Nervous System Reset: 5 Techniques to Activate the Vagus Nerve & Return to Calm

In our fast-paced world, our nervous system often stays stuck in fight, flight, or freeze. But we’re not helpless—our body has built-in ways to reset itself. These simple, science-backed techniques help activate the vagus nerve, which signals safety to the body and restores calm.

Try one—or all—of these when you feel anxious, shut down, or overwhelmed.

1. 🧍‍♂️ The Stanley Rosenberg Reset (Neck + Eye Technique)

This method targets the accessory nerve, which works with the vagus nerve through neck muscles. It gently brings the body back to a parasympathetic, calm state.

How to do it:

• Interlace your fingers and place your hands behind your head.
• Keep your head still, and look to the right with just your eyes.
• Hold for 30–60 seconds, then look to the left for another 30–60 seconds.
• You may yawn, sigh, or feel a release—that’s your body letting go of tension.

2. 👁️ Peripheral Vision Expansion (Wide-Angle Gaze)

When you’re stressed, your vision narrows. Expanding it calms the brain and signals safety.

How to do it:

• Focus on a point in front of you.
• Without moving your eyes, notice everything you can see to the left and right.
• Then expand your awareness to include your upper and lower visual field.
• Stay in that wide, soft gaze for 60–90 seconds.

3. 🙏 Praying Hands Compression (Midline Connection)

Pressing your hands together at the midline activates pressure receptors and calms the nervous system.

How to do it:

• Bring your palms together like in a prayer.
• Press them firmly against each other and breathe slowly.
• Hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

4. 🤗 Self-Hug Arm Hold (Tactile Grounding)

This one taps into the power of touch to regulate the body.

How to do it:

• Cross your arms and place your hands on the opposite shoulders, like a hug.
• Apply light pressure.
• Close your eyes and breathe deeply for a few minutes.

5. 👀 Eye Movement Reset (Diagonal Tracking)

Gentle eye movement can shift the brain out of freeze mode.

How to do it:

• Keep your head still.
• Slowly move your eyes up-right, then down-left, and repeat.
• Then switch: up-left, then down-right.
• Do 5–10 rounds, breathing calmly.

🌱 Final Thoughts

These small tools can make a big difference when practiced regularly. You don’t have to force healing—just create space for your nervous system to remember how to feel safe again.

If one technique doesn’t click with you, try another. It’s about discovering what helps you reset.