Signaling Safety Within: Rewiring The Nervous System Through Soft Living & Slow Working

“When we feel safe, we can access the higher functions of our brain, connect with others, and heal. Safety is the treatment.”

Dr. Stephen Porges

We are all prone to the negative effects of stress, but highly sensitive people (HSPs) are particularly susceptible to it.

When the body senses danger it diverts energy to pure survival. Fight-or-flight kicks in, stress hormones spike, and physical repair takes a back seat. In this state, You're always bracing for impact, waiting for the next shoe to drop. Over time, this “always on” mode feeds chronic inflammation and chronic illness.

In this post I'll share how to heal the body and mind through mindfulness, softness and slowness.

“The body keeps the score… restoring a sense of physical safety is the first step in healing trauma.”

Dr. Bessel van der Kolk

Under Threat

The hidden truth: your body is accumulating stress from sources you're not even aware of. Invisible or super-subtle stressors and toxins may be keeping your system locked in survival mode or "always on": in constant chemical spikes and crashes:

• Mental stress- urgent deadlines, constant notifications, multi-tasking, doomscrolling, mindless scrolling

• Emotional stress- suppressing emotions, people pleasing, group chat conversations

• Environmental stress - artificial light, ambient artificial noise, mold, non-native EMFs, synthetic chemicals, pollutants, pesticides

• Physical/Oxidative stress - poor nutrition, poor hydration, insulin resistance, sedentary lifestyle, histamine

You may think there's no harm in these habits but your nervous system, wired in ancient ways, has other opinions and preferences.

When the total stress load exceeds your body's ability to process and adapt, it shows up as

• disrupted sleep

• digestive upset

• mood swings

• weight gain

• muscle loss

• anxiety and depression

• cravings and crashes

• brain fog

• chronic plain

• poor immunity

• itchy or dry skin

• hormonal imbalance

• irregular periods

• crushing fatigue

Regulating your nervous system is one of the most important (and overlooked) foundations of hormone health.

Chronic stress doesn’t just make you feel wired and tired. It quietly rewires your body and ages you fast.These all build up and accumulate over time to make the body unable to do it's job correctly- to rebuild, repair, restore, relax.

Remember, You might not feel “stressed,” but your body knows the truth. Stress chemicals can literally rewire your brain to expect stress, even when nothing’s wrong.

In contrast, Safety changes everything. When the nervous system senses safety...

• digestion slow

• stress hormones regulate

• muscles soften

• breath deepens

• healing begins

When you approach life slowly the results are steady and smooth. When you rush through it quickly, the results can be messy and harmful.

The Science of Stress

When you feel stressed, your adrenal glands release cortisol, a steroid hormone that helps mobilize energy, sharpen focus, and modulate immunity. It’s essential for survival—but once the stressor is gone, your body needs to clear that cortisol so you can return to balance. Cortisol is mainly metabolized in the liver and kidneys, which convert it into inactive compounds that are excreted in urine.

Cortisol is meant to rise quickly to handle a challenge and then taper off within a few hours. Continuous, chronic stress keeps cortisol production high. Similarly anything that disrupts the liver, kidneys, or your natural stress response—can keep levels elevated. A faster metabolism speeds clearance so that. is why consistent rest, balanced nutrition, and stress-management practices are key to long-term health.

Cortisol isn’t the enemy—it’s actualy essential for survival. But when it becomes elevated too often, for too long, it becomes a silent killer to your metabolism, memory, mood, muscle, hormones, and brain function.

"Being soft doesn’t mean you stopped striving. It means you stopped self-abandoning."

Amber Long

Sensitive Systems

If you have genetic mutations like MTHFR, HNMT, MAO or COMT, you’re sadly even more vulnerable to stress chemicals and possess an overall low tolerance or resilience to stress. Your body literally can’t detox toxins, cortisol and other hormones efficiently, which means they hang around longer, doing more damage.

Being a poor methylator (detoxer) means we are more prone to inflammatory issues, chemical sensitivities, lymph issues, histamine intolerance, thyroid and hormonal imbalances. This can make life harder but it doesn’t mean you’re broken. It just means your body might need more mindful support. The more you understand your detox and regulation pathways, the better you can work with your body.

You’re not allergic to life. You’re simply overloaded with chemical and hormonal stressors, histamines and toxins. They've built up in your body to make you more reactive and sensitive to everyday life.

Everyday Signals of Safety

Chronically high cortisol can wreak havoc on your mental AND physical health.

To naturally regulate hormones and reduce elevated cortisol levels, several lifestyle approaches can help lower stress, support adrenal health, and promote overall balance within. You can signal safety to the body and mind with simple daily cues and micro-rituals that tell your system its ok to fully release tension and let its guard down, moving from a state of "fight or flight" and into a state of "rest and digest."

