Step Two to a Regulated Nervous System: How to Come Back to Calm

Take A Breath

March 10, 2026 41 mins

About

I’m continuing our series on how to build a more regulated nervous system. We've already explored Stage One: Awareness — learning to notice when your nervous system is calm, when stress is creeping in, and when you’ve tipped into that more activated state of anxiety or overwhelm.

In this week's episode episode, I’m guiding you through Stage Two: Regulation & How to Come Back To Calm — the practical ways you can bring your nervous system back to calm once you notice it’s been activated. Because stress, pressure and emotional ups and downs are part of being human. The real skill isn’t avoiding stress altogether, but learning how to guide yourself back to a steadier, calmer state.

I’ll walk you through several simple body-based “portals” that help your nervous system shift from stress back into safety — tools you can begin using straight away in everyday life.

In this episode I share:

  • Why we often can’t think our way out of stress — and why the body needs to feel safe first
  • How the brain and body communicate through the nervous system, including the 80/20 body-to-brain signal pathway
  • Five simple “portals” into nervous system regulation
  • How your everyday breathing habits influence your nervous system throughout the day
  • Why developing body awareness helps you notice stress earlier and respond before overwhelm builds

To find out more about how your breathing may be affecting your nervous system, download for FREE The Breath Check up.  

If you’d like some guidance with the breathing techniques I mention in this episode, you can explore my Rapid Calm Toolkit or Breathe Better Basics, where I guide you through simple practices to help you calm and regulate your nervous system whenever you need to.

Download 15 Breaths to Calm Anxiety - a FREE 5 minute audio to calm you down in real time.

Download The Breath Check-Up - your FREE guide to understanding how well you're breathing right now.

Download my energising 5 Minute Morning Practice to get your day started in the best way possible.

To find out more about my membership The Inner Space go to: https://www.pollywarren.com/theinnerspace

Email me at: info@pollywarren.com
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Information

Episode

19

Date

March 10, 2026

Length

41 mins
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Take A Breath

A podcast for creating practical calm in the messy middle of midlife. This is your space to pause.  Because life in midlife is full-on. Between work, family, menopause, and the mental load, your nervous system can easily end up in constant overdrive — leaving you feeling exhausted, reactive, and overwhelmed by even the smallest things.  […]

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