Five of my favorite tools

When I find something I like, I eat/wear/use it a lot and tell everyone how great it is.

After a few months, I'm completely over it and on to something else. I'm a serial enthusiast.

But I have a few enduring favorites that are instrumental to managing my mind and regulating my nervous system.

(I have zero relationship with anything commercial that follows except that I use and love it. No affiliate payment, no commission, nada. And this information is for educational purposes only.)

For sleep

Calm. For years, the sleep stories have been one of my go-tos if I wake up in the middle of the night and need extra help going back to sleep. Years ago, I also used Mindfulness for Beginners, a 30-day program by Jeff Warren. Very engaging and light-hearted. It helped me not take meditation so dang seriously; as an overthinker, I always judged my performance.

brain.fm. My other go-to for the middle of the night. People with impeccable science and music credentials deliver extensively tested functional music that modifies neural oscillations (brain waves). In addition to music to help you fall asleep, brain.fm also includes music to help you focus, relax, and meditate. I've used the sleep and focus options for at least six years.

I use both Calm and brain.fm because they affect my brain differently. The same story that lulled me back to sleep one night can be a little agitating the next time I turn it on. I'll switch to brain.fm and be out within minutes. This is also true in the opposite direction.

Yoga nidra body scan meditation by Jennifer Piercy recording. The GOAT for falling asleep. I've started it hundreds of times--in my own bed, in a car or on a plane--and heard the end maybe twice.

For nervous sytem regulation

Slowdive app. I've only had Slowdive for a month or two, but the healing frequencies are better than anything similar I've found. I've used them every day so far, even though the app is kind of clunky.

Caveat emptor: Trustpilot reviews include multiple people who've been charged more than they expected. I didn't have that experience.

Breath work. Intentionally controlling my breath helps deactivate my sympathetic nervous system (the fight or flight system activated by stress) and activate my parasympathic nervous system ( the "rest and digest" nervous system).

Breath work stimulates the vagus nerve, which runs from the brain to the digestive system, and makes up 75% of the parasympathetic system.

There are many variations, but one general principle for NS regulation is exhalations that are as long (or longer) thanas you inhale (or longer).

Box breathing breaks each breath into four parts: inhale fully, hold, exhale completely, and hold. I first learned to do each to a count of four. Then five. Seven. Finally, ten--but that took months.

My current favorite is inhaling for four seconds and exhaling for eight seconds, with a 2-3 second hold at the bottom. I love it for letting go of the day as I'm falling asleep.

Hum or rub my ears. Humming also stimulates the vagus nerve. I've also tried Tuvan throat singing, which was satisfying because it was lower in my throat. (Notice I said "tried", not "succeeded" or "done".)

Finally, I put my index fingers just in front of the little flap of skin leading to my ear canal. I gently massage with light pressure for a minute or two to stimulate my vagus nerve.