Welcoming Yourself: Small Gestures to Soothe the Nervous System
By Alexandrine Lebeau
What if the only perfection were fully welcoming the present experience, carried by kind curiosity?
Well-being and happiness… Are they an endless quest, or something we can savour here and now?
In this little guide, I share a few simple sources of inspiration to:
- Soothe the nervous system
- Support your energy
- Welcome stress gently
One tip at a time. One breath at a time. One step at a time.
Welcoming restlessness
Inner restlessness can show up in different forms, such as:
- Agitation
- Mental fatigue or brain fog
- Anxiety
- Sensory overload (feeling overwhelmed)
Instead of fighting it or trying to make it disappear at all costs, we can learn to welcome it with kind curiosity, the way we would welcome a loved one with attentive listening.
Without fighting, by letting ourselves feel, calm will come naturally once the turmoil has passed.
Simple tips for welcoming yourself
Tip #1
When social interactions are draining
I take a moment to withdraw to a quiet space.
A walk in nature can help me come back
- Into my body
- Into the present moment
- Into my sensations
I let emotions flow without judgement.
Tip #2
Sounds, lights and other people’s energy can sometimes overload the nervous system.
Create gentle, soothing pressure on the body:
- Weighted blanket
- Sandbag on the belly
- Pressure on the hands and feet
This sensation can activate the response of the parasympathetic nervous system: rest and digest — the relaxation response
Tip #3
When restlessness takes over my body
If my heart races and I feel jittery, like a drifting leaf:
- I take 5 conscious breaths.
- Inhale: 4 seconds
- Exhale: 6 seconds
Feet grounded, the weight of the pelvis well settled, I welcome the inhale with ease and invite the exhale to gently lengthen.
A longer exhale helps the body settle, let go, or simply let be whatever needs to emerge.
Acupressure:
Boosting energy and digestion
4 finger-widths below the knee, on the outside of the shinbone.
Massage for 2 minutes a day, on both sides.
Benefits:
- Supports digestion
- Stimulates immunity
- Boosts energy
- Promotes grounding
| Favour | Limit |
|---|---|
| Root vegetables | Cold foods |
| Legumes (e.g. black beans) | Too many raw vegetables |
| Ginger boiled for 20 min and drunk as an infusion | Iced drinks |
| Cooked foods |
Improving sleep
With self-massage of 3 calming acupressure points
- Yintangbetween the eyebrows
- Shenmenat the top of the ears
- Anmianbelow the ears, at the base of the neck
Breathe gently, letting the inhale come easily and lengthening the exhale, like a small open door inviting everything that doesn’t serve the moment to settle, to rest toward the ground, toward the earth, toward the compost of the earth.
The pursuit of happiness can sometimes lead us to put off joy
Until the next project,
The next place,
The next love.
But often, happiness lies in something much simpler: presence, carried by kind curiosity, in the perfectly imperfect moment that shapes our current experience — the one that colours our sensations and carries us between head, fear and body.
Thank you for taking this moment to take care of yourself.
About the author
Acupuncturist and massage therapist
Alexandrine Lebeau is an acupuncturist and a member of the Bhavana la clinique team. A graduate in acupuncture from Collège de Rosemont and a member of the Ordre des acupuncteurs du Québec, she specializes in holistic facial acupuncture and sees a wide range of clients for hormonal & menstrual health, digestive issues, sleep, neurodivergence support and stress management.
Book an appointment with Alexandrine See her profile → @a.base.de.qi