Why Your Nervous System Might Be Sabotaging Your Best Thinking
How to Reset Your Nervous System Naturally is part of my series on Mindful Strategies for High-Performing Humans in a Hyperconnected World
It’s 2:00 PM. You’re halfway through your third cup of coffee, the Slack pings are multiplying like rabbits, and you just opened a tab and immediately forgot why.
Sound familiar?
Whether you’re running a business, flying a plane, raising small humans, or juggling all of the above, high performance isn’t just about being smart. It’s about staying steady. And in a hyperconnected world, your nervous system is taking a hit long before your to-do list is done.
Here’s the kicker: your nervous system might be the reason your brain feels scrambled, even when you’re technically crushing it.
So, if you’re wondering how to reset your nervous system naturally, keep reading!
The Physiology of “I Can’t Think Straight”
Stress hijacks your brain in sneaky ways. It activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, flooding your system with cortisol and shifting control from your calm, strategic prefrontal cortex to your overcaffeinated inner doomsday prepper: the amygdala.
In short? You stop thinking clearly and start reacting.
This isn’t hypothetical; it’s well documented. Chronic stress throws off your immune system, digestion, sleep, and emotional regulation. It’s linked to everything from anxiety to burnout to that inexplicable meltdown over a missing lunchbox (Khumalo, 2025).
Ancient Science Knew This, Too
Long before anyone used the phrase “executive function,” Ayurveda and Yoga described this exact mind-body overload:
- Ayurveda calls it a Vāta imbalance, too much movement, too much stimulation, and a mind spinning like a browser with 47 open tabs (Khumalo, 2025).
- Yoga says it’s disrupted prāṇa, your life force, wreaking havoc on your ability to stay present and make smart choices.
But here’s the good news: you can get back to calm. And you don’t need to move to an ashram or buy a Himalayan salt lamp to do it.
How to Reset Your Nervous System Naturally: 3 Nervous System Resets You Can Start Today
1. Breathe Before You Reply
Your breath is like your brain’s “reset” button. A technique called Nāḍī Śodhana (alternate nostril breathing) has been shown to reduce anxiety and balance your nervous system (Khumalo, 2025).
Try this:
- Close your right nostril and inhale slowly through the left.
- Close the left, exhale through the right.
- Do a few rounds. Feel the shift.
No one even has to know you’re doing it. You could be regulating your vagus nerve in the carpool line. That’s power.
2. Swap Doomscrolling for Deep Rest
You know that glazed, twitchy feeling after a day of back-to-back meetings or notifications? That’s your nervous system waving the white flag.
Instead of another scroll, try Yoga Nidra, a guided form of deep rest that activates your parasympathetic system (Khumalo, 2025). It’s been shown to improve sleep, reduce stress hormones, and help with trauma recovery. Start with 10–20 minutes before bed or between tasks.
And no, you don’t have to sit cross-legged on a mountaintop. This works lying down with AirPods and a blanket. Pajamas optional.
3. Anchor Your Day with Intentional Micro-Movements
You don’t need a full fitness routine to feel better; you need a ritual.
According to Ayurveda, Dinacharya (daily routine) helps stabilize energy and restore clarity (Khumalo, 2025). This could be as simple as:
- Standing barefoot on the earth is known in modern wellness as grounding, but it’s long been part of Ayurvedic lifestyle wisdom for calming the nervous system.
- A warm drink instead of a screen first thing
- A quick full-body stretch before your day kicks off
The key? Start and end your day on purpose instead of on autopilot.
The Bottom Line
If you’ve been forgetting things, snapping at people you love, or re-reading the same sentence three times, it’s not that you’re lazy or disorganized. It’s that your nervous system is in survival mode.
And when that happens, your best thinking, the strategic, creative, problem-solving version of you, takes a back seat.
The fix isn’t hustle, harder boundaries, or another productivity hack. It’s reclaiming calm on a biological level so your brilliance can come through.
Move with intention. Even if it’s just breathing for one minute before your next decision.
You don’t need a full lifestyle overhaul; you just need a better default setting.
How to Reset Your Nervous System Naturally: Q&A
Q: How often should I practice these techniques to see results?
A: Like any high-performance tool, consistency beats intensity. Even 3–5 minutes a day of breathwork, Yoga Nidra, or grounding can begin to rewire your stress response. Most people notice a shift within a week when they commit to daily practice. Think of it like brushing your teeth, but for your brain.
Q: Are there signs I’ve moved into parasympathetic (rest mode)?
A: Yes. When your parasympathetic system kicks in, you might notice:
- A slower heart rate
- Softer, deeper breathing
- Digestive sounds (aka your gut finally unclenches)
- A subtle wave of calm or clarity
If you sigh deeply or yawn during breathwork or Yoga Nidra, that’s your body saying, “Thank you.”
Q: Is there a best time of day to do Yoga Nidra or grounding?
A: Yoga Nidra is ideal in the late afternoon, before bed, or anytime you hit the brain-fog wall. It’s like a reboot button for your nervous system.
Grounding (standing barefoot on grass or earth) works any time, but morning is especially powerful for stabilizing energy before your day spins up.
Pro tip: neither requires a full schedule block. Stack it with something you already do, like post-coffee or pre-Zoom.
Q: What if I only have 2 minutes, what’s the one thing I should do?
A: Do Nāḍī Śodhana (alternate nostril breathing). It takes less than 2 minutes and delivers calm-on-demand. You’ll quiet the mental static and shift from reactivity to response, fast.
Bonus: no yoga mat, candles, or phone app required.
Q: Is there research to back up grounding or breathwork?
A: Yes. Grounding has been linked to reduced inflammation and improved sleep in preliminary studies, and it’s being explored as a tool for reducing cortisol and nervous system dysregulation. Breathwork, especially slow, rhythmic patterns like Nāḍī Śodhana and Bhrāmari, has more robust research, showing improvements in:
- Heart rate variability
- Cortisol levels
- Mood and cognitive function
(Khumalo, 2025)
So yes, it’s ancient wisdom, but it’s also current science. I hope you learned a little bit about how to reset your nervous system naturally!
References
Khumalo, N. (2025). Ayurvedic and Yogic Interventions for Stress-Related Disorders: A Review. Journal of Swasthavritta and Yoga, 2(1), 18–24. https://www.doi.org/10.33545/30787157.2025.v2.i1.A.8
Ready to Try This for Yourself?
If your nervous system could use a reset (and honestly, whose couldn’t?), I’ve got two great ways to get started:
Download My Free Yoga Kickstart Guide. Simple, approachable practices to help you move with intention, breathe with purpose, and start feeling like yourself again even on your busiest days. 👉 https://yogakickstart.sorellawellness.co/
Join Me for a Live Yoga Class
No experience required. No pressure to be flexible. Just 30 minutes of intentional movement, breath, and calm, designed for real life, not Instagram. 👉 https://www.sorellawellness.co/schedule
Because sometimes the smartest thing a high-performer can do… is slow down, on purpose.
