​Stimulating the vagus nerve is key to helping to calm our nervous system and manage stress more effectively.

The vagus nerve is our tenth cranial nerve, extending from its origin in the brainstem through the neck and the thorax down to the abdomen, connecting with major bodily organs.  

It carries an extensive range of signals from digestive system and organs to the brain and vice versa. 

The vagus nerve regulates body temperature, heart rate and functioning, impacts our inflammation within the body and helps the brain get signals when we are full and should stop eating. 

For folks with anxiety disorders, PTSD or autonomic disorders, a vagal nerve massage and vagal nerve stimulation may be helpful. 

Vagal nerve stimulation: 
A clinical treatment where a surgical device is implanted to help stimulate and regulate the vagus nerve. You can learn more about the research being done on it by going to clinicaltrials.gov 

Vagal nerve massages: 
This is a practice you can do at home to stimulate the vagus nerve,  help calm the nervous system and build vagal tone.  Essentially the vagus nerve is what helps us detect safety in our environment and with others.

Improving our vagal tone is key to helping us improve our ability to create this sense of safety. For a full video of a vagal nerve massage, click here. 

There are a lot of nerve endings for the vagus nerve in the ear, which is where the practice begins.  The concha is the inner part of the ear (like a conch shell) and the tragus is the flap of skin right in front of the ear. The main branch goes down behind the jaw bone and down along the large muscle in your neck, down to the throat.  

• You can begin by gently massaging that part of the ear in circles as you take a few deep breaths. 
• Then you can massage gently in circles down the neck along the side of the neck towards the throat and along the top of the sternum. 
• Repeat 2-3 times, breathing deeply throughout the practice. 

This stimulation of the vagus nerve will help us build vagal tone, which is our ability to effectively respond (not over respond or under respond) to sensory input.  Yoga, meditation and biofeedback are all ways to begin to build vagal tone.

For more resources and videos for building resilience and healing, as well as learn about upcoming classes, you can join my newsletter by clicking here. 

May we all love the life we live...

Our bodies are the vehicles that carry us through the world, for better or worse, till death do we part.

Learning how to read the signals coming from our body is the key to knowing what tools will support us the best.

Do you notice your shoulders are up to your ears?
Try rolling the shoulders in a circle and then shaking out the arms.

Do you notice you are holding your breath and clenching your jaw?
Try taking deep belly breaths, releasing the jaw and letting the teeth part with each exhale.
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Research shows we must spend at least 20 minutes a day doing something that helps us complete the stress cycle. We must do this every day because we experience stress every day.

Exercise, deep breathing, a good cry and safe physical contact are all ways to help our body complete the stress cycle and return to a state of calm.

Learning how to complete the stress cycle is key to preventing burnout and building resilience. We can not just rationalize our way out of a stress response, we must move our bodies through it. Our bodies do not speak English, they only speak body language, so we must learn to talk to it.

Moving the body is one of the most effective ways to help the stress cycle complete and our nervous system to calm down. For a free video on how to release tension through movement, click here.

For more free resources, you can join my newsletter by clicking here.

This Sunday, February 6th is my virtual Cozy Winter Workshop where you can dive into practices to build safety, manage burnout and deeply rest. Click here for more information and to reserve your spot! 

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Creating sensation is a powerful way to help our bodies release tension, calm the nervous system and create a sense of safety within our bodies and our relationships.

Brené Brown says “we are emotional, feeling beings who on rare occasions think”. We feel deeply so let’s create and feel sensations to help us move through the stress cycle and build more resilience by feeling our bodies.

Weighted blankets, massage balls, foam rollers, baths and yoga are all ways to direct awareness back into the body and can help us feel safer.

If we are attuned to our bodies, we can feel safer in our environment. We can take deep breaths, lengthen our exhales and ride the waves of feelings as we live through each moment.

There is no escaping the pain that life can sometimes bring but we can use our tools to move through it with as much grace and ease as possible, knowing it too shall pass.

Most of us were not taught how to do this growing up, I know I wasn't. It’s not our fault but it is our responsibility to learn now as adults. It’s never too late to learn how to cope with stress, practice better sleep habits and build resilience.
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Releasing tension is key to calming our nervous system so that we can feel safer within ourselves and our relationships. For a free Morning Yoga video to calm the nervous system and release tension, click here. 

My upcoming Cozy Winter Workshop on February 6th will focus on simple and effective self-regulation and attachment building techniques to use in your daily life. To reserve your spot, you can click here.


You can get a chance to meet both Elizabeth and me, hear us share more details about what to expect in the workshop and answer questions in our Instagram Live this Wednesday, January 26th at 7 pm EST!


Find me at @becca.odom.wellness on Instagram to connect and learn more!


