25 unexpected ways to feel calmer that have nothing to do with meditation, breathwork, or another wellness routine.
I’ve spent years teaching yoga, meditation, breathwork, and nervous system regulation, and I’m going to tell you something that might sound strange coming from someone who makes a living teaching people how to relax.
Sometimes the last thing you need is another breathing exercise.
I love meditation, practice it daily, like legit every single day for the past 3-4 years it has been a daily practice, teach it meditation, and believe in its benefits. The same goes for yoga and breathwork, and all types of fitness exercises, and nervous system and mindset healing modalities. They’ve been part of my life for decades. However, somewhere along the way, nervous system regulation became another thing we’re supposed to be doing correctly.
We’re told to breathe a certain way, meditate for a certain number of minutes, track our sleep cycle, our steps, close all of our circles on our phones, stimulate our vagus nerve, and follow a morning routine designed to keep our cortisol in check.
It’s exhausting.
I think we’ve forgotten something super important. Sometimes the things that help us feel more calm are the things we genuinely enjoy doing.
When did relaxing become so much work?
I was thinking about this recently because so much of the nervous system conversation online revolves around techniques, there’s always a new protocol, exercise, or device promising to help us regulate. Ok i am about to get a little on my soapbox i think but please hear me out….. They’ve taken a beautiful, centuries-old practice like Qigong, rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine, breathwork, mindful movement, and the cultivation of qi, and repackaged it as another morning routine hack for lymphatic drainage. EVERYONE on instagram is doing it and adding it to their morning routine for lymphatic drainage. Great, cool, amazing, but no one is talking about this beautiful practice and the traditional roots of chinese medicine and it is really aggravating me, as you can see. Qigong was never meant to be another thing to check off your wellness to-do list. It’s a practice of connecting your breath, body, and mind. Reducing it to a lymphatic drainage trend misses so much of its history, philosophy, and purpose. ( I think I will write an essay on this soon.)
Not everything ancient needs a modern wellness rebrand.
Some of the activities that help us unwind have been around forever. Painting, dancing, singing in the car, baking cookies, sitting outside watching the birds, working on a puzzle.
None of these activities requires a certification, an app, or a subscription, and many of them have legitimate connections to stress reduction, emotional well-being, and relaxation.
Creative activities can help redirect attention away from repetitive thoughts. Music can influence mood and physiological arousal. Spending time in nature is associated with improvements in perceived stress. Enjoyable movement can help us work through physical tension and shift our emotional state.
The mechanisms aren’t identical, and not every activity works for every person, still, there’s a growing body of research exploring how creativity, movement, music, and sensory experiences support psychological well-being.
What I find interesting is that these activities don’t necessarily require us to focus on calming down, we’re doing something we enjoy.
25 unexpected ways to calm your nervous system
Get creative
- Painting.You don’t need to be good at it, sometimes mixing colors and moving a brush across a canvas is enough to help you unwind.
- Coloring or drawing.Remember how much you loved coloring as a kid? There’s something comforting about focusing on colors, shapes, and repetitive movements.
- Pottery or playing with clay.Working with your hands engages your senses and gives your attention somewhere to land.
- Knitting or crocheting.The repetitive movements can become almost meditative.
- Doodling.Grab a pen and start drawing, no artistic talent required.
Move differently
- Dancing in your kitchen.Put on your favorite song and move however you want. No choreography, workout clothes, or fitness tracker necessary.
- Swinging.Yes, like you did when you were a kid. Gentle rhythmic movement can feel surprisingly soothing.
- Rocking in a rocking chair.There’s a reason repetitive, gentle movement feels comforting to many people.
- Floating in water.Sometimes allowing your body to feel supported by water is exactly what you need.
- Taking a walk without headphones.No podcast, audiobook, or productivity goal. Just walk and notice what’s around you.
Use your senses
- Listening to your favorite music.Not necessarily calming music, either. Sometimes the song you loved in high school is exactly what you need.
- Singing.In the shower, in your car, or while making dinner. Singing combines music, breathing, and emotional expression.
- Humming.A simple way to create sound and naturally lengthen your exhale.
- Baking.Measuring ingredients, kneading dough, and smelling something delicious in the oven can be wonderfully grounding.
- Gardening.Getting your hands in the dirt, caring for plants, and spending time outside.
Give your brain something enjoyable to do
- Working on a puzzle.Sometimes your brain needs something interesting to focus on that isn’t another problem to solve.
- Reading fiction.Getting lost in someone else’s story can be a welcome break from your own mental to-do list.
- Organizing one small space.Not deep cleaning your entire house. Just tidying a drawer or arranging your bookshelf.
- Looking through old pics.Revisiting happy memories can bring feelings of comfort and connection.
- Doing something nostalgic.Watch an old favorite movie, listen to music from your teenage years, or revisit a hobby you loved growing up.
Reconnect with the world around you
- Playing with your pet.The companionship, affection, and playfulness can help you feel more connected.
- Watching birds or fish.Sometimes observing nature without needing to accomplish anything is enough.
- Stargazing.Looking up at the night sky can create a sense of awe and perspective.
- Laughing with a friend.Connection is an important part of emotional well-being, and sometimes a ridiculous conversation is better than another self-help podcast.
- Taking a drive.Put on music you love, enjoy the changing scenery, and give yourself a little time away from the noise of everyday life.
Your nervous system doesn’t always need stillness
Here’s something I wish more people understood about nervous system regulation. Calm doesn’t look the same for everyone. If you know me, then you know how often i say and preach BIO-INDIVIDUALITY. What works for one person doesn’t work for everyone.
Some people love sitting quietly and meditating, others feel more relaxed after moving, exercising, creating, laughing, or spending time with people they love, and what helps you feel better today might be completely different from what you need tomorrow.
There are times when I want yoga, meditation, or a quiet sec alone. There are other times when I need music, movement, or something creative that gets me out of my head. Neither is better.
We also need to stop treating every enjoyable activity as something that must have a measurable health benefit. You don’t need to prove that painting lowers your cortisol to justify spending an afternoon painting, you don’t need to track your heart rate while gardening, and you don’t need to turn dancing in your kitchen into another nervous system protocol or count how many calories you just burned.
Sometimes you can just enjoy yourself.
Remember this……one of the most overlooked parts of taking care of ourselves is remembering how to have fun.
Nikki Lanigan
Nikki Lanigan is a yoga, HIIT, and Barre instructor, she is also a Holistic Health Coach through Institute of Integrative Nutrition. Nikki is trained in Yoga Shred, Yoga Psychology, meditation, chakra balancing, and EFT/Tapping. She has done trainings with Sadie Nardini and Ashley Turner. She got her 200 hour yoga teacher training in 2017 at the Carrie Treister School Of Yoga. Nikki takes a holistic view of health, helping her students and clients reach a place of self-love not just through movement, but with mindset and lifestyle guidance as well. Nikki is also show prep writer for The McVay Media Show Prep and host of the podcast Fit, Fun, and Frazzled. Connect with Nikki on Instagram. www.instagram.com/nikkilanigan.yogaandwellness www.instagram.com/fitfunandfrazzledpodcast
