Stress and Anxiety

Activate Your Vagus Nerve — Navaz Habib

A practical, accessible guide to the vagus nerve, vagal tone, and evidence-based practices for improving parasympathetic function. Covers breathing, cold exposure, humming, gargling, and other vagal activation techniques with the physiological rationale behind each one. A useful practical companion to the more theoretical foundations in this post.

ANXIETY CALMING DEVICE

Sensate Relaxation Device

Sound Therapy and Theraputic Vibrations for Immediate Calm and Long Term Stress

Ice Roller for Face & Neck -

A gentle, accessible way to get the benefits of cold water immersion without the full plunge. Perfect for desk-side use when anxiety spikes during the workday.

Oura Ring 4

Introducing Oura Ring 4: the latest evolution of the revolutionary smart ring. Oura Ring 4 brings you closer to what matters most — your health. The updated all-titanium design is powered by Smart Sensing, a new sensing platform that doesn’t just measure your biometrics, it adapts to you, providing insights into over 50 health metrics including sleep, readiness, activity, heart health, stress, metabolic health, and women’s health. Oura Ring quietly and comfortably monitors your health.

Vitamin C (1,000mg daily)

Vitamin C (1,000mg daily) directly supports adrenal function. Promotes optimal immune function and overall health year-round. This information provided is for educational purposes only. Always consult your physician before starting supplements, especially with existing health conditions or medications.

Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers — Robert Sapolsky

Stanford neuroendocrinologist Robert Sapolsky’s masterwork on the biology of chronic stress — how it happens, what it does to every body system, and why the modern human experience of psychological stress produces the same physiological damage as physical threat. Accessible, deeply researched, and genuinely transformative in how you understand your own stress response. The book I most frequently recommend for understanding why chronic stress is a genuine medical concern.

Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma — Peter Levine

Somatic Experiencing founder Peter Levine’s accessible introduction to how the body holds and can release stress and trauma. Particularly useful for understanding the physiology of the stress response and why movement, shaking, and other body-based practices are so effective for anxiety regulation.

The Nervous System Reset Journal: Prompts for Emotional Release, Gratitude and Daily Regulation -

Soothing prompts, grounding pages, and compassionate guidance to help you slow down, breathe deeper, and feel supported within your own body again.

Mindful Breathing On-the-Go

Practice deep breathing anytime with this lightweight bamboo pendant, supporting focus and calm

Acupressure Mat and Pillow Set

Lying on an acupressure mat for 15 to 20 minutes activates the parasympathetic nervous system through both the sensation response and the endorphin release it produces. Many clients describe a profound sense of calm and heaviness after even a brief session. An accessible, evidence-adjacent tool for creating a daily somatic down-regulation practice at home.

Muse S Meditation Headband — EEG Biofeedback

The Muse S provides real-time EEG-based biofeedback during meditation — allowing you to see, in real time, when your brain is in a calm versus active state. This biofeedback dramatically accelerates the development of the meditation skill that is most valuable for chronic stress recovery: learning to genuinely shift into a restful state rather than simply sitting quietly while still mentally activated. An investment that pays forward in measurably faster nervous system down-regulation. This information provided is for educational purposes only. Always consult your physician before starting.

Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle — Emily & Amelia Nagoski

The Nagoski sisters’ evidence-based, deeply compassionate guide to completing the stress cycle and recovering from burnout. Particularly relevant for women navigating the specific stressors of midlife — caregiving, professional pressure, relational demands — and the cultural expectations that make rest feel dangerous. Practical, scientifically grounded, and genuinely useful.

Loftie Sunrise Alarm Clock -

Guided breathing programs built in, plus a gentle sunrise wake-up. Replaces your phone in the bedroom — one of the best nervous system investments I know of. “Discover wellness content like breathwork, meditations and sound baths right on your clock.”

Pure Encapsulations L-Theanine

Amino Acid Supplement to Support Relaxation, Stress & regulate the Nervous System - Always consult your physician before starting supplements, especially with existing health conditions or medications.

The Calm Woman Journal:

A Daily Practice for Regulation, Clear Thinking, and Intentional Living

Red Light Therapy Panel

Designed for convenient at-home sessions as part of a daily wellness routine. Many people incorporate red light sessions into routines focused on relaxation and healing of the mind and body. Red light therapy (RLT) helps manage grief and depression by stimulating mitochondrial energy production in brain cells, which enhances serotonin and dopamine production. It reduces neuroinflammation, improves sleep by regulating melatonin, and increases cellular energy to improve mood and resilience. This non-invasive approach aids in relieving emotional overwhelm and promoting a calmer mental state.

The Body Keeps the Score — Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.

The foundational text on how stress and trauma are held in the body and how body-based approaches are essential for full recovery. Van der Kolk’s neuroscience is rigorous and his clinical insights are profound. This book changed the field and will change how you understand your own body’s anxiety signals. One of the most important books I have ever recommended to a client.

The Adrenal Reset Diet — Alan Christianson, N.M.D.

A clinically informed guide to supporting adrenal function through strategic nutrition — specifically the cortisol-stabilizing approaches that support chronic stress recovery. Particularly useful for women experiencing the blood sugar dysregulation and energy crashes characteristic of HPA axis dysfunction. Practical, evidence-adjacent, and distinctly applicable to midlife women.