May we all love the life we live…

As a highly sensitive person, I feel deeply and if I can tune into things that are rhythmic or soothing, like music, it helps me heal.

I believe being highly sensitive is a gift, a superpower but it is, like all things, about learning how to work with it rather than against it.

Highly sensitive people can easily get overwhelmed by sensory input - bright lights, strong smells, coarse fabrics, etc. but we also feel the beauty of life deeply.

Redirecting our attention to the sound of music, the soft texture of a blanket or clothing, the rhythm of our breathing when overwhelmed will help us regulate our nervous system and build resilience.

Tuning in is the first step to changing anything - we must notice and then we have choices.

If we choose to give our attention to something neutral or positive that is around or within us, it can become our resource and support to navigate through the changes life will inevitably bring.
Change is the only constant so finding ways to ride those waves is key to resilience and preventing burnout.

My favorite breathing practice to help me calm my nervous system is Ocean Breathing. I think of it as sneaky self-care that I can carry with me anywhere I go. Click here for a free video on Ocean Breathing. 

I am so excited to hold space for others to create a cozy, safe space in their home to receive some well deserved nourishment and rest at my Cozy Winter Workshop on February 6th from 2-4 EST!

This offering is focusing on practices to help embody security, comfort and safety within and around us.

We have CEs, equity seats and a recording that will be available if you can't join us live!
For more information and to reserve your spot, visit https://www.heirloomcounseling.com/cozy

​May we all love the life we live…

During the winter months, many of us experience seasonal depression and it is important to find more light.

Whether that is being outside during the day, moving our desk to be in front of a window, using a sun lamp or keeping those holiday twinkle lights up - seek and find the light.

My favorite way is to stand in front of a window and let my face soak up the sunlight. I take deep breaths and open my eyes to let the light in.

To build and maintain a new habit, it's important to start small and build upon it. I invite you to consider committing to 2 minutes a day of finding light and soaking it up. This can even be focusing on a memory of a time that you soaked up the sun or had a moment of heartfelt connection and warmth with another being (person or animal). 

Light can mean so many different things to each of us. Get curious about what can bring more light into your life and seek it out. There is no one quick fix to seasonal depression but finding the light can be a helpful piece of the puzzle to survive the winter and build resilience.

For a free video on Creating Connection During Uncertain Times, click here.
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My next offering will be a Cozy Winter Workshop with Elizabeth Gillette on February 6th from 2-4 EST, where we will be combining the principles of attachment and somatic therapy to hold space for some deep rest and resilience building. We will focus on creating a sense of safety within and around us. To register, visit here. 

May we all love the life we live…

This weeks mission: Rest.

​Rest is sacred.
Rest is a privilege and a right.
Rest is how we heal.

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If we can all begin to honor and respect our right to rest, the world would be a much better place. Our nervous systems could finally heal. We could feel more safe and secure in our bodies and therefore, in our relationships. 

Our nervous system needs to feel safe to heal and our body only speaks body language, so let’s find a way to talk to it.

Here’s my favorite way to speak to my body and help it rest:

• Shake and bounce your body as you sigh and exhale strongly. Repeat for 1-3 minutes.
• Once you feel a release of tension, find a place to lay down to rest.
  • You can lay flat on the floor or lay with your legs up the wall (see example below). 
• Breathe deeply and focus on extending your exhales.
• You can count your breath to help focus and calm the mind. 
  • Inhale for the count of 3.
  • Exhale for the count of 4 or 5. 
    • Repeat for 1-3 minutes. 

I hope you enjoy this practice and share this message with others. Let’s all begin to celebrate rest this season. This year has been a lot, we all deserve to rest so let’s do it.

May we all love the life we live…

For more resources to support deeper rest, you can find my recordings for rest and sleep by clicking here. 

I had an old professor in graduate school talk about times we might “get slimed”. Getting slimed is anytime you leave an interaction with someone and even though they might feel great but you just feel...slimed.

As a highly sensitive and empathetic person, I have spent my entire life trying to navigate what to do when I feel like I have been slimed. My absolute favorite tool to use for these moments is an Energy Bath.

An Energy Bath comes from a Qi Gong technique that can be used to move and discharge energy from the body. This can be practiced in between sessions, after a stressful meeting or exchange with someone. 

To me, if I am sensitive enough to pick up on something, I am sensitive enough to release it. This reframe has been incredibly empowering for me on my own healing journey and I hope you find it supportive. To practice this tool with me, please check out this video of an Energy Bath practice. 

If you enjoyed this tool, feel free to check out my upcoming online course, Self-Care for Social Workers!  I have included over 4 hours of yoga, breathwork, mediation and somatic exercises for self-care to prevent burnout and build resilience! ​

Warmly, 
Becca