The holidays have a way of stretching us thin in ways we barely notice until we’re already running on fumes. Between cooking, cleaning, hosting, preparing dishes for gatherings, showing up for social events, and trying to keep up with work and life, this season can pull on every thread of our nervous system at once.

In Reflections from the Lane: The Season of Too Much, I wrote about that moment when you can feel the pressure shift from manageable → overwhelming. That quiet, internal click where your mind is saying “we’re fine” but your body is whispering “we’re not.”

Most of us try to push through it.
Very few of us pause.
Even fewer of us know how to reset our nervous system in the middle of the chaos, not after the storm has passed.

But you can.
And it takes less time than you think.

This is the technique I use when the day starts to blur and I feel my stress rising — especially around the holidays:

---

The 5-Minute Nervous System Reset

This reset works because it interrupts your stress cycle before it snowballs. It calms the vagus nerve, grounds your body, and brings your mind back into the present moment.

You can do it in the kitchen while the timer is beeping.
In the bathroom during a party.
In your car before walking into a gathering.
Or in your bedroom while guests mingle in the next room.

This isn’t a full ritual.
It’s a pattern interrupt — a way to give your system a soft landing without disappearing for an hour.

Here’s how it works:

---

1. Plant Your Feet + Drop Your Shoulders (30 seconds)

Wherever you are, place both feet flat on the ground.
Let your shoulders fall down your back.
Unclench your jaw.

This signals safety to your nervous system.

---

2. Do a 4-2-6 Breath (60 seconds)

Breathe in through your nose for 4.
Hold for 2.
Exhale slowly for 6.

Repeat 5–6 times.

This activates your parasympathetic system and begins lowering your heart rate quickly.

---

3. Orient to the Room (60 seconds)

Look around and name — silently or quietly — three things you can see.
This snaps you out of spiraling thoughts and pulls you back into the present.

---

4. Shake Out the Tension (60 seconds)

Yes, literally shake your arms, hands, or legs.
This releases the physical “charge” your body has built up.
(Animals shake after danger. Humans should too.)

---

5. Anchor Yourself With One Comfort Cue (90 seconds)

Choose one:

• A sip of water

• Open a window

• Step outside for one breath

• Press your hand to your chest

• Turn the lights down

• Light a candle

• Put on soft background music

This tells your system:
“We’re ok. We’re safe. We can move forward.”

---

Why This Tool Matters Right Now

We’re moving through the thickest part of the holiday season — the season of too many tasks, too many expectations, too many emotional pulls.

This past weekend, I had:

• multiple social events

• one I hosted

• one I attended

• food to prepare for both

• cleaning

• hosting mode

• introvert recovery mode

• and the emotional residue from trying to do it all

By Sunday, I crashed. I cancelled plans. I rotted on the couch.
And I want you to hear this clearly:

It is okay to crash.

It is okay to need space.

It is okay to hit your limit during the holidays.

Your nervous system is not a machine.
It’s a barometer — it tells you when you need rest long before you consciously realize it.

This 5-minute reset isn’t meant to replace true rest.
It’s meant to carry you through the moments where you don’t have the luxury to collapse yet.

---

When You Can’t Take a Break, Reset Instead

There will always be days where you can step away, decompress, and let your system unravel at its own pace.

But during the holidays?
You don’t always get that chance.

That’s why this reset matters.
It protects you in the moment, so you don’t unravel later.

Use it in line at the grocery store.
Use it before guests come through the door.
Use it when you feel the stress creeping in behind your ribs.
Use it when you’re doing too much and starting to lose your center.

You deserve a softer season — even in the busiest moments.