Long time no chat, Reader,

I've been thinking a lot about the nervous system lately.

If you have a chronic illness, it's often the missing piece that comes after you chase all the symptoms and supplements and other treatments. But it can't be ignored.

And I don't know about you, but my nervous system has been a bit wired lately. 🫨😬

For me it's part "the world is crazy right now," part "holy shit I'm going to Portugal in two weeks," and as usual, part Lyme and coinfections.

So here's what I do to help downregulate all that nervous energy and come back to feeling grounded in my body.

• Guided meditation: Don't knock it until you try it. I like the Great Meditation channel on YouTube, and I've also used the Insight Timer app. Bonus points if you focus on slowing down your breathing during the meditation.
• EFT tapping: Tapping has been saving my life recently. I keep coming back to this video and this one. I also like Michael Hetherington tapping videos for specific areas of the body, like this one for settling your stomach.
• Binaural beats: As many of you know, brain.fm is my go-to for all binaural beats, but you can also find some great videos on YouTube. Magnetic Minds is a reliable source. Works best with headphones in a quiet calm space.
• Nature/grounding: Sit on grass or concrete (but not blacktop). Let the Earth's electrons bring you back to coherence. I think we'll be finding out more and more just how much EMFs are dysregulating us, and connecting back to nature is the best way to reset. A walk outside with the trees and sunshine never hurts either.
• Vagus nerve stimulation: Sounds scary, but it's really not, I promise. I use a little portable TENS unit with an ear clip and an electrode patch on my wrist to very gently stimulate my vagus nerve transcutaneously (through the skin). This is a tool my chiropractor recommended to me years ago, and I've never stopped using it since. You can also stimulate your VN naturally by humming, singing, or gargling. If you're interested, I'll share more on this in this week's YouTube video. :)

The next time you hear from me, I'll be in Portugal! Can't wait to share what I learn and how I feel when I'm there. 🤗

And make sure you're subscribed on YouTube for video updates during the trip.

Hang in there 🦥,

Amanda