Dr. Ilene Naomi Rusk

Tonight I paddle-boarded into the sunset with a dear friend and colleague, and it felt like such a beautiful counterpoint to what I had been speaking about earlier today with a group in Germany.
Our nervous systems are asked to process an extraordinary amount of information. Sensory information, conversations, decisions, screens, worries, responsibilities, the emotional states of the people around us. Our brains are constantly deciding: What matters? What can I ignore? What should I pay attention to? What can wait?
And sometimes we fall into the habit of trying to respond to all of it (I raise my hand)
But a healthy nervous system isn’t one that is endlessly available!
I want to be able to mobilize when life asks something of me and then genuinely disengage, recover, and restore.
Rest is not stagnation. Rest is an active part of resilience.
Tonight, there was nowhere else to get to except closer and closer to beauty. Just the rhythm of the paddle, the gentle water underneath us, the changing light, conversation and quiet, and the wonderful ease of being with my buddy.
Nervous system health is not another thing that needs to be worked on.
Sometimes it is allowing ourselves, for a little while, to stop working…And paddle into the sunset. 🌅

When I was a teenager in Montreal, taking a pilgrimage “Out West” meant travelling to Alberta, British Columbia, but especially to Banff. I didn’t do it then, but I’m doing it now, and these holy Canadian Rockies are going to be calling me back! My nervous system is so at home here. I’m here for a wonderful friend’s wedding, so the warm familiar faces coupled with the magical lakes and mountains make it a superb delayed pilgrimage.

Self-applied touch can be a powerful tool for nervous system regulation and self-soothing.

In this brief Havening exercise, we use gentle, self-applied touch as a way to support a sense of safety and calm. Havening is a set of psychosensory exercises developed by Dr. Stanley Rudin that may help us work with stress and emotional responses.

Why does this matter for the brain?

Our emotional state and cognitive function are deeply connected. When we’re highly anxious or overwhelmed, our attention can become narrowed, making it harder to think clearly, focus, or access flexible problem-solving.

On the other end of the spectrum, states of low mood, collapse, or shutdown can also affect cognition, including processing speed, attention, and cognitive flexibility.

This is why developing greater emotional flexibility can be an important part of supporting cognitive flexibility.

Practices that help us notice, regulate, and shift our nervous system state aren’t just about feeling calmer. They can also create the conditions for our brains to think, adapt, and respond with greater flexibility.

Try the exercise and let me know in the comments what you experience. 🧠

Your nervous system is constantly asking one important question:

"Am I safe?"

When stress, anxiety, or overwhelm take over, your brain can become so focused on potential threats that it loses touch with what's happening in the present moment.

One of the simplest ways to help calm your vagus nerve is through orienting.

By slowly looking around the room and intentionally noticing everyday objects, you send your brain new information: There is no immediate danger here. This gentle practice helps shift your nervous system from protection toward regulation and supports greater feelings of calm and connection.

It's a small exercise, but when practiced regularly, it can become a powerful tool for improving nervous system resilience.

Try it the next time you notice yourself feeling activated, and let me know how it feels in the comments.

Your vagus nerve isn't something you can "hack" overnight, but you can learn to build a stronger relationship with it.

In this first video of our Vagus Nerve Exercise Series, I'm guiding you through a simple practice called Tracing the Vagus Nerve. This gentle exercise helps you visualize the path of the vagus nerve through your body while bringing mindful awareness to the places it influences.

While this practice isn't designed to stimulate the vagus nerve directly, it can strengthen interoception—your ability to notice what's happening inside your body—which is an important foundation for nervous system regulation.

Start slowly, stay curious, and notice what you experience. Small moments of awareness can become the building blocks of greater resilience over time.

Follow along with this series to learn more evidence-informed ways to support your nervous system.

When you're feeling overwhelmed, your first step isn't to force yourself to calm down. It's to notice what's happening in your nervous system.

Before reaching for a coping strategy, pause and check in.

On a scale of 1–10, where is your stress level?

Is your nervous system moving toward fight-or-flight (activation) or shutdown (freeze/collapse)?

That awareness is the foundation of effective nervous system regulation.

The more you practice noticing your body's signals, the easier it becomes to choose the right regulation tools for what you need in the moment. Awareness always comes before regulation.