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If you’re feeling stuck in a cycle of fight-or-flight, this episode is for you. I’m teaching you exactly how to reset your nervous system using simple, powerful somatic exercises for anxiety.

We’re moving beyond just “thinking” our way out of stress. Instead, I’ll show you vagus nerve practices and body-based tools that help you move from panic to peace in less than a minute. These techniques help you regulate your system, release tension, and reconnect with a sense of safety and grounding in your body.

Remember: this isn’t about fixing or forcing. It’s about teaching your nervous system that it’s safe to inhabit your body again. Each breath is a simple reminder: I’m here. I’m present. I’m safe.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • The Vagus Nerve Reset: A simple physical shift to stop the “braced” feeling.
  • The Jaw Release: How to let go of the physical tension you didn’t even know you were holding.
  • Body-Based Grounding: My favorite tool to reconnect with a sense of safety when you feel unmoored.
  • Somatic Breathwork: A quick practice to signal to your brain that you are safe.
  • The Power of Repetition: Why mastering just one of these can reprogram your entire system.

These small moments of care, practiced again and again, give you back your power. You don’t have to stay stuck in disregulation—you can help yourself.

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disclaimer

This podcast is intended to educate, inspire, and support you on your personal journey towards inner peace. I am not a psychologist or a medical doctor and do not offer any professional health or medical advice. If you are suffering from any psychological or medical conditions, please seek help from a qualified health professional.

dear gabby #307 Mar 02, 2026 emotional wellbeing

reset your nervous system: 5 simple exercises to help your body let go of anxiety

This is a Dear Media production. Welcome back to Dear Gabby. Today's a very powerful episode. Guys, I cannot emphasize enough how much this episode is one of the ones that I want you to listen to multiple times.I want you to save this and come back to it daily, weekly. These are practices that are gonna really help you calm your nervous system, and it's a very, very,very important topic that I wanna make sure we address. Today, right here, right now, for you to take care of yourself and for you to start to feel that relief inside and that calm mind.And to start to really know that you have agency over all the big feelings and all the big emotions and all the big stuff that's being thrown at us all day long. So let's really take this one seriously. But before we jump in, I wanna share big news, big exciting news, my friends. I am heading back out on the road for my time to trust tour.I called this tour Time to Trust because I felt like we were really [00:01:00]living in a. Moment right now where we need to feel a sense of spiritual certainty. And really reconnect to that place of inner knowing and trust that we're being guided by the universe, that we're being guided spiritually, and I wanna bring these methods and these teachings to you now so that you can start to feel that unshakeable faith inside of you.So I'm hitting the road. I'm coming to New York. New York is soon. New York is March 30th, Los Angeles is April 29th. Then shortly after I'm in Boston.London and Miami, and there'll be more dates coming too. These are very immersive in-person experiences. I'm gonna help you really get into that superattractor power.We're gonna do deep meditations. We're gonna get so deep together in the room, and these live events are my absolute favorite thing to do. You know, last week we shared one of my live talks on the podcast and you know how much this work means to me and how much I care about putting together these talks.I never give the same talk year over year. this one's [00:02:00] very important,timely, and special. So if you wanna join me on tour, , visit deargabby.com/events. You can get all the details. There's also beautiful retreats happening this summer in Rhinebeck, New York at Omega Institute.So if you wanna do a retreat weekend with me, the details are there as well. I am really excited to take you on this journey with me. Join me somewhere live in the world. Join me at dear gabby.com/events. Now let's jump into the show.Have you ever said to yourself, I'm fine, but your chest is super tight and your jaw is clenched, and your stomach is in knots? That's a sign that your nervous system is on high alert and you need support.so today I'm gonna teach you how to reset your nervous system using five powerful somatic exercises for anxiety. And these are the exact nervous system regulation tools that I have used in my own life.I use them on planes. I use them before I walk on stage, before moments ofoverwhelm.I use them all the time because they work [00:03:00] fast and they remind my body that I'm safe inside.so you're gonna learn five simple, quick, and effective somatic healing exercises, you can stop managing your stress. Now. You can start releasing it.You can trust that these techniques are gonna help you calm your anxiety and quickly help you shift out of that fight flight mentality and back into a state ofpeace.So how do we actually move from that high alert state back into serenity, back into a calm, nervous system?So when we use these tools, these five practices, I'm about to teach you, to get back into our body and let the body release the tension, let the body release the flight mechanism, let the body release the story, we actually start to feel an instant settling of our system.We feel like we have an energy lifting off of us. It's a somatic shift from a state of fight, flight, freeze into a [00:04:00] state of relaxation and a calming of the nervous system. These tools are really important when you're on a spiritual path because. You're here, you wanna manifest, you wanna attract your dreams.
But when we're in that constant state of hyper vigilance and we're constantly feeling like we have to fight or we have to stay frozen, or we have to protect ourselves, those energies are blocking our manifestation practice. that energy is blocking our ability to listen to the universe, to feel the connection to the divine.When we settle our nervous system, we actually get into a new frequency, and in that calm, settled frequency, we start to attract more of what we want. So these tools are really important first for releasing anxiety, for releasing stress,for calming your body, for healing your nervous system. But they're also extremely important if you wanna manifest and you wanna attract into your life.Because if you don't have the tools. For regulating your nervous system, you can't be a match for what you desire. So let's dive [00:05:00] into these practices and I'm gonna teach them to you. Then we'll do them together. So let's dive into the practices. I'm gonna teach each one to you and then we're gonna do ittogether.When your body is stuck in high alert, it needs a signal that you're safe. And this is a practice that is so effective to get your nervous system relaxed and bring your energy back into a place of feeling safe inside. And it's a very. Simple EFTtapping technique called tapping on the gamut. PointEFT is emotional freedom technique, which is otherwise known as tapping. And it's a practice where you tap on different energy meridians while you talk about emotional disturbances. And as you tap and talk, you're actually opening up your brain's capacity to reprocess that emotional disturbance.And when we tap, we're actually giving the body this little memo. It's kind of like acupuncture, that it's safe to calm down. It's sending a message to the amygdala that you're safe. You can relax And as you speak and release the emotion [00:06:00] state, you begin to transform the way it feels in your body and the way your nervous system responds to that energy.So here's what we're gonna do.We're gonna tap on this point, and the point is called the gamut point. it's thatlittle meaty point between the ring finger and the pinky finger. And you're just gonna tap on it. And with me right now, just tap on this point and just repeat after me. I am safe. I am safe. I am safe. Keep tapping and just saying I am safe. Feel that energy shift in your body. I'm safe breathing deeply tapping, reminding yourself that you are safe. You could even take it further
where you notice the feeling inside of your body where you don't feel safe, and just send some energy to it as you tap and just say, I am safe.It's safe to trust inside. I'm safe. [00:07:00] I am safe. Take another deep breathing and just let that settle into your system. You're not trying to get rid of the feeling. You're not fighting it, you're just meeting it with safety, and you can use this practice anywhere, anytime, as a way of just regulating your nervous system, getting back to a sense of safety and feeling in your energy field that it's okay to let go and it's okay to allow.This is a powerful practice. I want you to bring it with you wherever you go.The second step is to reset your vagus nerve. If your body feels stuck in stress mode and you just can't seem to calm down, this is one of the fastest ways to bring yourself back into a state of peace.The vagus nerve is the main pathway of your parasympathetic nervous system.This is the part of your body that's responsible for rest, for digest, it's the longest nerve in your body and it's running from your brain [00:08:00] stem all the way down to your heart, lungs, and gut.and it's your job to send signals of safety throughout your entire system.In fact, about 90% of the communication on this nerve travels from the body up to the brain, and that's why anxiety sometimes shows up as butterflies in your stomach or like a tightness in your chest, or that buzzy unsettled feeling of anxiety. 'cause your body is constantly telling your brain whether you're safe or whether you're in danger.So when your vagus nerve is active and healthy, it turns off that fight response and turns the rest and digest response in action. Okay? That's when your heart slows down, that's when your breath deepens, your system begins to regulate. So this practice is all about regulating this vagus nerveSo one of the most effective ways to stimulate this nerve is actually through sound. You can do this with me right now. Let's practice this. It's really simple.It's a humming technique. It puts you into this beautiful parasympathetic state by stimulating [00:09:00] the vagus nerve.so I want you to sit comfortably. You can also lie down. Take a deep breath, let that breath expand your belly slowly. Exhale gently.
