From Buzzing to Grounded: Small Ways to Reset During a Busy Day
Some days I get home and realize I’ve been “on” the entire day—working, responding to emails with clients, squeezing in texts to friends, managing the logistics of life with kids. By the end of it, I feel like I’m buzzing… but not in a good way. More like wired, overstimulated, and completely exhausted.
It’s surprisingly easy to move through a full day without ever pausing to check in with how I’m actually feeling—or what I might be needing. Lately, I’ve been trying to pay more attention to my nervous system.
Our autonomic nervous system is constantly working in the background, responding to what’s happening around (and inside) us. When we feel calm, connected, and grounded, we’re in a regulated state—often referred to as the ventral vagal state. But as the day unfolds, even small stressors—the impatient look from a colleague, getting cut off in traffic—can shift us into a more activated state (fight or flight), or sometimes into a more shut-down state (freeze).
These shifts are normal. In fact, they’re part of how our bodies are designed to help us adapt and respond. But when we move through stress after stress without any moments of reset, it can add up—and leave us feeling depleted by the end of the day.
I’ve been experimenting with paying closer attention to these shifts and building in small moments of regulation throughout my day. Not in a perfect, overhaul-my-routine kind of way—but in small, doable ways.
Here are a few things that have been helping:
4-7-8 breathing (inhale for 4, hold for 7, exhale for 8)
Taking a short walk around the block
Sitting in the sunshine for a few minutes
Lying down and closing my eyes, even just for 5 minutes
None of these are groundbreaking. But together, they create small pockets of pause—little resets that help me feel more grounded throughout the day, and less spent by the end of it.
These kinds of micro-breaks can be a quiet lifeline in the middle of a full, busy life.
If you’re curious to learn more about how the nervous system works, or want more tools for managing stress, here are a couple of resources I recommend:
Anchored: How to Befriend Your Nervous System Using Polyvagal Theory
Deb Dana, LCSW
https://www.eastvillagebookshop.com/item/SbFnEzAaxwcsSEaaAKtz9A
Stress Resets: How to Soothe Your Body and Mind in Minutes
Jennifer L Taitz, PsyD, ABPP
https://www.eastvillagebookshop.com/item/DQv8lywhnkr7hixuRNoJxw
~ Hannah Collentine-Cole, LCSW
Individual and Couples Therapy in Midtown Sacramento
