Top 9 'Nervous-System-Soothing' Micro-Habits to start for stress relief in under 5 minutes - Goh Ling Yong
Ever feel that dreaded “wired and tired” sensation? Your mind is racing with a million thoughts, your shoulders are up by your ears, yet you’re completely exhausted. It’s the signature feeling of a nervous system stuck in overdrive, a state far too common in our fast-paced, always-on world. We're constantly bombarded with notifications, deadlines, and a never-ending stream of information, leaving our internal alarm system perpetually ringing.
This internal alarm is your sympathetic nervous system, better known as the "fight-or-flight" response. It’s a brilliant survival mechanism designed to help you escape a saber-toothed tiger, not to deal with 200 unread emails. When this system is chronically activated, it floods your body with stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, leading to anxiety, burnout, and that frustrating feeling of being stuck on 'on'. The antidote? Activating your parasympathetic nervous system, the "rest-and-digest" state that signals safety, calm, and recovery.
But who has time for an hour of yoga or a weekend-long silent retreat when stress hits on a Tuesday afternoon? The good news is, you don’t need a huge time commitment to find relief. You can gently guide your nervous system back to a state of balance in under five minutes. The key is using small, intentional actions called "micro-habits." These are simple, science-backed techniques that act as a direct line of communication to your brain, telling it, "Hey, we're safe. You can power down."
Here are nine of my favorite nervous-system-soothing micro-habits you can start today.
1. Master the Physiological Sigh
If you only learn one technique from this list, make it this one. The physiological sigh is the fastest, most effective way I know to slam the brakes on an acute stress response. It's not a new-age breathing trick; it’s a biological reflex hardwired into our brains. We do it unconsciously during sleep to offload excess carbon dioxide and reinflate collapsed alveoli in the lungs. You can, however, do it consciously to immediately induce a state of calm.
Pioneered in the mainstream by neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman, this specific breathing pattern works by maximizing the surface area of your lungs. The double inhale allows you to take in the maximum amount of oxygen, while the long, slow exhale helps offload carbon dioxide efficiently. This exchange tells your brain and heart to slow down, effectively switching off the panic button and activating your parasympathetic nervous system.
How to do it:
- Take a deep breath in through your nose.
- Before you exhale, take another short, sharp inhale through your nose to fully inflate your lungs (a "top-up" breath).
- Then, exhale as slowly and completely as you can through your mouth.
- Repeat one to three times. That's it. Use it before a big presentation, when you feel a wave of anxiety, or when you’re trying to fall asleep. It’s your emergency brake for stress.
2. Hum, Chant, or Sing Your Way to Calm
Have you ever noticed how calming it can be to hum a little tune to yourself? There's a powerful neurological reason for that. Your vagus nerve is the main superhighway of your parasympathetic nervous system, running from your brainstem down through your neck and into your chest and abdomen. Stimulating this nerve is like sending a direct text message to your brain that says, "All is well."
One of the easiest ways to stimulate your vagus nerve is through vibration in your throat and chest. When you hum, chant a simple sound like "Om," or even sing along to the radio in your car, the vibrations gently massage the vagus nerve where it passes through your neck. This "vagal toning" strengthens its function over time, making you more resilient to stress. It's a beautifully simple somatic practice that uses your own body to create a sense of peace.
How to do it:
- Humming: Sit comfortably and close your eyes. Take a breath in, and on the exhale, simply hum any low tone. Try to feel the vibration in your chest and throat. Do this for just one or two minutes.
- Chanting: Chanting "Om" is a classic for a reason. The sound's vibration is particularly resonant. Inhale, and on the exhale, create the "ah-oh-mm" sound, drawing it out for the full breath.
- Singing: Don't worry about being in key! Put on your favorite song and sing with gusto. Focus on feeling the sound resonate in your body.
3. Conduct a 30-Second Body Scan
Stress and anxiety have a way of pulling us out of our bodies and into a whirlwind of catastrophic thoughts about the future or regrets about the past. A quick body scan is a powerful mindfulness tool that anchors you firmly in the present moment by reconnecting you with your physical self. You’re not trying to change anything; you’re simply bringing gentle, non-judgmental awareness to your physical sensations.
