I have a tool in my tool box that I use daily to help me manage stress and sleep like a rock. I’ll admit. It’s a little strange. 🤷🏻‍♀️

One to two times per day and right before bed, I lay with my feet up a wall (or side of the bed), flat on my back with my legs up at a 90 degree angle in the shape of an L.

This has become THE BEST TOOL I have for shifting my nervous system from the sympathetic (fight or flight) side to the parasympathetic (rest, digest, heal) side.

Let me explain. 👇

When we’re under stress our body shunts blood flow out to our extremities so that we can essentially “run from the bear”. This is a primal function of the body to protect us from harm. Unfortunately, our body still protects us this way even if our “bear” is a disagreement with our kids, running late for a meeting or overwhelm with a To-Do list! Because we never use up that nervous system energy, we end up in a state of chronic stress where our body is ready to react at a moment’s notice and we end up with elevated heart rate, anxiety, shortness of breath, dysregulated nervous system and much more.

👉 Your body needs a clear message that “everything is okay” and “you can rest now”.

Putting your legs up a wall gives that message. When you elevate your legs the blood heads from your extremities back to your core and signals your nervous system that it’s okay to shift back to a state of rest.

I’ve found this to be one of the most powerful tools I have for stress management. Doing this a couple times during the day  (working up to 10-15 minutes per session) will help your body step out of the chronic fight or flight mode and not only feel better in the moment, but it will help train your nervous system to be more stress resilient.

💤 It’s also very effective for preparing your body for a good night’s sleep. If you’re proactive before you go to bed spending a few minutes with your legs up, you’ll notice a better quality of sleep during the night.