Supporting our Mental Health This May
“Your mental health is everything - prioritize it. Make the time like your life depends on it, because it does.”
- Mel Robbins
I’ve been noticing more and more how we all are carrying an incredible amount of emotional and mental weight without fully realizing it. Work stress, caregiving, uncertainty, financial pressure, world events, and constant stimulation from phones and media can slowly keep the nervous system in a prolonged state of overwhelm. It doesn’t show up dramatically at first, it can look like trouble relaxing, disrupted sleep, irritability, brain fog, emotional exhaustion, or simply not feeling fully like yourself.
One thing I’ve learned through this work is that we cannot think our way out of chronic stress alone. The body and nervous system also need opportunities to feel safe, supported, grounded, and deeply rested. This is why practices that encourage stillness, breath, relaxation, and energetic balance can be so supportive during stressful seasons of life. Small moments of restoration truly matter.
If you’ve been feeling stretched thin lately, I hope you’ll remember that you do not need to wait until burnout to care for yourself. Rest is not something we earn after exhaustion, it is part of maintaining our well-being. Even a few intentional moments of quiet, reflection, or receiving support can make a meaningful difference.
May is Mental Health Awareness month and I hope you will honor it by taking some time out for yourself to calm your mind, fill your soul, and restore your body.
See you soon!
Nicole
Practice at Home:
The Vagus nerve is the the longest nerve in your nervous system and connects the brain and the major organs in your body. Learning how to relax the Vagus nerve is a quick way to reduce symptoms of stress and anxiety by signaling to the body that it is safe. Here are a few simple things you can do to induce the relaxation response:
Start with slow, deep belly breathing. Contraction and expansion of the breath using the belly sends the safe to relax signal to your nervous system.
The Vagus nerve travels along your vocal chords, so vibrating this area through humming or singing can send soothing signals to your brain.
Support your Vagus nerve with an ear massage. Gently massage the outer ridge of your ear, the tragus (the small bump in front of the ear canal) and the inner fold of the ear. Breath deeply and massage each spot for a minute or 2 with your fingers, in a circular motion.
