The Art Of Not Spiraling
What Your Nervous System Actually Needs on a Weird Tuesday
Some days just feel weird in your skin.
Nothing huge.
Just off.
You wake up tired.
The weather’s moody.
Your thoughts won’t settle and everything feels vaguely… sticky.
You’re not falling apart.
But you’re definitely not thriving either.
Here’s the truth, after 20 years of watching humans try their best:
Most days aren’t breakthroughs.
They’re maintenance.
And the good news is—your nervous system loves maintenance.
The Brain Bit
Your brain is designed to keep you alive, not necessarily happy.
Which means it loves the familiar. Patterns. Predictability. That’s why it clings to old habits, even when they make you feel like trash.
Big change? That sends up alarms.
Too much too fast = stress response.
But small, low-threat shifts?
Those slip past the alarms. They help regulate your nervous system and build something called neuroplasticity—your brain’s ability to rewire based on repeated experience.
When you do one manageable thing that brings relief, your brain notices.
It tags that experience as “safe,” “doable,” “worth repeating.”
You don’t have to overhaul your life. You just have to nudge it.
Let’s talk about a few of those nudges—and what they’re actually doing behind the scenes.
Slightly Better, Explained
1. Soft clothes that don’t scream “I’ve given up.”
Neuro tip: Interoception is your brain’s ability to read your internal state. When your clothes are too tight or scratchy, it creates low-level stress signals your brain has to manage. Soothing textures free up space for your brain to focus on actual emotions—not your waistband.
2. Warm things.
Tea, a bath, even holding a heating pad.
Neuro tip: Warmth increases parasympathetic activation—aka the rest-and-digest part of your nervous system. It tells your body, “you’re safe now,” which makes everything feel 10% more manageable.
3. Music that meets you where you are.
Neuro tip: Your auditory system is tied to your vagus nerve (your body’s main regulation highway). When you hear familiar, emotionally attuned music, it helps modulate mood and can even lower heart rate variability (a marker of stress). Bonus points if you sing—it lengthens your exhale and tells your nervous system to chill.
4. One thing, finished.
Neuro tip: Your brain gets a dopamine hit when you complete a task. Doesn’t matter if it’s folding a sock or paying a bill. Completion = reward = momentum. And momentum is magic when everything feels sluggish.
5. Ten slow breaths.
Neuro tip: Slowing your exhale (especially to twice the length of your inhale) activates your vagus nerve and shifts your brain from survival mode into regulation. It’s free. It’s available. And your body knows exactly what to do.
6. Touch something alive.
A plant. A pet. Your own hand.
Neuro tip: Tactile input—especially with living or textured surfaces—brings you back into the present. It pulls your focus out of looping thoughts and helps ground your sensory system.
None of this is revolutionary.
But that’s the point.
These aren’t hacks or healing shortcuts. They’re small acts of care that tell your brain and body:
We’re not spiraling. We’re just having a day. And we know how to show up for it.
So no pressure to journal about your childhood or realign your chakras.
Just find a little warmth. Touch something soft. Breathe like you mean it.
And know that’s enough.
xoxo Corinne