Close your lips and make a low steady sound hum. So let's do this together.Hmm.Feel the vibration in your chest. Keep humming. Feel that vibration in your throat. Inhale again. Let's exhale with a hmm.Inhale and exhale with the hum. Hmm.[00:10:00]Repeat this three or four, five times. Slow, deep breaths in. Then the deep humming on the exhale. This is called vagal toning. It's sending a direct vibrational signal to the vagus nerve. It's sending this message that it's safe for your body to relax. It drops your body into the parasympathetic nervous system.I'm so relaxed now, I can't even carry on, and it just slows down your heart rate and it guides you back into this place of inner safety and peace, and your nervous system regulation starts to set in. And you're no longer forced in this place. You're actually in a place of calm. You are giving your body that biological signal that it's safe to relax, that it's safe to let go.And when you're in that place of safety, everything begins to settle.The third practice is so simple. This is something I do every single night beforeI [00:11:00] go to bed. It's actually how I put myself to sleep, and it's called a heart hold, and this instantly settles your nervous system and puts you into nervous system regulation.when your mind won't slow down, the fastest way back to calm isn't in your head. It's actually in your body. When your thoughts are racing and you feel disconnected from yourself, your nervous system is asking for safety, not for solutions, not for overthinking or trying to find the fix.it's simply asking to feel safe inside. And this is exactly what this practice will do. And this is gonna settle your nervous system just by simply placing your hand on your heart and your other hand on your belly, and you're just gently gonna breathe in deeply and exhale completely.You might even yawn. I actually need to yawn right now. I'm gonna make you yawn. The yawning is a really good sign 'cause you're actually, even just the second that I put my hand on my heart, my hand on my belly has started to yawn. And just breathe in deeply.
Exhale completely. And repeat after me. [00:12:00] I'm calm. I am at ease. I am safe. Just feel into the feeling of what this hold offers your body.It's relaxing, it's soothing. Just let it settle in. This gentle hold activates the vagus nerve. That vagus nerve, again is the main pathway of your calming system, so just breathing that in. Breath in the warmth of your hands. Feel the soft pressure and the rhythm of your breath. This is all sending a biologicalsignal of safety.Sending that message to your brain, it's okay. It's safe to slow down. It's safe to relax, saying, I'm here. I'm okay. I don't have to be in fight or flight. I don't have to be in high alert. This brings your awareness out of your head and back into your center, back into your heart, and just notice your [00:13:00] heart rate.Slow down. Notice your breath can deepen. Your nervous system begins to regulate from the inside out.Just feel that relaxed state inside your body.this is what regulation feels like. It'snot fixing yourself. It's not pushing through. It's just coming back into the relationship with your body just for these slow, deep breaths with your heart.Hold with your hand on your stomach and your hand on your heart.Just let's do it one more time together. Place your hand on your heart. Your hand on your belly. Slow deep breath in. I'm yawning again. Yawning is excellent. It's a real sign, and just let it go. Let yourself yawn if you are. I'mcalm. I'm at ease.Just breathe as you reroute yourself and your [00:14:00] body. Feeling that feeling of centeredness, that feeling of connectedness, and just let yourself relax and feel that relaxation come over you and just take one last deep breath in and just let it go. Notice the shift inside. If you're someone who has a wearable, I've got my aura ring on, you can probably see the oral ring go red.You can notice what your heart rate does. After you have practiced this for just one or two minutes, it's gonna blow your mind. You're gonna see a crazy shift,and that brings me to step four, which is to simply relax your tongue. You can instantly calm your nervous system by relaxing your tongue. That's it.Most of us don't realize how much stress and tension that we hold onto, and we hold so much of it in our mouth. For me, I literally wake up and my jaw is clenched.
