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9 Micro Habits for Self-Regulation of Trauma or Anxiety
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9 Micro Habits for Self-Regulation of Trauma or Anxiety

Understanding Trauma and Nervous System Regulation

The Impact of Trauma on the Nervous System

  • Trauma can cause the nervous system to become overly sensitive, similar to a car alarm that triggers easily. This leads to feelings of stress, hypervigilance, anger, and fear throughout the day.
  • A sympathetically dominant state indicates an activated nervous system which is fine for short periods but can negatively affect mental and physical health when chronic.

Retraining the Nervous System

  • It is possible to retrain the nervous system towards a parasympathetically dominant state, promoting feelings of safety and balance. This allows for quicker recovery from stressors.
  • The video introduces nine micro habits aimed at calming and regulating the nervous system effectively in daily life.

Micro Habit 1: Setting Intentions

  • Instead of focusing on avoiding stress or reactivity, individuals should proactively set actionable intentions for their day (e.g., "I will be kind to myself today"). This shifts focus from what they want to avoid to what they want to achieve.
  • Writing down these intentions or visualizing them can help create clarity about desired outcomes rather than feeling out of control.

Micro Habit 2: Slowing Down

  • When feeling dysregulated, people often rush through activities; however, moving deliberately sends a message of safety to the brain. Slow movements can help calm the nervous system.
  • Incorporating pause routines before transitions (like meetings) or during meals can promote mindfulness and regulation by encouraging slower actions such as deep breathing or checking in with oneself.

Micro Habit 3: Setting a Positive Tone for the Day

  • Starting the day positively is crucial; high cortisol levels in the morning can lead to increased anxiety if one begins with stressful stimuli (like alarms or news). Instead, allocate time for calming practices like meditation or reading uplifting material in bed.
  • Engaging in light exercise and managing caffeine intake also contributes positively toward maintaining energy levels without causing spikes in blood sugar throughout the day.

Micro Habit 4: Scheduling Rest

  • Filling every moment with activity is a trauma response; instead, it’s essential to schedule regular breaks throughout your day for rest and recovery—aiming for about 10% of your day dedicated solely to this purpose (approximately 2.4 hours).

Understanding Nervous System Regulation

The Impact of Screen Time on Relaxation

  • Eating lunch in a rush while distracted by screens is considered disregulating, contrasting with the calming effect of mindful eating.
  • Scheduled relaxation can include short activities like meditation, walks, or quiet moments to enhance well-being and restore the nervous system.

Strategies for Self-Check and Awareness

  • Setting gentle reminders on your phone can help you pause and check in with yourself throughout the day.
  • Regular self-check-ins can lead to increased awareness of physical sensations, emotional states, and basic needs such as hunger or thirst.

Grounding Techniques for Hypervigilance

  • When feeling hypervigilant, grounding techniques like orienting to safety—naming things you see, hear, and feel—can help anchor your nervous system in the present moment.
  • Carrying an object that symbolizes safety or using affirmations can condition your mind to recognize that you are safe in the current moment.

Building Resilience Against Triggers

  • Healthy individuals develop skills to quickly return to a sense of safety after being triggered; unregulated systems may take much longer to recover.
  • Having a plan for when you're dysregulated is crucial. This could involve sensory experiences or processing emotions through journaling or talking it out.

Social Connections as Regulators

  • Seeking social support during tough times enhances feelings of safety; co-regulation with trusted individuals can be beneficial.
  • Creating a personalized plan from various strategies discussed allows individuals to effectively manage their responses and improve overall regulation.

9 Strategies for Regulating Your Nervous System

1. Facing Problems with Calmness

  • When faced with challenges, engage in calming activities such as walking, journaling, or calling a friend to regain a sense of calm and connection before addressing the issue.

