Nervous system regulation - The Feel Good Things

Running Long walks with my dog + headphones in Deep breathing exercises Swimming outdoors (preferably in clean lake water!) Long hot shower Getting into the cleaning zone and tidying up my house

Something I realised a while ago is that the gentle female enjoyment of life was branded being basic. I think that reflects its power. The weather is cooling and I’m getting excited about pumpkin spice candles and just bought myself an oversized jumper. I am a perfectly complex person with diverse interests but I don’t feel the need to prove that. The solar powered fairy lights will come on soon and we’ll be eating tacos in the garden.

Love all the comments here !

What I usually do:

- Walking meditations, so I can combine movement with being mindful of my surroundings

- Cycling by the river, cycling to a nature spot

- Playing a video game that's very immersive and puts emphasis on the graphics, it's basically escapism for me (like Horizon or Journey)

- Tending to my many indoor plants

- Going to the woods with my hammock, and just lying there watching the trees, the movement of the leaves, the light changing etc...

- Working out

- Making Pinterest vision boards so I can remember my goals lol

- Higher self meditations/visualizations, basically they enable me to communicate with a future version of me who's more accomplished and she's able to reassure me

- Trying out new vegan recipes

- Thrifting

- Cleaning/organizing my appartment, finding new ways to decorate it or rearrange the current decor

- Photographing nature or my surroundings

I see a previous comment about movement to release any stored up trauma, I have a similar practice. It's been a game changer! I also journal, spend a lot of time in nature, and sometimes I lock my self in my house for a couple days and don't see anyone. There's this book called "Women who run with wolves" and there's a chapter called Homing that I really resonated with. It's about how women need to be on their own sometimes in order to recharge and fully come back into themselves. I do a lot that over the winter when my nervous system is a little more trigger happy. I also have a law of attraction journal where I write about what I want in real time as if I already have it, and it makes me feel really good. One other, huge thing for me is walking. Over the winter I was without a car for a few months and had to walk everywhere. It was the calmest 3 months of my life. I'm fortunate enough that I have a train station nearby, so even though I have a car now I still take the train into work. Whenever I've had a bad day the walk from the office to the train station actually calms me down enough for my system to get out of fight or flight mode. I never realized how much driving stressed me out on a subconscious level.

Just reading these lists is soothing. I also love: Warm tea or coffee Lighting seasonal candles Reading under a warm blanket or in my hammock Meditations and spiritual group offerings on Insight Timer Journaling and morning pages Daily and Weekly reflections in my planner, using my favorite pens and markers Ambience videos on in the background (it’s Autumn Cozy time!) Yoga that’s sweet and juicy Walking through my neighborhood in gratitude that I live here Gardening or yard work to make my space beautiful Warm baths Cuddling my kitty

Here are some of my favorite things to do to relax 😌

• Just sitting outside and enjoying the sunshine

• Spending time with God, meditating, any other spiritual things

• Working out, especially jogging!

• Taking nice, warm, bubble baths while listening to my favorite podcasts or YouTube videos

• Watching my favorite shows and movies

• Drinking hot tea and coffee!

• Listening to ambient type videos (my current favorite is underwater sounds…so relaxing 😫💞)

• Cuddling with my two dogs 🐕

• Playing games that require you to create things, like the Sims and Animal Crossing

Stretching gently. Doing some rocking exercises to open up any stored-in-the-body trauma. Playing my favorite songs. Watching the seasons change & celebrating the passage of time by rotating my seasonal home decor. Having a home full of things that I love and are beneficial to me. Taking time to stop at historical & cultural markers and really see something interesting on a road trip. Long showers. Solid naps.

Journaling, "resultless" painting (not trying to craft a masterpiece, just playing with colors), mildly challenging but not infuriating crochet and knitting projects, sauna, lofi music, taking time to cook a visually pleasing, healthy and yummy meal, playing Animal Crossing or similar wholesome game, playing guitar, origami, cuddling my boyfriend's cats, opening the window when it's cold and snuggling into a warm blanket, watching/listening to ASMR, making myself a coffee or tea...