Like I can bite through a retainer and we have so much tension in our mouth, in our [00:15:00] jaw, in our tongue, in our throat. And so when your nervous system senses this. Threat. These muscles tighten up and they automatically send a message to your brain that there's danger. And that's why we really need to scan our bodies to notice that tension in our mouth, the tension in our tongue,the tension in our jaw, noticing that reflex.And really practice this simple tool of calming down your nervous system in seconds by relaxing your tongue. Do this with me now. Unclench your jaw.Rest your tongue at the floor of your mouth.Drop your shoulders. It's gonna make me ya again. Here's my yawn. Oh, I feel so good. Let yourself yawn. Relax your tongue to the bottom of your mouth.Relax your shoulders. Relax your jaw, whisper in your mind. I don't have to hold onto [00:16:00] this. Just relax. Let your tongue relax more. Just feel the settling of your system.Breathe in this place, yawn. If you need to, just notice everything you notice inside. Notice the feeling. Notice the shift. Notice the sensations of relaxation come over you, your breath, deepening. Just stay in this state for a moment with your tongue relaxed.And this beautiful practice works so quickly because the tongue is a barometer of stress. And so when it relaxes. That's your nervous system, understanding that it no longer needs to stay guarded, and you can just send this physical cue that danger's over, and even if your mind is still catching up, you can use this in the middle of a conversation or while scrolling your phone or lying in bed and trying to [00:17:00] fall asleep.Maybe if you're waiting in traffic or you just wanna find a moment of quiet or start your meditation practice, it's a really nice way to just self-regulate whenever you need it. I love it in a meeting, like if you're stressed out in a meeting or if you're in a fight with someone, drop your tongue. Just relax your tongue.Definitely use this if you're trying to fall back asleep at night. And like I said,your brain is gonna catch up, so you might have your thoughts racing, but if you relax your tongue, your brain starts to catch up. Oh, I'm safe. And the thoughts can subside. It's a very, very powerful tool. So I hope you use this regularly.And finally, our fifth step. when you feel emotionally flooded, I want you to do this. Place one hand on your heart and the other hand on your head.
This position comes from the Hin Jitsu, and it's a powerful self-healing practice.This works with the body's energy pathways. It's a hold that [00:18:00] holds these two different points, your head and your heart, and it's creating a circuit that balances the nervous system and it frees up emotional charges and it helps you get from that place of being stuck in the body and feeling this energy of release lets you feel safe inside.I used this when I was first in the early days of recovering from trauma memories. I was 10 years ago, I was 36 years old. I had big memories from my childhood come through a dream and I remembered things that were very disturbing and I was literally back in the trauma. And the only thing I could do to feel safe in those moments was to do this hold.I'd place my hand on my head and my hand on my heart, and I did this every single night. To help me fall asleep. I would do it in the morning. I would do it throughout the day. And so if you're someone that's struggling with trauma, if you're struggling with anxiety, if you're struggling with depression, use this holds a simple way of just sending a message inside that you're safe, remembering the power that you have to regulate your nervous [00:19:00] system.with all of these practices. I want you to remember that this isn't fixing, it's not forcing. It's not needing to change what you feel. It's not changing who you are.It's just simply teaching your nervous system that it's safe to inhabit your body again. That it's safe to settle, that it's safe to let go.Each breath is just a simple reminder. I'm here, I'm present. I'm safe. you don'thave to aim for perfection. You can just repeat it. Aim for repetition. You don't have to do all five of these every single day. Just pick one. Practice it regularly.Just master it because this is how your body's gonna learn how to trust, and this is how your brain is gonna learn how to trust these small moments of care.Just practice again and again, and again. Start to reprogram your brain. Start to give you a sense of agency and power. Give you a sense of knowing that you have the capacity to self-soothe, and that alone is so powerful. Just even knowing inside, I've got [00:20:00] tools that, for me, was enough to get me out of the place of anxiety because I could feel like I have some tools.I'm not alone in this. I can help myself. I don't have to stay braced. I don't have to stay in the state of regulation all the time. I can create a free released stateinside.
