The 3 Key Times in Your Day for NSDR

 Hi there working mama! If you’re starting to pay attention to the HUGE need for self-regulation (or nervous system support) as a working mom with young kids, then you’re also learning that knowing what the most effective practices actually are AND finding the time in your busy schedule to fit them in can be quite a challenge to piece together.

First of all, you’re not alone- we all understand how vital finding time for self care is, and for most of us, it ends up being pushed to the bottom of the priority list more often than we’d like. So short, practical, effective, and easy to implement self-regulation strategies are a must.

Today in coffee chats with Cara I want to introduce one of my favorite self-regulation practices - Non Sleep Deep Rest (or NSDR for short). And I’ll also share 3 strategic windows of opportunity in your schedule to fit this powerful practice into the mix.

Ok so first things first- what do I mean by self-regulation? Self-regulation is the art and science of being able to pay attention to and support your Autonomic Nervous system. Your Nervous system is a powerful influencer of your emotional states, your perceptions (of yourself, situations and of others), your thoughts, your habits, and the way you show up in relationships. Effective self-regulation involves recognizing your emotional and physical states and using proven practices to signal safety to your nervous system, so you can show up to your life, your work, and your loved ones with resilience, emotional wellbeing, and as a grounded and lit up version of yourself.

One of my favorite self-regulation practices is called Non Sleep Deep Rest.

NSDR is a guided relaxation practice that trains your nervous system to move toward or sustain a regulated, calm, and replenished state. It helps you access profound relaxation and restoration for the mind-body connection. You can use this practice to deactivate your stress response, replenish your energy reserves, refresh your mind, and allow for repairs to your nervous system.

NSDR is a valuable tool for reducing stress, boosting energy, boosting productivity and promoting overall well-being, which makes it an essential practice for modern life. There are a variety of NSDR protocols out there, but basically they all guide the listener to self-direct a state of calm through strategic focus on different parts of the body, or on different visualization cues.  

In an NSDR protocol, you're helping your brain shift out of a reactive, stressed, pressured, low energy, down, or disconnected place by giving your mind specific guidance for where to place your attention in a way that helps your mind to eventually soften and relax, providing regulation and replenishment.

I like to think of it as the ultimate "reset" button. 

For people who've struggled to connect with meditation or other relaxation practices, or if those types of activities don't work as well for you mid-day when you're stressed and pressured then NSDR is going to be your golden ticket.

Here's a FREE 10 minute Get Calm NSDR self-regulation tool for you to try out. The Calm Kit's NSDR practices are expertly designed with clinically proven best practices in mind. So you're getting safe and effective guidance in my protocols. Believe me, I poured countless hours of time getting this guided audio practice to be the most effective and powerful NSDR protocol for you all.

I listen to it myself multiple times a week, it’s a beloved and key staple in my self-regulation toolkit. I hope you’ll give it a try and also take advantage of the Overview & Implementation Workbook that comes with it. 

Let’s discuss the 3 Key Times in your schedule for self regulation with NSDR. This type of self-regulation practice does require you to take a “time out” for yourself. You’re going to want to find 10 uninterrupted minutes to turn off the outside world, so you can tune into yourself and offer your nervous system the gift of a restful reboot. 

The first Key Time for NSDR practice is during a transitional break in the middle of your work day.

So think: in between meetings, before a big chunk of productivity, during a lunch or coffee break, or in any other predictable time you can give yourself 10 minutes for self-regulation. I typically do an NSDR practice first thing on my lunch break (between my morning meetings and afternoon meetings). So right away, before I do anything else (like eat, walk the dog, respond to emails, or decide how many tasks I want to check off of my to-do list) I go right from my workspace directly to the floor on a yoga mat, or I lay back on the big chair or couch in my office. I find that my time is so much better used afterwards with the more open and relaxed mindset that NSDR gives me. 

A good way to know when you’d really benefit from a NSDR break is whenever you go to social media for a scrolling sesh or go start to listen to a podcast you’re working your way through. I’m not trying to knock either of these activities for downtime, but you’ll get a much more profound boost of energy and all the benefits that come with self-regulation on your emotional, mental and relational health if you self-regulate with NSDR first. 

The second Key Time for NSDR practice is during the transition time between work and family life.

It’s so relatable to feel worn out or overly sped up by the time we make it from our work day into our personal lives. The pace and rigor of this season of life is real my friend. And we want our best selves in the driver’s seat for our precious time with ourselves in the quiet moments, or with our family in the connected moments. Since your nervous system is also your social engagement system, it helps to arrive into these relational moments in a regulated state.

So before you leave your office at the end of the day, in the car 10 minutes before kid pick up, or first thing when you get home before you start on after-school activities and dinner are all options for this practice. This can be such an important time for self-regulation, and in my life it’s the hardest one to implement. I find that I have to leave my office to do it at the end of the day (though for some of you the office may be a great place at the end of the day!), and it’s hard for me to opt out of family life to do it at home when everyone is around and my attention is pulled before dinnertime. That’s why you’ll see in my Instagram reels me practicing self-regulation in the car during the transition time between work and aftercare pickup. It’s a perfect, private place for me to tune into myself for 10 minutes, without other distractions or things competing for my attention. 

The third Key Time for NSDR practice is right before bedtime, as part of your wind-down routine.

While NSDR is actually not designed to help you fall asleep, it can really help you to access a deep relaxation state. If you’re someone who still has a pretty active and busy mind while trying to go to bed, with regular practice this self-regulation activity can help you calm your mind- making it easier to leave the unfinished details or the unresolved issues of your life as they are, so you can sleep and take a try at it all again the next day. 

I hope you’ll leave this chat and take 2 important steps:

1. Step One: Download the FREE Get Calm Tool, which is a NSDR practice, or find another NSDR protocol to try
2. Step Two: Identify a practical and optimal part of your day where you could incorporate this self-regulation practice into your routine. And give it a go!

Also, if you're curious about learning more about your nervous system and it’s role in your mental health and wellbeing, please check out the Calm Kit online course. It’ll give you a foundational understanding of your mind-body connection through my Get Calm Framework. It’ll help you map out your nervous system states and also give you some really concrete, easy to implement and effective tools for self-regulation. It comes with a comprehensive toolkit with guided activities.

Thank you for the gift of your time and attention today and I’m looking forward to connecting with you again soon!