How Wise Leaders and Parents Beat Stress & Burnout: The Nervous System Reset

Simone
Aug 6
3 min read

We know the feeling all too well.

Your mind is racing.

The pressure is mounting.

There’s too much noise, too many decisions, and way too much to do.

In moments like this, it’s tempting to grind harder, hustle faster, and hope the overwhelm fades with sheer willpower.

But neuroscience—and experience—tell a different story.

When your nervous system is overloaded, what you actually need isn’t more effort.

You need a reset.

A fast, effective way to calm the storm inside so your body feels safe again…

So your mind can refocus, and you can show up grounded, present, and clear.

Here are three clinically-informed and body-based tools we use with clients at Rising Calm Center to reset the nervous system and restore clarity—starting in just seconds.

🔊 1. Voo Breath + Inner Ear Pull (Vagus Nerve Reset)

This powerful combo helps shift your body out of a fight-or-flight state and into a calm, grounded rhythm.

How to do it:

Sit comfortably and take a deep breath in.
As you exhale, make a deep “vooooo” sound—like a foghorn. Let it vibrate in your chest.
Repeat this 3–5 times, allowing your voice to lengthen the exhale and slow your heart rate.
Then gently pull back and upward on the tops of both ears (like you’re lifting the ear from its base at a diagonal), and hold for 10–20 seconds.

This stimulates the auricular branch of the vagus nerve, helping send a safety signal to the brain. Most people feel an immediate drop in tension—some even yawn or tear up as the body releases stored stress.

👣 2. Grounding with the 3-2-1 Touch + Movement Reset

Stress often disconnects us from our body. This simple grounding method brings you back.

Try this:

Name 3 things you can feel touching your body (e.g., your feet on the ground, your back on the chair, your hands on your lap).
Then move each part gently but intentionally: roll your shoulders, sway side to side, tap your heels.
Finish by placing one hand on your heart and one on your belly. Take 2 slow breaths.

This helps anchor your mind to the present, calming your limbic system and restoring a sense of control.

🔍 3. The box method:

The box method is a simple yet effective way to calm your nervous system. This breathing exercise has you imagine a box or square. You use the square as a guide for your breathing exercise.

For example, go up one side of the square and breathe in for five seconds, follow along the top side and hold for five seconds, go down the next side and breathe out for five seconds, follow the bottom line and pause.

Repeat this square pattern 7-10 times until you feel calm. See the video below for a better understanding on box breathing: Box breathing relaxation technique: how to calm feelings of stress or anxiety

Taking It Deeper: Identify the Core Belief Driving the Stress

Often, stress isn’t just about tasks—it’s about what we’re believing in that moment.

Are you believing:

“I’m not enough unless I get it all done”?
“If I stop, I’ll fall behind”?
“Everything depends on me”?

These beliefs may have been true for survival in childhood or past roles—but now, they drive burnout, disconnection, and anxiety.

At Rising Calm, we use tools like:

Transformation Prayer Ministry
IFS (Internal Family Systems) Parts Mapping
Faith-based identity reframing

…to help uncover these beliefs and invite God’s truth into the parts of us that are still striving to earn love, approval, or safety.

🤝 You’re Not Meant to Handle It All Alone

Sometimes stress gets so loud, it drowns out everything else. That’s when it helps to have someone in your corner—a guide trained to help you reset, rewire, and restore.

If life’s pressures are piling up, we’re here to walk with you through it. Our sessions are private, faith-sensitive, and science-informed.

📍 We serve clients in-person at the following locations: