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Everyday Nervous System Regulation: Simple Exercises to Reset & Recenter
Simple nervous system regulation exercises to feel safer, calmer, and more present—for anyone, anywhere
For many of us, stress is baseline. Busy schedules, trauma, and chronic pressure can keep the nervous system stuck in survival mode. In Everyday Nervous System Regulation, Melissa Romano—bestselling author of the Vagus Nerve Deck—translates neuroscience into simple practices that return the mind and body to a calm and connected state. These accessible, somatic exercises help you reset in the moment while gradually retraining your nervous system to feel more grounded, less reactive, and attuned to the world around you.
Inside this book you will ACCESSIBLE Start now—no exercise clothes required. These practices are intentionally low effort while remaining effective.SCIENCE-BACKED STRESS Proven techniques to release stored tension and restore energy using the natural power of breath, movement, nature, and more.TARGETED SOMATIC Find exercises mapped to a specific experience—like anger, loneliness, or fatigue—or begin with the Emergency Toolkit that includes 10 quick resets.STRUCTURED 7- AND 30-DAY Turn simple practices into sustainable habits. Examples and templates provided.
For many of us, stress is baseline. Busy schedules, trauma, and chronic pressure can keep the nervous system stuck in survival mode. In Everyday Nervous System Regulation, Melissa Romano—bestselling author of the Vagus Nerve Deck—translates neuroscience into simple practices that return the mind and body to a calm and connected state. These accessible, somatic exercises help you reset in the moment while gradually retraining your nervous system to feel more grounded, less reactive, and attuned to the world around you.
Inside this book you will ACCESSIBLE Start now—no exercise clothes required. These practices are intentionally low effort while remaining effective.SCIENCE-BACKED STRESS Proven techniques to release stored tension and restore energy using the natural power of breath, movement, nature, and more.TARGETED SOMATIC Find exercises mapped to a specific experience—like anger, loneliness, or fatigue—or begin with the Emergency Toolkit that includes 10 quick resets.STRUCTURED 7- AND 30-DAY Turn simple practices into sustainable habits. Examples and templates provided.
255 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 7, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
July 31, 2026
I received a free copy from the publisher through Netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it.
Regulation is so important for me and something that impacts me on a regular basis, so when I saw this book on Netgalley I knew I wanted to read it and see what new techniques the book could teach me.
The book starts with an introduction about how the nervous system works and some of the theories behind the techniques, but where the book really shines for me is when it gets into the exercises. I liked the encouraging tone of the book and how the author emphasizes it's totally fine to not do everything or try things out and adjust them in a way that works for you.
This book has so many different exercises you can try for nervous system regulation. These are separated into different chapters for different goals or states of being, like there is a chapter about when you're feeling shut down, but also one for when you want to wind down and sleep or when you want connection or when you're feeling angry or anxious. I liked the way this grouped the exercises and how you can eaisly find some that fit your current state of being.
I liked how many different exercises there are and I think that is one of the biggest strengths of this book, I think there is something for everyone. Some exercises didn't resonate with me at all, others I adjusted so they would work for me and others were just right for me. I didn't try all of them, but I made notes of the ones I wanted to try out and thought would work for me and even have incorporated some of them in my daily life already. I also was pleasantly surprised to recognize a whole lot of things I already do and it was nice to see that and knew I was doing some of this already.
The last chapter deals with ways to incorporate these exercises into your daily life by making a weekly or monthly plan and how to evaluate what is working and what is not. I didn't really do much with this, but I think it's helpful and gives you a starting point.
The only thing I sometimes struggled with is how information dense this book is, I could only read 3-4 exercises per time as else my brain just couldn't process it. That's more a me thing than something inherently bad about the book, but it made it so I only read this one in short burst so I could process the parts I had read. I do think this is a book I plan to read again and try some more exercises that I didn't the first time.
To summarize: This was a great book about nervous system regulation. It feels very accessible and doable and I liked the encouraging writing style. The exercises are grouped in chapters focussed on a state of being or mood like exercises for when you're angry, anxious or want to sleep. I liked the wide variety of exercises and I think there is something that works for everyone here. It was nice to recognize some things I already did as well as have plenty of new ideas to try. Not every exercise resonated with me, but that's okay as there are so many of them that there were plenty I did try or want to try. I could only read this book is short bursts as it's so dense with information and exercises and I needed some time to process after reading a few exercises. In the last chapter there also is a way to help you plan and fit these exercises in your daily life and evaluate what is working. All in all I can definitely recommend this book.
Regulation is so important for me and something that impacts me on a regular basis, so when I saw this book on Netgalley I knew I wanted to read it and see what new techniques the book could teach me.
The book starts with an introduction about how the nervous system works and some of the theories behind the techniques, but where the book really shines for me is when it gets into the exercises. I liked the encouraging tone of the book and how the author emphasizes it's totally fine to not do everything or try things out and adjust them in a way that works for you.
This book has so many different exercises you can try for nervous system regulation. These are separated into different chapters for different goals or states of being, like there is a chapter about when you're feeling shut down, but also one for when you want to wind down and sleep or when you want connection or when you're feeling angry or anxious. I liked the way this grouped the exercises and how you can eaisly find some that fit your current state of being.
I liked how many different exercises there are and I think that is one of the biggest strengths of this book, I think there is something for everyone. Some exercises didn't resonate with me at all, others I adjusted so they would work for me and others were just right for me. I didn't try all of them, but I made notes of the ones I wanted to try out and thought would work for me and even have incorporated some of them in my daily life already. I also was pleasantly surprised to recognize a whole lot of things I already do and it was nice to see that and knew I was doing some of this already.
