Vagus Nerve Tips, Stress & Still Face Parenting
This week I force you to join in with whatever the mad reels tell us to do - so concentrate.
My algorithm is obsessed with vagus nerve regulation: calm your nervous system, soothe your vagal tone, stop being on edge, stop snapping, stop doom-scrolling and just… relax.
So naturally, I decided to look into it.
In this episode I unpack why modern life feels so dysregulating, why scrolling feels calming but actually isn’t, and whether humming, cold water, jaw unclenching and breathing like an ancient human might help — or whether we’ve officially lost the plot.
You may need to unclench your teeth while listening.
• Why “just calm down” doesn’t work
• The Still Face experiment — and why blank-facing kids backfires
• What the vagus nerve actually does (without wellness nonsense)
• Why your body has to feel safe before your brain can think
• The most common vagus nerve tips from Instagram
• Which ones felt useful, which felt weird, and which I’ll actually keep
Including:
• Humming & singing
• Breathing out longer than in
• Jaw and tongue relaxation
• Cold water on the face
• Slow movement instead of checking out
No ice baths. No candles. No pretending we live in a monastery.
Probably not.
Humans have always regulated themselves through:
• movement
• rhythm
• cold exposure
• shared calm
We just used to do it naturally — now we have to remember.
I’ll report back on whether any of this helped in real life, or whether it joined the long list of things that sounded promising and didn’t survive a weekday.
If you want help actually applying this stuff (without becoming insufferable):
👉 https://rosehoneymorgan.substack.com/subscribe
This month’s book:
Atomic Habits – James Clear
You’ll get:
• Weekly breakdowns you can actually use
• Private podcast episodes
• Cheat sheets & summaries
• Anti-brain-rot knowledge topics
You can also join free for the notes via email.
Follow along on Instagram:
• @rosehoneymorgan
• @field.notes.pod
And come back Friday for the field report.
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