A Drifting Baseline - And How to Stop It
Seasonal pressures often activate the nervous system in ways we only recognise when our baseline has already drifted upward.
Physiologically, this makes sense. When demands increase, the sympathetic system becomes more active. Our muscles brace. Thoughts loop or sharpen.
If we continue without recovery, the body begins to treat every day as an ongoing alert state. This is one of the earliest signs that we are edging toward imbalance.
We believe we are managing well because we are functioning, yet our baseline is shifting by small degrees.
Tolerance narrows without our awareness. It is only in hindsight that we see how far we have moved from our centre.
Micro-practices are especially helpful in periods like this. They do not require time, only attention. They give the nervous system small cues of safety throughout the day, helping us return to a steadier state even as the world around us shifts.
Research across behavioural science, trauma recovery, and attentional psychology consistently shows that brief, embodied interventions can regulate the system far more effectively than cognitive effort alone.
This week is an invitation to weave a few of these small pauses into the edges of our days. Not to slow the season down, but to help our bodies keep pace with it.
Micro-practices during high-pressure periods help:
Provide regular signals that help complete the stress cycle
Prevent sympathetic activation from becoming the default state
Support attentional reset, improving clarity
Widen tolerance so we feel less reactive under pressure
These practices are small but cumulative. Their strength lies in repetition rather than intensity.
Micro-Practice: Grounding Through the Feet
Stand with both feet on the floor.
Shift your weight slowly forward and back, then side to side.
Settle where you feel most centred and take one gentle breath.
This movement activates proprioceptive pathways linked with parasympathetic regulation and helps the body recognise that the moment is safe.
