Need a fast way to coax your nervous system out of AAAAAA and into ahhhh?
Let me introduce you to one of my favourite somatic tools: something I call optic nerve flossing.

It takes about a minute, requires no equipment, and works directly with the nervous system rather than asking your thinking brain to sort everything out.

I use it myself when I feel wired, flat, buzzy, or stuck somewhere between too much and not enough.

Why this works

Regulation isn’t a mindset problem. It’s a body one.

The optic nerve connects straight into the brainstem and links with the vagus nerve, THE key player in your body’s rest-and-digest system. By gently moving the eyes while keeping the head still, we send a clear signal of safety to the nervous system.

For many neurodivergent people, that signal doesn’t come easily. We can spend a lot of time in fight-or-flight, or collapse, without ever quite landing in calm. This exercise helps nudge the system in that direction, gently and without force.

How to do optic nerve flossing

You can do this sitting (which is how I usually do it), but it also works standing or lying down.

1. Sit comfortably and place your hands behind your head so it stays still
2. Keeping your head completely still, slowly move only your eyes
3. Look all the way to the right and pause
4. Then look all the way to the left and pause
5. Move slowly, without strain, and repeat a few times

That’s it. No pushing. No trying to “do it right.”

What you might notice

Something in your throat area is the most common. it might take the form of:

• yawning
• sighing
• coughing
• a tickling sensation!

Sometimes it’s obvious. Sometimes it’s barely there. It doesn’t really matter, it still works.

Notice how your body feels afterwards. You might feel very sleepy. You might feel a heaviness in your body, or the exact opposite – a sense of lightness. Some people say it feels like they’ve just had a massage. Others that they can breathe a little deeper in their chest. There is no right or wrong. Noticing is the name of the game here.

How this fits into my work

This kind of eye movement shows up in polyvagal-informed approaches and overlaps with principles used in therapies like EMDR. The shared thread is simple: the body can lead us back to safety faster than the mind.

It also works on the same principle as meditation, without having to drop into zen monk levels of calm. What we do when we ground ourselves back in our body is engage our medial pre-frontal cortex, the part of the brain that deals with mindful presence. It’s also the part of our brain that is connected to our amygdala and can regulate it. Your reasoning brain cannot achieve this, because it doesn’t have that link available.

I often suggest this tool to clients who feel constantly “on,” stuck in go-mode, or unable to properly switch off, especially neurodivergent adults who’ve spent years overriding their nervous systems to keep up.

A gentle invitation

Try it once or twice and see what your body does.
No pressure. No performance. Just information.

If you’d like more practical, neurodivergent-friendly tools like this, I will be adding more as I go!

And if nothing else, take this as permission to stop trying to think your way into calm. Your nervous system already knows the route.