If this episode is resonating with you and you love being part of the DearGabby community, I wanna welcome you to join Me Live. There is something very different and special about getting into the room, in the room with like-minded spiritual souls coming together to deepen their spiritual practice,To deepen their connection to the universe is one of the most powerful thingsthat we could do. Right now. We're living in very divisive, tumultuous times and we need to strengthen our trust in the universe, and that's why I'm going on--with my time to trust live talks. These live events are all about helping you release fear and [00:21:00] reconnect to that inner sense of safety inside. Ah, I take a deep breath, even just saying time to trust. It's just time to trust guys. I'mgonna be in New York very soon on March 30th, April 29th, I'm gonna be inLos Angeles.Then shortly after Boston. London and Miami, and I cannot emphasize enough the power of being in the room. I really, really wanna welcome you into the space, meet up with your like-minded spirit junkies and be in the space together,meditating. I might even bring in some mantra music. We're gonna go for it guys, so you can find out all the dates in the [email protected] slashevents, and I just can't wait to connect with you in person.To take this work a little deeper, I wanna offer you something I made just for moments like this. I always like to give you a meditation that you can actually use when anxiety starts to hit or when you feel those big emotions comeforward.And so I don't want you to have to feel like you have to get rid of the feeling,but instead. I wanna help you move through it. So right now I'm gonna guide you through a [00:22:00] meditation I call riding the waves of emotion. This is a practice that you can turn to when you feel really deep, intense feelings or overwhelm, and if you wanna stay present instead of shutting down, this will be really powerful for you.And so just get grounded and enjoy the meditation.Meditation for riding the waves of emotion. Sit comfortably, cross-legged on the floor, or upright in a chair. Roll your shoulders back and gently close your eyes. Take a deep breath in, and as you inhale, honor all the feelings that are coming up for you right now on the exhale release.
Take another deep breath in and on the inhale, honor all of the feelings that are coming through[00:23:00]on the exhale release. Breathe in, honor the feelings.Exhale, release. Continue this cycle of breath throughout your meditation.Begin to visualize yourself in a crystal blue ocean.The water is warm and soothing. And no one else is around.You look out to the ocean, you see a series of waves rolling toward you.These waves represent your emotions,but [00:24:00] today you have the power to dive into these waves of emotions.You don't have to run from them or be knocked down by them. Simply dive intothem.As each wave builds height, take a deep breath feel into whatever emotions and feelings are coming your way and on the exhale. Dive into the wave.Breathe in with each wave and breathe out. As you dive in,breathe in, allowing all of your emotions to fully come through you as you witness the next wave. [00:25:00] And on the exhale, dive into the wave and come out the other side.Take a few deep breaths and relax your body, noticing the next wave. Breathe into your emotions and dive into the wave, letting it all go.Begin to dance with the emotional oceans of wave that continue to move toward each wave passes, they become smaller and smaller. Each wave that you dive into. It becomes [00:26:00] easier to face with each wave. Breathe your feelings more deeply with each breath. Feel more and more relief. Noticing the next wave ahead. Take a deep breath in and feel into all of the feelings, and now gently exhale and dive into the wave.
