Embracing a Slow Calm Life: Why Your Vagus Nerve Craves Simplicity

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Your vagus nerve is quietly begging you to slow down, and science proves it's one of the smartest moves you can make for your physical and mental wellbeing. This episode reveals why choosing simplicity isn't laziness—it's a biologically sound approach that your entire nervous system craves.

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Episode Transcript

Emily Feist (00:00):
Here's something that you might not know your
vagus nerve loves a slow life,and if you've been craving that
simpler life that doesn't run oncalendar alerts, this episode
is for you.
Today, we'll explore why a slowand simple life works and how
to start shifting into it, evenwhen the world or our mind feels

(00:22):
like it's running 100 miles anhour.
Welcome to 'It Starts at Vagus',where holistic health meets
modern day living through theeyes of a massage therapist and
that's me.
I'm Emily, and I am aneuromuscular massage therapist
that helps people every dayrelax their mind and their
muscles, and we're going to begoing through the philosophy of

(00:43):
the Vegas nerve.
It's the body's ultimate key tocalm, connection and overall
well-being.
So if you have stress, anxietyor that burnout, feeling that
you're just stuck, you're in theright place.
Take a deep breath in, settledown and let's explore how we
can use our nervous system tosupport our bodies.
Let's dive in.

(01:04):
Here's the truth.
Slowing down isn't a weaknessand simplifying your life isn't
laziness.
It's actually one of thesmartest, most biologically
sound things you can do for yourbody, your brain and your
long-term wellbeing.
Let's jump right in by talkingabout how using a slow framework

(01:24):
for your life.
That's S-L-O-W.
It's a gentle reminder of howto give your body what it's
really craving.
S is for signaling safety, l isfor lowering your stress
hormones, o is to optimize yourvagus nerve function and W is to
wake up to what matters.

(01:46):
Let's start with S, the signalsafety.
When your life is packed withnoise, choices, multitasking and
constant output, your nervoussystem doesn't feel safe.
It's always scanning for danger.
And let's be real, in a modernday world, that danger is often
the never, never ending mentalto do list.

(02:09):
But when you intentionallystart to slow things down, when
you start saying no, when youremove a few commitments that
aren't necessarily important toyour everyday life, your
everyday life, when you leavespace to breathe, your vagus

(02:30):
nerve picks up on all of that asa safety signal.
And safety is the foundation ofhealing, not just emotionally
but physiologicallyalso
.
Now on to L lower stresshormones.
When we're always on ourcortisol and adrenaline don't
really get the memo to turn off,which leads to exhaustion and
inflammation and you guessed itanxiety.

(02:52):
Slowing down disrupts thathormone loop.
It tells your body you don'thave to fight anymore, you can
calm down and settle down, andscience backs this up can calm
down and settle down, andscience backs this up.
People who prioritize rest andinclude intentional living and
simplify their life have lowerbaseline of cortisol, they have

(03:13):
better sleep and are lessreactive to future stress.
So it helps right now and inthe future, which is a win-win.
And the result you're notsnappity as much, you're not
getting drained at two o'clockand you actually have room to
feel again, to feel youremotions, to feel your body, to

(03:34):
be present with yourself.
Now onto O optimize vagus nervefunction.
Your vagus nerve loves rhythmand routine.
It thrives on slowness, breath,on gentle movement and pauses.
But when your life is too fast,it never gets a chance to do

(03:56):
its job, which is calming yourheart rate down, improving your
digestion and regulating youremotions.
It doesn't have the time tocatch up on that because it's
focusing on survival instead ofenjoying the moment.
But when you choose simplicity,when you say no to that fifth
obligation this week and yes toslow mornings and evenings,

(04:18):
you're actually optimizing yourvagus nerve nerve function.
And this isn't just a wellnesstrend.
It's linked to better immunefunction, better moods, even
better gut health.
So it is the real deal.
Last but not least, the W Wakeup to what matters.
Here's where we can get tenderfor a moment.

(04:40):
Living simply gives you clarity.
It peels back that noise andsometimes can be scary because
you're not used to it yet.
You're not used to being ableto slow down and feel what's
going on around you, or to beable to pay attention to the

(05:01):
thoughts that are going in yourmind, to determine whether those
are accurate or just ones thatpop up.
It can be scary just to sitwith yourself and your feelings
and see how everything goesaround you.
You have to notice what you'vebeen avoiding, and that is scary
.
But it's also beautiful becauseit helps you remember what

(05:22):
really matters.
It's not the hustle, theconstant proving yourself, but
the peace, the connection, thereal joy that lives in that
space between doing.
It's a great time to reflect onwho you are and who you want to
become.
So what does this look like inreal life?
Let's look at I'll give mine asan example S the signal safety.