Sometimes the simplest tools are the most powerful. These are quick, easy, and backed by science (and your body’s innate wisdom). Let's fill our toolboxes with strategies for success:

Food & Water 

• Consistent, clean nutritious meals (not processed foods or artificial ingredients,)

• Slow, mindful eating (not rushing or skipping meals)

• Deep, true hydration (not caffeine or alcohol)

• Healthy fats, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, whole grains, fiber, cruciferous & sulfer organic veggies and lean proteins to stabilize blood sugar and support waste and hormone elimination

• Slow, deep breaths before meals

• Filtered water with electrolytes and trace minerals

• High-quality, food-based supplements with good bioavailability: vitamin D, vitamin C, , zinc, and magnesium, and methylated forms of B vitamins

• Adaptogenic and nootropic herbs, amino acids, etc: ashwagandha, rhodiola rosea, tulsi/holy basil, kava, passionflower, ginseng, l-theanine, omega 3s, hops

  
  

Environment

• Natural daylight

• Soft evening light

• Gentle music or silence.

• Pleasant, natural scents: lavender

• Warm, soft clothing and blankets

• Air purifying plants or air filters

• Get outside, especially for sunrises and sunsets

• Limit exposure to endocrine disruptors (e.g., BPA, phthalates) with clean beauty and cleaning products

When we experience stress or trauma, our body holds that tension in the sensitive muscle tissue. Trauma-informed yoga can gently support release and healing of the psoas , or the “muscle of the soul,” to tell our body we are safe again.

Movement 

• Yoga

• Walking

• Stretching (especially the psoas muscle)

• Swaying

• Swimming

• Cycling

• Strength Training

• Deliberate yawning

• Lateral eye movements

• Butterfly hug

• Sweating

• Big 6 lymph massage (rub/slap/tap)

• Legs up wall

“Furthermore, as muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone, it could be argued that those who sit quietly and do nothing are making one of the best possible contributions to a world in turmoil.”

Alan Watts

Mindfulness

• Kind and loving self-talk

• Gratitude practice

• EFT/tapping

• Meditation and visualization

• Progressive muscle relaxation

• Name feelings and let them move through.

• Reframes to make the ordinary, extraordinary

• Be ok with not needing to find the answer online

Work

• Delegate tasks

• Decline overwork

• Set boundaries

• Take frequent breaks

• Slow, deep breaths before meetings

• Implement blue light blockers/Red light settings on tech

Affirm: I am calm, grounded, relaxed, resilient and in control of what I can be. Tension and stress leave my body with every breath. Harmony and balance is my natural baseline.

Life

• Slow, "lazy" mornings

• Silence notifications

• Go to the library

• Screen-free mornings and evenings

• Volunteer

• Sing or hum

• Cold therapy

• Delay your replies/remove urgency

• Upbeat or cheerful tv or movies

• Learn a new hobby

  
  
  
  

Connection

• Gentle voice

• Kind eyes

• Present attention

• Calm presence

• Asking questions

• Enjoyable social activities

• Talk to strangers

• Send a handwritten letter

• Prepare a meal to share

• Be fully present in conversation

Try wanting more but doing the least, for a change.

Get your cortisol under control through sleep, diet, exercise, for full-body benefits: higher energy, easier fat loss, and better focus.

Slowing Down to NOW

Some of us are in the grind, going through the motions of life - waiting for weekends, vacations, retirement, or someday to really live, to BE.

But Life is happening right now, in this breath, in this moment, in this regular day that will never come again.

Our joy doesn't have to be reserved for special occasions. Our pleasure doesn't require permission.

The most luxurious thing you can give yourself is time to notice more detail around you.. The glimmers that make life special and unique. The sacred hiding in plain sight.

Slowing down in a world obsessed with speed is the ultimate luxury. Being fully present in a culture of constant distraction is the greatest gift you can give yourself. Remind yourself daily: It's safe to slow down.

Reminder: If you're lucky, Your life is made up of approximately 25,000 days. Most of those days will be ordinary—filled with routine tasks, familiar faces, and predictable rhythms. You can spend those days waiting for something extraordinary to happen, or you can learn the art of making the ordinary extraordinary.

We can do this by elevating daily small rituals with presence.

• Turn a shower into a spa,

• Turn breakfast into a tasting experience,

• Turn bedtime into a retreat.

• Notice the light shifting across your floor.

• Notice the texture of a fabric

• Watch the breeze move the grass

• Feel the water temperature

  
  

These small moments of presence whisper SAFETY louder than any grand escape.

This isn’t about forcing positivity or pretending problems don’t exist. It’s about recognizing that even in difficult seasons, there are moments worth savouring, small beauties worth noticing, and simple pleasures worth experiencing fully.

A life well-lived isn’t measured by peak experiences and grandeos moments, but by how much presence, gratitude, and intentionality you bring to the spaces in between.

Your nervous system is always listening. Every moment of pause or presence is a love letter to your body that says: You are safe. You can rest. You can heal.

Wrapping It Up

Doctors, friends ad family may dismiss you but keep listening to your body. The answer isn’t to escape from stress. It’s to build your RESILIENCE to it through easy, simple tools and lifestyle changes.

Healing the body, regulating the nervous system and rewiring the body from trauma into safety, means unsubscribing from the hustle culture or urgency mode of modern society. It means taking back your power and energy., and redefining ambition and success.

Taking care of yourself and setting limits doesn’t mean giving up—it means growing stronger, smarter. It means reaching our goals in a healthier, more strategic, and more sustainable way.

"Safety allows the body to complete the interrupted response.”

Dr. Peter Levine

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Erin is a certified feng shui consultant, energy healer, wellness coach and holistic growth strategist.

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