Managing nerves, anxiety, and burnout | Jonny Miller (Nervous System Mastery)

1. Prioritize Body State for Calm

Focus on changing your physiological state (body) using a “bottom-up” approach, as this is more effective for reducing nervousness and anxiety than trying to mentally reframe (mind). The body sends four times more information to the brain than vice versa, making physiological shifts highly impactful.

2. Recognize Early Burnout Signs

Pay attention to “feather” signals like waking up tired or feeling exhausted, as these are early warnings of burnout. Making adjustments at this stage can prevent a full-blown “dump truck” crisis or health challenges later.

3. Practice 4-4-8 Calming Breath

To calm your nervous system, inhale through the nose for 4 counts, hold for 4 counts, and exhale for 8 counts. The key is to ensure the exhale is twice as long as the inhale, adjusting counts (e.g., 3-3-6) to your lung capacity, and repeat for at least 1-2 minutes.

4. Cultivate Interoceptive Awareness

Train your “sixth sense” to track and feel internal body sensations like breath, tension, moods, and emotions in real-time. This enhanced awareness helps you notice early warning signs of stress or anxiety before they escalate.

5. Use APE for Body Check-ins

Regularly check your Awareness (narrow vs. expanded), Posture (tense vs. relaxed), and Emotions/somatic sensations (e.g., heat, tightness, mood). This practice helps you tune into your body’s state and identify areas of tension or dysregulation.

6. Release Emotional Debt Somatically

Address accumulated stress and uncompleted mobilization cycles (emotional debt) through body-based practices like breathwork, somatic experiencing, or Hakomi, rather than solely relying on talk therapy. This allows stored emotions to be felt and released, which is crucial as stress is stored physiologically.

7. Match Work Ethic with Rest

If you work intensely and build “emotional debt,” intentionally schedule significant time off (e.g., a month or two after eight months of hard work) to downshift and recover. This ensures your hard work is sustainable and prevents long-term health crises.

8. Utilize NSDR for Deep Rest

Practice Non-Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR), a guided body scan for 15-20 minutes, especially in the afternoon. This improves interoception, helps your body downshift, provides a “second wind,” and can aid sleep.

9. Build a Toolkit of Practices

Create a personalized set of breathing exercises for different situations. For example, use humming (full breath in, hum through nose on exhale) for calming before a Zoom call, or the physiological sigh (inhale fully, then a little more, then exhale) for quick stress relief.

10. Energize with Espresso Breath

When feeling lethargic or needing an energy boost, perform 2-3 rounds of 30 rapid exhales through the nose, pumping from the lower belly. This activating practice can serve as a substitute for an afternoon coffee.

11. “If This Then Breathe” Strategy

Develop specific responses to common stressors, such as “If I feel overwhelmed, then I do humming.” This creates a proactive plan for managing your state and ensures you remember to use your tools when needed.

12. Integrate Morning Breathing Practice

Dedicate at least two minutes to simple breathing exercises like 4-4-8 breathing each morning. This builds the habit and makes it easier to remember and apply these techniques during stressful moments.

13. Embrace Emotional Fluidity

Create conditions that welcome the full spectrum of your emotions as they arise, giving yourself permission to feel and process them. This reduces reactivity and helps pay off emotional debt over time, leading to clearer decision-making.

14. Leverage Body Signals as Data

Treat physical sensations like a clenched stomach before a meeting as useful data, prompting you to explore the underlying reasons or potential issues. Your body often provides intuitive insights that your mind might confabulate.

15. Assume Generous Intentions

In interactions, make generous assumptions about others’ actions or the situation. This involves choosing the most positive interpretation rather than immediately assuming negative intent or malice, which can reduce personal stress and improve relationships.

16. Consider Somatic Therapy

If you’re dealing with significant emotional debt or trauma, seek out a somatic practitioner or therapist (e.g., specializing in somatic experiencing or Hakomi). These body-oriented approaches can help release deeply stored tension and complete mobilization reflexes.

17. Strategic Embodied Meditation

Incorporate embodied meditation practices, such as Vipassana body scans, to enhance interoception and increase the psychological space between a stimulus and your response. This helps you observe emotions and thoughts without getting fully consumed by them.