With each breath, you become gentler and each dive becomes softer. interval between waves begins to lengthen, breathing slowly, relaxing your body. [00:27:00] The next wave slowly comes towards you. You take a deep breath in and on the exhale, you dive gently into the wave,relaxing into your body. The ocean is becoming still. There are no more waveson the horizon. Relax and breathe.Breathe in deeply. Exhale, completelyrelaxing. Floating in the calm ocean. Feel the sun and the breeze on your face floating in the water, floating in a sea of serenity. Your [00:28:00] calm, you areat peace,relaxing with each breath. Breathing in,breathe out. Just allow your body to relax.[00:29:00] [00:30:00] [00:31:00][00:32:00] [00:33:00]Gently wiggle your fingers and your toes coming back into your body. Take a deep breath in. And then release. When you're ready, open your eyes to theroom.If this meditation supported you, I want you to know that you can come back to it any time. You can go download the extended version of [email protected] slash anxiety, and this is a powerful grounding,emotional relief that you can access [00:34:00] anytime, anywhere.And if you want ongoing support like this, members of my Gabby coaching app have access to hundreds of meditations nervous system tools, my Gabby AIcoach 24 7 supporting them. Challenges like the inner calm challenge and the manifesting challenge and the trust the universe challenge. All of this is at deargabby.com/app.And if you're ready for a deep dive into your journey from trauma into your journey, from anxiety, you can start to feel that freedom.And that safety inside. And another beautiful resource is my book, happy Days,the Guided Path from Trauma to Profound Freedom and Inner Peace. I've put a link to Happy Days in the show notes. this book is really, really soothing. I actually outline many of these practices and many more of them, and I guide you through this.
Spiritual and therapeutic processes of healing from trauma and undoing the fight flight response, and getting back into a settled state in your nervous system. So that book is definitely your book. If this [00:35:00] episode is for you and you loved it and you stuck around to the end, definitely check out happy days, andshare this episode with your friends.Get everybody involved because my mission is to create a space where spiritual principles and therapeutic practices can be easy to access. They're free and they're ready here for you to start to. Feel that sense of safety inside your bodyand that connection to the universe. And this is how your nervous system learns that it doesn't have to live on high alert anymore.This show is here to support you. So again, make sure to subscribe for weekly support I love you. And remember to stick around for the miracles.As we move into March, I am really feeling the call to come out of that winter slump. We have had so much snow here on the East coast and I've had a cold, as you can tell, you can hear it in my voice, and so prioritizing my health is.Something that's really important for me right now, and it doesn't have to becomplicated.It can be really easy actually, and [00:36:00] maintaining my energy and supporting my gut health is non-negotiable because that actually supports my overall wellbeing. And so we need to have routines that we can stick. To that we can stay consistent with, and that's why I rely on Ag one. It is a daily health drink, clinically shown to support gut health and fill in common nutrient gaps.Most supplements, overcomplicate things with tons of pills and confusing timing, which can really be. Impossible to keep up with. Like super annoying when you travel you have to like grab all your supplements. It's a pain. But a Gone simplifies this by just combining a multivitamin pre and probioticsuperfoods and antioxidants all in one scoop.So they have 75 plus ingredients, including five clinically studied probiotic strains. And I've been using a G one for, I don't know, like almost two decades,honestly. I'm not even kidding you. And it has been a staple for my, particularly,for my gut health. It really just keeps my digestion great. I love how it helps me stay steady and consistent through the spring, and it's just something that I really swear by I feel like the [00:37:00] cold I have right now actually was shortened
because my gut health was strong, and so when your gut health is strong, the rest of your immune system is strong.So thank you a G one. I am definitely gonna suggest that you take advantage of this right now. And it also provides daily immune support powered by functional mushrooms Antioxidants helping your body just feel restful and cared for. So go to drink ag one.com and go to drink ag one.com/gabby to get an AG one flavor sampler and a bottle of vitamin D three K two for free for and a bottle of Vitamin D three K two for free in your AG one welcome kit with your first Ag one subscription order only, while only while supplies last.That's drink ag one.com/gabby.