NERVOUS SYSTEM REGULATION: AFFIRMATIONS FOR WHEN YOU FEEL OVERWHELMED

When your nervous system is overstimulated, it can be hard to find the right words to calm yourself down. Your brain doesn't seem to believe mantras like 'I am at peace' when you are not at peace and 'this moment will pass' seems unrealistic when the moment is lasting forever. Affirmations must be true to yourself and true to the situation. These affirmations are more than just words you see on sticky notes - they actually do the work to regulate your nervous system:

"This feeling is uncomfortable, not dangerous."

Anxiety is a pressing sensation of doom that feels like it won't go away - but it does. When you acknowledge the temporal nature of the feeling you take away its power. Anxiety feels like an emergency - makes your brain believe that you are in danger, but you are not. Repeating this affirmation tells you that though you may feel urgency, that is just the anxiety talking - not you.

"I am allowed to take up space, rest, and recover." 

In a busy world, even the simple act of resting feels indulgent. But it is a right all of us deserve and need. The act of being still and taking up space in a quiet way is underrated. Your energy is an indispensable resource and when you completely use it up you feel completely burnout. Resting is a way of valuing your body - and the miraculous things your body is able to do.

"I can begin with what is available, not with what should have happened."

Overthinking makes you believe you can change an outcome that has already happened, but that is not the case. You can only control what you do next. When a situation doesn't work out the way you thought it would, your mind may run through the various things you could have done differently but this information tortures you more than it helps you. Focus on what you can do now. What solutions are available in the present moment.

"I can listen for information without accepting the attack."

Your inner critic isn't always right. There is a difference between a self-criticism and an attack. "I'm not good enough" places an unfair value on you. "I am not yet at the level I want to be" completely reframes the idea that something is wrong with you as a person and instead turns it into a gap in ability. When your brain is telling you negative things, don't internalize those things. Change your perspective.

 "Most of what I've feared has never happened." 

Overthinking and anxiety can produce debilitating fears. It makes you believe that you can protect yourself with your thoughts. If your brain is always coming up with the worst-case scenarios, think back to when any of those things have ever manifested. You will realize that while the fear felt powerful, it never became a reality. Fear has a function - it protects us from things that may harm us. So, save it for the things that present realistic threats.

"My mind offers worries; I choose which ones deserve my time."

Your brain can only handle so many problems at once. You have worries that exist in the present - these ones are not products of your mind and deserve your full focus. When you can't keep your thoughts from running, you spiral and start to create worries in your head - about the past and the future. Saying this affirmation to yourself grounds you in the present. It gives you permission to let go of the other stuff.

You know from your experience with anxiety that the battle takes place in your brain. Affirmations are a way to reprogram your brain - they tell you what is important and what you should release. Come up with affirmations that are best suited to you. The more personalized they are - the more believable they will be.

Sources:

CogbTherapy, "Positive Affirmations for Anxiety Relief"

Talk2Tessa, "25 Self-Compassion Affirmations to Calm Your Nervous System" via Tessa Geurts-Meulendijks