Let’s face it, building your own business can absolutely shake the sh*t out of your nervous system at times.
Juggling the constant demands of your business, family, and clients, all the whilst trying to keep some sort of sanity and inner zen. 😰
It can feel especially challenging when you’re doing stretchy AF things in your business too. Things like growing a team, organising events and speaking on stages - enter stage right, burnout.
All that ‘doing’ can start to take its toll after a while, leaving you feeling frazzled, overwhelmed and just a tad triggered ( the “if my husband breathes near me one more time, I’m gonna scream bloody murder 😤” kind).
Let me tell you one truth about this internal pressure cooker scenario...
It's not all in your head.
If you’re craving more energy and resiliency to help you tackle the challenges tossed your way on the daily, here’s the deal: it’s not just about ‘more mindset work’.
True inner resilience goes deeper than that —it’s all about how your nervous system handles stress and bounces back.
With a body-centred approach, you can actually boost your nervous system’s ability to cope with pressure, experiencing more inner ease, more of the time.
By prioritising a somatic (meaning relating to your bodily experience) approach to building resilience, your mind will naturally start to CTFO too. This creates more body-mind coherence and inner resiliency, so you’re able to chase those big visions with more stability and ease.
So, let's delve into three simple yet powerful practices that’ll help you build more nervous system resiliency right now:
1/ Orienting to safety
Your nervous system’s main function is to keep you safe.
And whilst you may not have a sabre-tooth tigers chasing you these days, the build-up of life demands and daily stressors can keep you in a hyper-vigilant state.
You might recognise hyper-vigilance as underlying tension, feeling rushed all the time, irritability with others, or being constantly on edge.
The first priority for building more nervous system resiliency is to practise looking for signs of safety externally in your environment. In somatic coaching, we call this orienting. It’s a really simple exercise which can be done anywhere (that feels safe enough), and when done over time, your body will naturally start to look for those safety signals and feel more relaxed.
By consciously scanning your surroundings and observing details—like colours, shapes, or textures— you can invite a sense of inner safety and grounding. This practice reminds your nervous system that you're not being chased by that tiger, and helps you return more quickly to a more stable inner baseline.
Try it: Slowly look around the space you’re in. Look up, down, behind, far away, close, recognising everything in your environment right now. Notice something visually appealing, like the sunlight streaming through the window, or your fave houseplant.
Take in the sensation of safety this awareness brings, notice how that feels in your body (it’s also totally normal to not notice much if this is new to you - it may take time). Take as long as you are able to in letting your body settle.
Want a guided version? Join my NOURISH Email community and you'll receive a free somatic orienting practice to try.
2/ Get into the swing of things - resiliency through pendulation
Tired of feeling pushed and pulled by constant ups and downs, as if you’ve been on the big dipper for the umpteenth time today? 🎢
You can actually work with this motion to cultivate more nervous system resiliency, and it’s called pendulation.
It’s a gentle, body-led way of training your nervous system to handle stress by moving between what feels challenging, and what feels comfortable.
NOTE: Pendulation and sustainable nervous-system healing happens in slowness, not fast or sudden movements.
So as cathartic as it is to shake out your stress or scream into a pillow (I’ve been there plenty), pendulation builds that long-lasting inner resiliency you’re seeking.
It teaches your body that it can experience stress without getting overwhelmed, creating a more stable nervous system baseline, and overall sense of resilience over time.
Try it: Focus on an area of the body that feels tense, like your shoulders. Then, shift your awareness to a neutral or comfortable area, like your hands or feet. Gently go back and forth, noticing that both sensations can coexist without overwhelming you.
(Note - if you’ve experienced a lot of stress or trauma then please be really gentle in this process and if you feel you’d like to work through this process in a guided way then get in touch with me.)
3/ In good company: resiliency through connection
This is probably the most obvious one, but connecting with people who feel safe can be incredibly nourishing and supportive, helping to stabilise your nervous system and grow your inner resiliency.
Being a solo business owner can feel really isolating at times - and as much as our families love us they just don’t ‘get it’ sometimes, as best they try.
And even with our business besties, we can shy away from sharing how we feel as we think they’ve got ‘enough on their plate’.
But we’re hard-wired for connection and belonging, so when you do reach out to someone who feels safe, you're building those emotional safety bonds for both of you (in nervous system speak, it’s called co-regulation). When we feel understood and supported by others, it reinforces those inner feelings of resiliency and calm.
Try it: When feeling stressed, reach out to someone who brings you a sense of calm and safety.
Notice how your body responds as you engage with them, even if it’s a brief conversation or a quiet moment together. Let yourself lean into the sense of support, allowing it to soften tension and nurture resilience.
Fancy nourishing deeper roots of resilience with me?
If you’re reading this before November 7th and you want to practice all three of these tips in a warm, inviting space, my first group program is starting on November 7th, Nourish Your Nervous System.
It’s a 4-week container for female founders who want to cultivate more inner calm and nourishment, and embody more ease and resiliency as they grow. Enrol now and let's grow and flourish together 🌿
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