Daily Routines to Calm Your Nervous System to Reduce Emotional Eating

As I have been researching more strategies to calm a nervous system, one thing I keep seeing repeated is how routines or regular rituals can really help bring a sense of calm to your days and weeks. I have already written about what building blocks you need to create a supportive routine, but I wanted to come back to this topic because…

…the most common feedback I hear from clients is that these routines feel overwhelming, like another thing to add to your ‘to do list’, and that can have the opposite effect of calming your system.

Below I outline a number of small examples of routines and rituals you can try out and see if they work for you. And remember: you don’t have to be perfect at this! For one person, doing something every day can be helpful because of the frequency, for someone else doing one thing weekly gives them the wiggle room (aka permission!) to show up when they can.

• In the morning, create a routine that takes you from sleepy to energized. This can look like freshening up (facewash, brushing your teeth), slowly awakening your body (stretches, yoga), or influencing your mind (meditation, a song you love).
• If you’re a coffee or tea drinker, consider your brewing or steeping time a ritual! Take a moment to consider what kind of mug you want to use, smell the aroma as hot water is added, and focus on stirring a few times clockwise.
• Choose one meal to eat in a space that you enjoy—your dining room table that’s “for special occasions” or the sunny corner of your couch! Take a few deep breaths before you start to eat, then use your senses to focus on the meal, its texture and temperature. When you finish eating you can try speaking out loud to yourself to signal to your body that the meal is done “that was delicious”, “I am satisfied”, “I am ready to move on to the next thing.”
• Build in movement during your day, this can help release anxious energy from your body. Lunchtime walks, squats during commercial breaks, dancing in your kitchen all count! And bonus if your movement has a repetitive element to it, for example I have found the routine movement of knitting a calming activity with my hands.
• After work or before bed (or both!) build in a transition time that signals your body it is time to disconnect from the hectic day and relax. When you leave work, listen to a funny podcast or your favourite playlist, change clothes as soon as you get home (you can even shower off), spend some time on a hobby, or watch a TV series or movie you’ve seen before (knowing what will happen can make you feel calm!).

My last tip to weave in these little things more regularly can be to do what is called habit stacking. This is when you pair up a new habit with something you already do regularly. For example, make coffee every morning? As it brews, read a few pages of a book or journal a few bullets. By pairing the usual with the new, you can prompt your brain to keep up the habit.

💛 Your peace awaits.