Four Evidence-Based Ways Nurses Can Balance Their Nervous System (Even In the Toughest Moments)

Nursing is a demanding profession that requires our nervous systems to operate in constant overdrive. The combination of long shifts, continuous multitasking, emotional labor, and physical demands creates the perfect environment for nervous system dysregulation, which can potentially lead to burnout, compassion fatigue, and disconnection from our emotions and relationships.

As a Nurse and Trauma Informed Yoga Therapist, I've experienced and witness how intentional small changes in daily habits can create profound shifts in our neurophysiology. The science speaks loudly on this!! We can influence our nervous system even during the most challenging moments in our day.

These evidence-based techniques don't require special equipment or dedicated time away from your responsibilities. They simply invite you to incorporate little check ins and pauses throughout your day.

1. Breathing with Extended Exhales

Your breath offers direct access to vagal tone regulation, allowing you to shift from sympathetic activation ("fight-or-flight") to parasympathetic restoration ("rest-and-digest").

The Science: Prolonged exhalations stimulate the vagus nerve, increasing heart rate variability and decreasing circulating stress hormones (cortisol). Research shows that even short respiratory interventions can significantly modulate autonomic nervous system function.

Clinical Application: During hand hygiene, charting, or while walking between rooms, breathe in for a count of 4, then exhale slowly for a count of 6-8. Just 3-5 breath cycles (taking about 60 seconds) will elicit a parasympathetic response.

2. Conscious Tension Release

Nursing (and life) creates patterns of physical tension, particularly in the jaw, shoulders, and chest, that perpetuate a state of defensive posturing and maintain sympathetic dominance.

The Science: Proprioceptive feedback from relaxed musculature signals safety to the limbic system. Interoceptive awareness of tension patterns interrupts unconscious stress-reinforcing cycles.

Clinical Application: While in the med room or those few rare moment of sittingat the nurses' station, bring your awareness to your jaw, shoulders, or neck with a simple shift: Soften your jaw. Drop your shoulders. Open through your collar bones. Want to add another layer? Add in an audible sigh to facilitate diaphragmatic release.

3. Grounding Through Somatic Awareness

When stress pulls you into your head (racing thoughts, overwhelm, or anxiety) bringing awareness into the body helps you ground and regulate.

The Science: Sensory awareness exercises engage the prefrontal cortex, improving executive function while simultaneously regulating limbic hyperarousal through bottom-up processing.

Clinical Application: During shift reports or before entering patient rooms, consciously sense your feet connecting with the floor. Feel the your weight distributed across the bottoms of your feet and the subtle sensations within your feet. This practice facilitates both cognitive clarity and emotional regulation.

4. Neurological Reset By Practicing The PAUSE

Stillness doesn’t mean sitting in meditation for 30 minutes. It can be a 20-second pause between tasks, an intentional moment of silence before speaking, or a mindful sip of water.

The Science: Brief intentional pauses supports the default mode network functioning, enhancing cognitive flexibility, improving decision-making capacity, and supporting emotional resilience.

Clinical Application: Between internactions or before difficult conversations, close your eyes ( or find a focus point) for 10 seconds. Let your body be still. Notice the sounds around you. No need to fix or change anything. Simply notice.

Integration into Practice

These techniques represent more than self-care strategies. They embody a philosophical approach that honors our neurophysiology. Each time we regulate our own nervous system, we enhance our capacity for presence and compassion.

These practices aren’t about perfection. They’re about learning to develop presence.
Every moment that you give your nervous system is a signal that you matter, your well-being matters, and you are worthy of care—not just the care you give others, but the care you offer yourself.

I'd love to hear which of these resonates most with you. Which practice might you incorporate into your day?

Share your experiences or tag a colleague who might benefit from these evidence-based approaches to nervous system regulation.

💜 Take Care of You ~ Eva

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