Like many of you, I’m still recovering from 2023 and truthfully, I think I will be for some time. Unfortunately, we’re living in a time where overstimulation, and collective grief, trauma, and despair are the norm. However, to overcome these moments of darkness, we must find ways to regenerate ourselves and build the strength to keep resisting and fighting for a future centered on compassion, communion, and care. If you are burnt out, overstimulated, and lethargic, try one of these remedies below. I can’t say they will cure anything, but they can certainly alleviate some of the emotional and physiological dysregulation you are experiencing.
DIY Sensory Deprivation (Free— if you have a bathtub and salt)
A couple of years ago I went to Vessel Floats, a sensory deprivation and float therapy spa in Greenpoint. If you’re unfamiliar with sensory deprivation, it is exactly how it sounds. The goal is to remove and reduce stimuli from one or more senses which is perfect for moments where you need a break from social media, humans, or mental feedback loops. So, if you’ve been doom-scrolling, overworked, or are need of recalibration, it can be very effective. Most of the spas that offer this service have a tub in an enclosed space, with limited or no lighting and body-temperature water for you to float in. Below is a video of what it looks like inside of Vessel Floats:
What I like about Vessel Floats is that it gives you options. You can go completely dark or choose fun lighting; you can go completely silent or do meditation or some sound therapy. Now, I know some folks who may feel claustrophobic and terrified at the thought of sensory deprivation which is why I recommend trying it at home. Here are the steps for doing this at home:
Fill up your bathtub using water at your preferred temperature.
Add at least 1/3 cup of salt to your bath (it could be Epsom Salt, Sea Salt, or Himalayan Pink Salt) and nothing else - no oils, no bath bombs, just you and the salt water.
If you want lights, you can use candles. In the past, I’ve used my galaxy projector to create a little celestial ambiance.
If you want sound, turn on your favorite meditation, brown or white noise, or sound-healing music (personally, I love this miracle tones album when I’m feeling on edge).
Eliminate as many outside distractions as possible. Put your phone on DND, make sure the kids are in bed, and tell your roommate or partner that the bathroom will be off-limits for the next however many minutes you plan to spend in the bath. I recommend at least 20-30 minutes but most sessions are at least 45 minutes to an hour. Close your eyes during the experience and try to release any intrusive thoughts.
Sound Healing Music (Free)
If you’re opting out of the DIY sensory deprivation, I still highly recommend implementing sound healing into your decompression routine. The history of sound healing can be traced back to Aboriginal Australians more than 40,000 years ago. You may also be familiar with Tibetan or Himalayan singing bowls but if you don’t have one, you can still access binaural beats or solfeggio frequencies on whatever platform you stream music on. Not only is it free, but there are a ton of benefits. First. it helps to activate the parasympathetic nervous system (aka the rest and digest system) which is the opposite of the sympathetic nervous system (aka the flight or fight system). For those of us who have endured generational and/or collective trauma, it’s a full-time job ensuring our sympathetic nervous system is not in overdrive. I’ve had moments where I’ve been in freeze mode and listening to sound-healing music, and reconnecting to my breath was the only resource I had available to help calm me down. It can help with sleep, anxiety, depression and even boost your immune system. Again, this is not a cure but a tool you can utilize in moments of distress and dysregulation.
Magnesium (>$30)
If you do the DIY sensory deprivation, you will get a good dose of magnesium in your system from the salt, but are you getting it every day though? If you are someone who deals with anxiety or high stress levels every day, magnesium is calling your name. You can get it from natural food sources, but I like to take a supplement before bed because I’m certain whatever I ate was not enough to counteract the amount of anxiety I endure every day. Magnesium is important for blood sugar, heart health, bones, and blood pressure but what it does for your cortisol levels is of particular importance. Cortisol is our primary stress hormone, and when our body is stressed and enters fight or flight mode, we release cortisol. Magnesium helps to reduce cortisol levels by blocking neuroendocrine pathways that send cortisol to your brain. 1 In addition to this, low levels of magnesium in the body can increase stress, and high levels of stress can decrease magnesium. So, if you’re stressed, burnout, anxious, or depressed, take your magnesium, your body will thank you.
Read: How To Identify Stress Cycles And Mindfully Complete Them by Amara Amaryah
Journal Prompt:
If you did the DIY sensory deprivation, write about the experience. What was the temperature of the water? Did you keep the lights on or off? Did you use sound or no sound? How did these choices reflect how you felt? When you closed your eyes, where did your mind go? What urges did you have? What do those urges and thoughts tell you about your instincts, fears, or desires?
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With love,
LaChelle