teeth. Get morning sunlight while drinking tea on the porch.

Throughout the day: Shake out tension when I notice it. Take breath breaks instead of scrolling at red lights. Work outside when possible. Leave my phone in my office during lunch.

Evening: Go outside with my son after school. Do “wiggles” (shaking) together at bedtime. Practice legs up the wall together. Consistent 10pm bedtime.

Weekly: 30-minute workouts 4x/week. 10-minute meditation 4x/week.

Notice: nothing overly prescriptive, no hour-long morning routines, no gym requirement. Just tiny practices that build up over time.

The Difference This Makes

There was a time when I would bulldoze through days without ever checking in with how I was feeling. My to-do list was a marathon I never stopped running. When you start prioritizing nervous system regulation, you live differently—but not in a way that requires more time or energy.

These regulation reps build up over time. Every small moment of checking in with yourself, every deep breath, every shake of tension—it all compounds into greater resilience and capacity.

Three Tangible Takeaways

  1. Start With One Regulation Rep Choose one small practice from the list and commit to it daily. When it becomes automatic, add another. All the practices I mentioned started one at a time. Don’t try to overhaul your entire routine at once.
  2. Use the 10 Micro-Moment Practices Reference the list: consistent bedtime, morning sunlight, bathroom breath breaks, shake out tension, legs up the wall, gargle water, cold shower finish, move more, spend time outside, eat real food. Pick the one that feels most doable for your current lifestyle.
  3. Remember: It’s About Doing Different, Not More These practices don’t require extra time—they’re about being more intentional with time you already have. Use moments throughout your day to come into conversation with your body and provide micro-moments of regulation.

Looking for more personalized support?

*Want me to talk about something specific on the podcast? Let me know HERE.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or qualified mental health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

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