This practice works by interrupting the anxious feedback loop between your mind and body. When your mind is focused on the sensation of your feet on the floor or the tension in your jaw, it can't simultaneously spin a story of doom and gloom. This simple shift in attention can stop a stress spiral in its tracks, giving your nervous system a moment to pause and reset.
How to do it:
- Sit or stand in a comfortable position. Close your eyes if you can.
- Bring your awareness to the soles of your feet. Notice the pressure against your shoes or the floor.
- Slowly, move your attention up through your body: your calves, your knees, your thighs. Just notice. Is there warmth? Tingling? Numbness?
- Continue up to your stomach, chest, and shoulders. This is a common area for tension. Are your shoulders hunched?
- Finish with your neck, jaw, and face. Are you clenching your teeth? Furrowing your brow?
- Simply noticing the tension is often enough to allow it to soften.
4. Splash Your Face with Cold Water
This might sound like something your grandmother would tell you to do, but it’s backed by fascinating science. Splashing your face with, or immersing it in, cold water triggers a powerful, primitive reflex called the "mammalian dive reflex." This reflex is shared by all air-breathing mammals and is designed to help us conserve oxygen when submerged in water.
When the cold receptors on your face are activated, your body immediately initiates a cascade of physiological changes. Your heart rate slows down significantly, and blood is redirected from your extremities to your vital organs and brain. This whole process is managed by the vagus nerve, meaning you are essentially forcing your body into a parasympathetic state. It’s an incredibly potent and fast-acting pattern interrupt for moments of high anxiety or panic.
How to do it:
- The Full Dive: Fill a bowl with cold water. Hold your breath, and dip your face in for 15-30 seconds.
- The Splash: If you can't dunk your face, lean over a sink and simply splash cold water on your face and neck for 30 seconds.
- The Quick Hack: In a pinch, holding an ice pack or a cold can of soda against your cheeks and forehead can trigger a similar, milder response.
5. Practice 'Orienting' to Your Space
When your fight-or-flight system is activated, your senses narrow. You develop a kind of tunnel vision, hyper-focusing on the perceived threat. "Orienting" is a somatic practice that intentionally counteracts this. It involves slowly and deliberately letting your eyes scan your environment, which signals to the more primitive, animalistic parts of your brain that you are not in immediate danger.
Think about a deer in a field. When it feels safe, its head is up, and its eyes are softly scanning the horizon. When it senses a predator, its focus becomes laser-sharp. By consciously mimicking the behavior of a safe animal, you can reassure your own nervous system. You are telling your brain, "Look around. There is no tiger here. The threat is not in this room. We are safe."
How to do it:
- Keep your feet flat on the floor and your head still.
- Let your eyes slowly wander around the room. Don't force your gaze; let it land naturally on different objects.
- Notice colors, shapes, textures, and the play of light and shadow without labeling or judging them.
- After your eyes have scanned, allow your head and neck to turn slowly to look over one shoulder, then the other. This gentle movement releases tension and further signals safety.
6. Savor a Single Sensory Input
Much like the body scan, this micro-habit yanks your attention out of the chaotic world of your thoughts and into the tangible reality of the present moment. By focusing all of your awareness on one of your five senses for just a minute or two, you give your racing mind a single, simple task to do. This mindfulness practice creates a brief pause, allowing your nervous system to downshift.
Our brains can't multitask as well as we think they can. When you are completely absorbed in the taste of a raspberry, the scent of lavender oil, or the feeling of a smooth stone in your hand, you are temporarily unable to worry. This isn't about ignoring your problems; it's about giving yourself a necessary, restorative break from the mental load of stress.
How to do it:
- Taste: Take a single bite of food (a piece of dark chocolate or a strawberry works well). Close your eyes and chew slowly, noticing every aspect of its flavor and texture.
- Smell: Keep a small bottle of a calming essential oil like lavender or bergamot at your desk. When you feel stressed, put a drop on your palms, rub them together, and inhale deeply for 30 seconds.
- Touch: Find an object with an interesting texture—a soft blanket, a rough stone, a wooden desk. Close your eyes and just focus on the feeling of it under your fingertips.
- Sound: Put on a pair of headphones and listen to a piece of instrumental music or a nature soundscape. Try to pick out a single instrument or sound and follow it exclusively.