2. Expanding Your Window of Tolerance

  • Trauma can lead to feelings of being frozen or overwhelmed; counter this by incorporating movement into your routine to regulate your nervous system.
  • If you feel unmotivated or low-energy (shutdown state), upregulate through physical activity to expand your nervous system's capacity for stress tolerance.
  • Engage in slightly stressful activities that promote laughter and play to transition from hypoarousal back to calmness. Incorporate more high-energy activities if you tend toward shutdown states.
  • For those dominated by stress and tension, introduce playful elements into daily life, such as sports or humorous interactions, to balance energy levels.
  • Consider adding discomfort intentionally through exercise, fasting (with medical approval), or cold exposure to enhance resilience against stressors.

3. Intentional Evening Wind Down

  • Avoidance is a common trauma response; instead, create intentional evening routines that help you wind down after a stressful day. This could include limiting phone use before bed.
  • Reflect on your day through journaling or voice notes—identify what felt good and what was challenging—to foster self-compassion and emotional processing skills.
  • Practice somatic release rituals like gentle tapping on limbs or deep breathing while lying down to discharge accumulated stress and reconnect with your body before sleep.

4. Gratitude Practices

  • Engage in gratitude exercises such as naming three positive experiences from the day; this helps retrain the brain to recognize safety and goodness in oneself and the world around them.

5. Relaxation Techniques

  • Utilize progressive muscle relaxation by tensing and relaxing each muscle group while lying down, or visualize a safe place before bed to ease into restfulness effectively.

Conclusion: Start Small for Lasting Change

  • Begin implementing these strategies gradually; focus on one disruptive behavior at a time rather than trying all at once for sustainable habit formation over weeks.

For further learning about regulating your nervous system, consider exploring the free course "Grounding Skills for Stress, Anxiety, and PTSD" available at therapyinshell.com which provides insights into identifying various states of your nervous system and returning to calmness effectively.

Video description

Learn daily habits for trauma and anxiety self-regulation, focusing on nervous system regulation and dysregulation to manage stress and PTSD. Free Grounding Skills for Anxiety or PTSD course: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/grounding-skills-for-anxiety-stress-and-ptsd Download the PDF "Daily Habits for Self-Regulation of Trauma or Anxiety": https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/pl/2148686879 Learn the skills to Regulate your Emotions, join the membership: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership Safe Place visualization: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Isw37iCwMCg&t=6s Progressive Muscle Relaxation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNqYG95j_UQ Living with Trauma or PTSD can feel like your nervous system is constantly on high alert—like an overly sensitive car alarm that goes off at the slightest trigger. This state of nervous system dysregulation can leave you tense, hypervigilant, anxious, angry, or completely burnt out. But the good news is that you can retrain your body toward balance and calm through simple, consistent practices. In this video, you’ll learn 9 science-based daily habits for trauma and daily habits for anxiety that promote nervous system regulation. These micro habits include setting clear intentions, slowing down instead of rushing, creating a calm morning routine, scheduling true rest, checking in with your body, restoring a sense of safety, and developing skills to bounce back after triggers. You’ll also learn how to expand your window of tolerance with movement and end your day with soothing wind-down rituals. Healing your nervous system doesn’t mean you’ll never feel stress again—it means you’ll feel safer, calmer, and more confident in your ability to recover quickly. With small daily changes, you can reduce anxiety, improve resilience, and support lasting recovery from trauma. 00:00 Intro: When trauma and anxiety keep your nervous system dysregulated 01:10 Daily habits for trauma and anxiety 01:24 1. Be proactive and set clear intentions 02:52 2. Slow down instead of speed up 03:59 3. Set the tone for the day 05:38 4. Schedule time to rest 07:13 5. Check in with yourself 08:40 6. Counteract hypervigilance by restoring your sense of safety 09:48 7. Build skills to bounce back from triggers 12:20 8. Expand your window of tolerance 14:00 9. Intentionally wind down in the evening 15:37 Healing trauma and anxiety one daily habit at a time Looking for affordable online counseling? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional from the comfort of your own home. Try it now for 10% off your first month: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell FREE Mental Health Resources: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/free-resources Check out my podcast, Therapy in a Nutshell: https://tinpodcast.podbean.com/ Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health. In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction. And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 988 or your local emergency services. Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC