Settling Our Nervous Systems

I release today. I trust tomorrow. I choose what I become.

These are the words I return to each night.

There is a lot we cannot control right now. What we can control is how we help our nervous systems settle at night.

For 60 seconds, I repeat the same words. My breathing slows, my heart steadies, and my body gets the signal that it is safe to let go and rest.

This practice is helpful for everyone, especially those who spend their days supporting other people (like children).

Here’s how it works.

“I release today.”

Saying these words tells your brain that this day is complete. What happened, happened. Some nights, I review my reactions and note how I want to respond differently next time. I remember the good moments, basking in the feelings. Other nights, I simply say the words and let them do their work.

“I trust tomorrow.”

Tomorrow is a blank slate. Anything is possible. Unfortunately, negative thoughts carry more weight than positive ones. We need to be intentional about deciding what our expectations will be. We need to interrupt negative thought loops and strengthen new neural pathways rooted in possibility.

“I choose what I become.”

I had trouble with this line at first, but I came to see it as true. It is up to me to shape “Future Robin”. I envision myself living the qualities I admire in others, the ones that make me feel aligned, alive, and awake.

Neuroscience tells us that what we repeatedly imagine and practice strengthens neural networks. In other words, we grow into who we rehearse being.

I love this nightly ritual because these three sentences offer me a daily reset. They help shift me out of survival mode and back into presence and agency.

If you feel called, try it tonight.

Sixty seconds.

Three sentences.

Let your shoulders soften. Let your breath deepen. Let your body hear what your mind is learning.

I release today.

I trust tomorrow.

I choose what I become.