Simple Nervous System Regulation Practices for Teachers 

Over the past decade, I’ve been a co-teacher at every grade level, from pre-K to 12. The experience has been personally and professionally life-changing. I have been exposed to a variety of classroom cultures, learning outcomes, testing expectations, dysregulation behaviors, and discipline protocols. All of these factors carve out an arduous path for educators. School staff are struggling with chronic stress, fatigue, and deep anxiety as they work through the adversity and trauma that children carry into classrooms and schools. Emotions are highly contagious, and we quickly pick up on the emotional temperature of one another.

By sitting beside educators in their daily reality—and experiencing it through the lens of my coursework in Applied Educational Neuroscience graduate programs at Butler University—I have acquired a deep and profound understanding of how the nervous system drives behavior in children, adolescents, and adults.

Trauma-responsive programs and practices can sometimes feel overwhelming to educators—yet another initiative added to the vast and overextended roles and responsibilities of school staff.

I created the following micro-rituals to be brief and flexible as we move through our busy schedules. Each intentional practice is one or two minutes, is especially for adults, and is grounded in neuroscience.

The Neuroscience Behind This Work

Our nervous systems are continuously scanning for cues of safety. Brief repeated practices can shift us from states of activation or shutdown toward states of emotional ease and regulation. Bottom-up experiences (breath, movement, sensation) support top-down functions (attention, decision-making, awareness, focus, connection).

The nervous system changes through repetition and patterned repetitive experiences (neuroplasticity). There is no perfect nervous system state; the goals are agility, flexibility, and awareness.

Micro-rituals for Adults

1. Release and Reset (1 minute): In this practice, take a minute or less and roll your shoulders a few times, then gently shake or wring out your hands and finish the practice with a deep inhale and a long-extended outbreath through the mouth or with an audible sigh. This activity supports the completion of stress cycles by releasing stored activation from the nervous system. You can do this several times a day, before bed, or first thing in the morning.

2. Intention Setting (1 minute): Choose one word for the day (“steady,” “curious,” “patient,” “pause,” etc.) and repeat it quietly throughout the day. This practice helps the brain organize around the meaning of the word. Setting an intention engages the prefrontal cortex, supporting attention, regulation, and choice. It is a symbolic reminder that you can meet the day with some predictability and agency.

3. Self-Compassion Pause (1 minute): Place your hands on your heart. Silently say: “This is hard. I can take a moment.” This pause activates neural networks associated with self-compassion, reducing amygdala activation and supporting emotional regulation. You can do this several times a day.

4. Cross-Lateral Movement (1 minute): Gently tap opposite shoulders or knees in a slow, alternating rhythm. This cross-lateral movement supports communication between brain hemispheres and can interrupt repetitive stress patterns.

5. Breath Plus Image (1–2 minutes): Inhale deeply through the nose and imagine breathing in steadiness. As you exhale, imagine releasing tension through a color, shape, or creative image of your choice. Pairing breathing with imagery strengthens neural associations, supporting the brain’s ability to access calm and a more regulated state.

6. Moments That Mattered (2 minutes): Recall one meaningful interaction with a student or colleague. As you remember this positive and hopeful interaction, this practice integrates emotional experiences with meaning through hippocampal and cortical networks, reinforcing a sense of purpose in your day. I enjoy doing this practice first thing in the morning or before I fall asleep at night.

7. Closing the Loop (2 minutes): In this practice, silently acknowledge something you are carrying, and then something else that you have worked through. When you acknowledge a challenge or struggle you’ve experienced and then think about another scenario that was challenging but now is settling, this supports the nervous system in completing stress responses, preventing accumulation and promoting regulation.

8. Savoring (1 minute): Recall a positive sensory moment and sit with it for 20–30 seconds. This practice strengthens neural pathways for noticing safety and positive experiences, supporting neuroplasticity through repeated attention.

9. Carry an Anchor (ongoing): Choose a small object (stone, bracelet, etc.). Each time you notice it, take one breath. Repetition paired with sensory cues strengthens neural pathways, making the pause more automatic over time so you can access feelings of safety in the cortex.

10. Entry Release (1–2 minutes): In this practice, also known as “dumping,” write a worry on a scrap of paper. Crumple the paper and place it in a container. This symbolic action engages both cognitive and emotional networks, supporting release of stress and helping the brain create psychological boundaries. You might say to yourself, “I can return to this later. Right now, I’m aware and OK.”