(05:45):
I love to end my day by slowingdown and signaling safety to my
body by rocking in my rockingchair on my porch.
I love listening to the naturethat's around me, clearing my
mind by looking out withouthaving to focus on something
that doesn't need my attention,just being on my porch.

(06:09):
That's my safe space.
It's automatically giving me apeace just being there.
So step one for you could be tofind a space in or near your
home that you can go to oftenand easily.
Now for L, the lowering mystress hormones.

(06:29):
Living intentionally reallyhelps me prioritize how my day
goes.
It starts by planning the dayand making a list of what I need
that needs to get done that dayor prioritizing it for another
day, and if I get that secondthing done, that's like a bonus
and a win-win.
But I don't push myself to thethings that aren't necessarily

(06:54):
needed to get done today.
So if I've run out of time Idon't feel like I wasn't
productive.
I feel very productive becauseI got the things that were
necessary done and really thisshould just be two, maybe three
things.
You don't want to prioritizeeverything because then you're
going to feel overwhelmed.

(07:15):
You really need to look at whatneeds to get done and what can
be pushed off for another day.
We're not procrastinating,we're telling it where it needs
to get done without adding morestress to ourselves.
Making routines does two thingsit relieves the pressure of
getting all the tasks done allin one day and two.

(07:37):
Well, that brings us to thenext one, which is O optimize
your vagus nerve function.
Our vagus nerve lovespredictability.
This is why routines work forso many people.
Our nervous system and ourbrain can anticipate what's
going to happen next.
Instead of worrying aboutwhat's going to happen next, to

(08:00):
make a routine, just write downeverything that needs to be done
at that time frame.
What are the absolutenon-negotiables?
And if you want an example, goahead and listen to episode
seven, which is called EveningRoutines for Tomorrow's Calm.
Now on to W wake up to whatmatters.
This was one of the hardestthings for me.

(08:22):
At the beginning, I chose tochallenge myself to not look at
my phone.
I chose not to look at my phoneright away in the morning, I
chose not to look at thosemessages, and then I started
pushing myself to see how muchtime I could last between waking
up and checking my phone.
And so now it starts gettinginto this

(08:44):
routine of the first startsfive minutes and then 10 minutes
, and then we can do 20 minutesand, before you know it, you can
start just looking at yourphone before you leave or right
when you get to work, whereveryou need to start your work day,
but allowing my brain to wakeup and be able to go
through its listening to 'ItStarts being Vagus' by social

(09:05):
media or the news or to-do lists, it has me set up for a
relaxing day when I don't evenpick up the phone, I don't feel
rushed, I don't feel impacted bynews.
It's just an easier, calmerintroduction'It of my day Vagus'
and I have learned to love it.
I want to challenge you to notpick up your phone.

(09:26):
If you typically pick it upright away in the morning, start
with the five minutes.
Or if you're like I can go fiveminutes but I don't know about
if Vagus cando 20.
You just start pushing yourselfa little bit more.
Or maybe you can start at theend of the day, say I'm going to
turn off my phone, you know, anhour before bed, just something
to start allowing your brain toeither turn on or shut down,

(09:51):
because it has a rhythm and itneeds that slowness to get in
the right setting, the rightstate of mind, whether we're
getting up and ready for the dayor getting ready to go to bed.
Living a slow life at thebeginning can be very
challenging, especially when youhave kids, a career or multiple

(10:12):
schedules that you have to keeptrack of.
That's my life too, but makinga goal of slow living has been
so rewarding and it's been someof my favorite self-care
routines.
Is it always possible?
No, Life happens, but I guardit.
So I keep my busy days few andfar between and my slow days are

(10:36):
on autopilot.
So if your body has beenwhispering or even screaming for
you to slow down, this is yoursign, because you are
biologically designed for rhythm, rest and presence, and the
more you choose a simple life,the more your body, brain and
your heart will thank you.

(10:57):
So remember to soothe yournervous system and reclaim who
you are.
Thanks for listening to itStarts at Vegas.
New episodes are released everyTuesday.
If you like this episode, goahead and subscribe so that you
get notifications and don't missout on what's coming next.
I also want to thank you forsharing episodes with your

(11:20):
friends.
Currently, it Starts at Vegashas now been listened to in 345
cities all around the world.
Thank you so much for helpingme help people find ways to calm
their nervous system and theiranxiety and stress.
That is the entire purpose ofthis podcast.

(11:42):
Until next time, remember,wellness starts at Vegas.