Sensory Care for the Nervous System
♡ This text originally appeared in Liz’s Neurodivergent Letters, an affirming weekly email series for highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults who feel burnt out from wearing masks all day & are re-learning who they really are. Subscribe here to receive letters directly in your inbox.
Every once in a while, I find myself revising my self-care plan. After all, our nervous systems change across time (as a result of healing work, new life experiences, changing seasons, and the increase or decrease of stressors in our lives)… and our usual self-care tools may not work in the same way as before.
For example, songs that I used to play on an infinite loop to soothe my soul after a long day, don’t have quite the same impact as before – probably because I played them on an infinite loop 😅 and my brain got tired of hearing the same sounds. So, I’ve switched up my playlist over the years.
Having options for self-care is so important, not just for our own nervous system health, but also for the health of our communities.
When we feel resourced (running on 80% battery or more 🔋, instead of a precarious 10% 🪫), we have more capacity to participate in the collective care that is being asked of us in these times: to show up for each other with courage, humanity, & creative resistance against fascism.
(Because yes, every one of us has a role to play in building the world that we want to live in & dismantling the systems that cause so much trauma in the first place.)
Every nervous system that heals, rests, and is cared for, creates ripple effects for the collective healing of all.
So, what can self-care actually look like?
1 million+ different ways, but I’d start by asking: what type of sensory experience are you seeking?
💃🏽 If you desire movement: maybe self-care looks like, walking, dancing, or stretching today.
🧠 If your brain needs space to cognitively process your experiences: maybe you journal, call a friend, or record a voice memo to yourself.
🍵 If your nervous system desires warmth & coziness: maybe you pour a cup of tea & light a candle.
🛏️ If you’re craving deep pressure: maybe you snuggle under a weighted blanket.
😂 If your body likes to regulate through deep belly laughs: maybe you turn on a comedy special.
👐🏽 If you seek tactile stimulation & something to do with your hands while you sit in meetings: maybe you play with a fidget or untangle a ball of yarn.
There are possibilities & options for every nervous system, based on your sensory needs.
With care,
Liz
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About the Author
Liz Zhou (she/her) is a neurodivergent therapist, coach, and speaker. She helps highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults & couples heal their nervous systems and connect with their authentic selves, using brain-body modalities (Brainspotting, EMDR, IFS, psychedelic integration) that are quicker & more effective than traditional talk therapy. Liz offers Nervous System Healing Intensives online worldwide.