7. Squeeze and Release Your Hands and Jaw
Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) is a classic stress-reduction technique that involves tensing and then relaxing different muscle groups. While a full-body PMR session can take 15-20 minutes, you can get a surprising amount of benefit from focusing on just the areas where we hold the most unconscious tension: our hands and our jaw.
The principle is simple: by intentionally exaggerating the tension in a muscle for a few seconds, the subsequent release feels far more profound. This practice helps you become more aware of where you’re holding physical stress and literally teaches your body how to let go. Releasing this physical tension sends a powerful feedback signal to your brain that the "danger" has passed, helping to ease mental anxiety.
How to do it:
- For your hands: Clench both of your fists as tightly as you can. Squeeze for 5-7 seconds, noticing the tension in your hands and forearms. Then, release completely, letting your fingers go limp. Notice the feeling of warmth and relaxation flooding in for 10-15 seconds. Repeat 2-3 times.
- For your jaw: Clench your jaw tightly and press your tongue to the roof of your mouth for 5-7 seconds. Be careful not to hurt yourself. Then, release completely, letting your jaw hang slack. You’ll be amazed at how much tension you were holding there. Repeat 2-3 times.
8. Place a Hand on Your Heart
Never underestimate the power of supportive, gentle touch—even when it comes from yourself. Placing a hand over your heart or on your chest is a simple gesture of self-compassion that can have a tangible physiological effect. This kind of gentle pressure and warmth can stimulate the release of oxytocin, often called the "love and bonding" hormone.
Oxytocin is a natural antidote to cortisol. It promotes feelings of safety, connection, and calm. In a moment of high stress or emotional overwhelm, this simple act is a way of physically offering yourself the comfort and reassurance you might seek from a friend or loved one. It’s a powerful non-verbal message to your entire system that says, "I'm here. You're okay. We'll get through this."
How to do it:
- Find a quiet moment. You can be sitting or standing.
- Place one or both hands over the center of your chest.
- Close your eyes and take a few slow, deep breaths.
- Simply notice the feeling of warmth and gentle pressure from your hand. Feel the rise and fall of your chest as you breathe.
- For an added layer, you can silently repeat a kind phrase to yourself, like "May I be safe," or "I am here for myself."
9. 'Shake It Out' Like an Animal
Have you ever seen a dog or a duck shake its entire body after a startling event? This isn’t a random quirk; it’s a brilliant, instinctual way to discharge the immense amount of energy and stress hormones that surge through the body during a fight-or-flight response. As humans, we've often been conditioned to suppress this natural instinct, but we can consciously use it to our advantage.
Somatic shaking, or therapeutic tremoring, helps to release stored tension and trauma from the body's tissues and muscles. When you're stuck in a state of high alert or even a "freeze" response, shaking can help complete the stress cycle and bring your nervous system back to baseline. As a practitioner, I often recommend this technique to my clients in the Goh Ling Yong practice because it bypasses the thinking mind and works on a purely physiological level. It might feel silly at first, but the feeling of release afterward is undeniable.
How to do it:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent.
- Start by gently shaking your hands as if you're trying to get water off them.
- Let the movement travel up into your arms and shoulders. Allow them to be loose and floppy.
- Let your legs join in, bouncing gently from your knees. Let your head and jaw be loose.
- You can put on a piece of upbeat music and shake for a full song, or simply do it for 1-2 minutes in silence. Let your body move however it wants to—jiggle, bounce, and shake it all out.
Your Toolkit for a Calmer Life
Regulating your nervous system isn’t about achieving a permanent state of bliss. It’s about building a toolkit of resources that you can turn to in moments of stress, anxiety, and overwhelm. It's about learning to become an active participant in your own well-being, gently guiding your body back to a state of equilibrium, one micro-habit at a time.
You don’t need to do all nine of these every day. The goal is to find one or two that resonate most with you and start incorporating them into your life. Maybe you try the physiological sigh before your next Zoom call or practice the body scan while waiting for your coffee to brew. The power lies not in grand gestures, but in these small, consistent acts of self-care that, over time, rewire your response to stress and build a more resilient, regulated you.
Which one of these micro-habits are you excited to try first? Share your choice in the comments below—I'd love to hear from you
About the Author
Goh Ling Yong is a content creator and digital strategist sharing insights across various topics. Connect and follow for more content:
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