The Nervous System Reset Guide
small returns to safety
A 66-page polyvagal-informed printable workbook for nervous systems stuck in go-mode — for the tired-but-wired. Fifteen prompts that bring you back to your body. Seven rituals (the Gentle Shake, longer exhale, co-regulation, orienting) for the moments when words aren't enough. Practical without being clinical. Soft without being vague.
66 pages · 15 prompts · 7 rituals · PDF
What's inside
Two minutes for your body — the arrival practice
Before any prompt or ritual: three breaths, a longer exhale on each, weight in your feet. The work only lands when the system has already softened. This is the page you'll re-read most.
Part I — Fifteen prompts that soften the thinking
Fifteen quiet questions, one per page. "What does your body need that your mind keeps overriding?" Single-line framing beneath each. Designed to be answered in one breath or one paragraph — both are right.
Part II — Seven rituals that soften the body
The Gentle Shake. The longer exhale. Co-regulation. Orienting. Each is one page, two minutes or less, named so you can call it back at 11 p.m. without a script. The window of tolerance, made portable.
Polyvagal-informed, not polyvagal-jargoned
Grounded in Stephen Porges's work and Deb Dana's translations of it — but written body-first, not theory-first. You don't need to know what dorsal vagal means to feel where it lands.
For the night your chest won't soften
Most somatic content assumes you'll do the practice on a calm Tuesday. The rituals here were written for the actual moment — when sleep won't come, when the inbox is glowing, when the body is louder than your strategy.
Print or iPad — designed for both
5.5×8.5″ half-letter pages, generous margins, lined writing space. Prints two-up on letter at home. Or open in GoodNotes / Notability and write with Apple Pencil. The typography assumes warm paper, but the lines hold either way.
Table of contents
Ritual 03 — The Gentle Shake. Stand. Let the knees soften. Bounce slightly — no choreography, just a small jostle. The animals you've been around all your life do this after stress, and so did you, before you were taught to hold still. Two minutes. The body finishes a stress cycle the same way it always has — with movement that has nowhere to go.
Who this is for
For someone who's read every nervous-system Instagram post and still doesn't know what to actually do at 11 p.m. when the chest won't soften. For someone who's been told to breathe one too many times.
For you if
- You've read every nervous-system post and still don't know what to do
- You've been told to "just breathe" one too many times
- You want body-based practice, not abstract theory
- You like having a named ritual for the night your chest won't soften
Not for you if
- You're looking for a productivity protocol
- You want something clinical with footnotes
- You think rest needs to be earned
Why this exists
Rest is not a reward. You don't have to earn it. You just have to allow it. The fight-or-flight loop was built for short bursts of danger — a sprint, not a marathon. Modern life keeps it running. This guide is grounded in polyvagal and somatic research, but it's a body-first translation, not a clinical reference. Fifteen prompts soften the thinking. Seven rituals soften the body. The arc is portable. Open it tonight, not tomorrow.
Questions
Is this medical advice?
How long does it take to read?
Is there a journal that goes with it?
Can I write on iPad?
No rush.
Seven Days of Softening is the free place to begin — one quiet page a day, by email.
Start with the free seven days →