The last chapter deals with ways to incorporate these exercises into your daily life by making a weekly or monthly plan and how to evaluate what is working and what is not. I didn't really do much with this, but I think it's helpful and gives you a starting point.
The only thing I sometimes struggled with is how information dense this book is, I could only read 3-4 exercises per time as else my brain just couldn't process it. That's more a me thing than something inherently bad about the book, but it made it so I only read this one in short burst so I could process the parts I had read. I do think this is a book I plan to read again and try some more exercises that I didn't the first time.
To summarize: This was a great book about nervous system regulation. It feels very accessible and doable and I liked the encouraging writing style. The exercises are grouped in chapters focussed on a state of being or mood like exercises for when you're angry, anxious or want to sleep. I liked the wide variety of exercises and I think there is something that works for everyone here. It was nice to recognize some things I already did as well as have plenty of new ideas to try. Not every exercise resonated with me, but that's okay as there are so many of them that there were plenty I did try or want to try. I could only read this book is short bursts as it's so dense with information and exercises and I needed some time to process after reading a few exercises. In the last chapter there also is a way to help you plan and fit these exercises in your daily life and evaluate what is working. All in all I can definitely recommend this book.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I received a digital ADR of Everyday Nervous System Regulation: Simple Exercises to Reset & Recenter by Melissa Romano from Zeitgeist and NetGalley for review. I requested it because I've recently been diagnosed with dysautonomia and the thought of having a toolkit of simple exercises that might help calm down my nervous system was super appealing.
The book is divided into 3 parts:
Part 1 talks about understanding your nervous system and getting started with the exercises.
Part 2 is what most of the book is. Sets of somatic practices divided by function (i.e. emergency ones, daily ones, etc). Here is where it is super cool to have the Kindle version of the book. Not only is it always with me, since it's saved to the Kindle app on my phone, but each exercise is listed separately in the table of contents and has its own section. So once you've read the book and are familiar with each practice and the ones that work best for you, they are just a click away from the table of contents until you learn them by heart.
I really appreciate the way these are put together. Each one has an explanation about what it will do for your nervous system, which is great for me, because it helps me to visualize it working. It tells you when to use it, and then goes step by step, in a numbered list, exactly how you are to perform each activity, including number of repeats and tips for customizing it to work best for you. Many of the exercises I already knew of from therapy and my own research into anxiety management, which gives me additional confidence in the treasure trove of ones I haven't heard of before.
I'm really excited to have this as a reference- a lot of times when my heart is pounding and my nervous system is getting dicey, I don't even remember that I have tools in my brain's toolkit, much less how to do them. I really love all the detail Melissa Romano uses when describing the how's, why's and how's of all the practices. It feels very considerate.
Once you've read about all the exercises, Part 3 of the book talks about how to put them into a routine to use regularly for long term help with regulation. From the level of actual, helpful detail this book gives, to the fact that I already recognize many of the methods as best practices for dealing with anxiety (bilateral tapping, shaking it out, cold water, etc), I really feel this book is a must recommend for those who deal with anxiety or nervous system disregulation. Five stars!
The book is divided into 3 parts:
Part 1 talks about understanding your nervous system and getting started with the exercises.
Part 2 is what most of the book is. Sets of somatic practices divided by function (i.e. emergency ones, daily ones, etc). Here is where it is super cool to have the Kindle version of the book. Not only is it always with me, since it's saved to the Kindle app on my phone, but each exercise is listed separately in the table of contents and has its own section. So once you've read the book and are familiar with each practice and the ones that work best for you, they are just a click away from the table of contents until you learn them by heart.
I really appreciate the way these are put together. Each one has an explanation about what it will do for your nervous system, which is great for me, because it helps me to visualize it working. It tells you when to use it, and then goes step by step, in a numbered list, exactly how you are to perform each activity, including number of repeats and tips for customizing it to work best for you. Many of the exercises I already knew of from therapy and my own research into anxiety management, which gives me additional confidence in the treasure trove of ones I haven't heard of before.
I'm really excited to have this as a reference- a lot of times when my heart is pounding and my nervous system is getting dicey, I don't even remember that I have tools in my brain's toolkit, much less how to do them. I really love all the detail Melissa Romano uses when describing the how's, why's and how's of all the practices. It feels very considerate.
Once you've read about all the exercises, Part 3 of the book talks about how to put them into a routine to use regularly for long term help with regulation. From the level of actual, helpful detail this book gives, to the fact that I already recognize many of the methods as best practices for dealing with anxiety (bilateral tapping, shaking it out, cold water, etc), I really feel this book is a must recommend for those who deal with anxiety or nervous system disregulation. Five stars!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This is an excellent book for anyone who has trouble with stress, trauma, anxiety, and more. Though the beginning is a bit of a struggle to get through, once you get into the exercises, it’s much easier to understand. And the author makes a point of saying that this isn’t a book you read straight through from beginning to end. She encourages you to skip around and do what works for you. It is not a “one size fits all” kind of book. The book is broken into three main sections: Foundations, Everyday Exercises, and Practice Plans. I like that Chapter 3 is an “emergency kit” chapter that you can go to anytime you need a reset. The book provides all kinds of tools that you can adapt to your own needs. Although I received an ebook version of this, I know I’ll be picking up a physical copy as soon as I can.
Definitely recommended.
Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising” Thanks to NetGalley and Zeitgeist for providing this ARC.
#NetGalley #Zeitgeist #EverydayNervousSystemRegulation
Definitely recommended.
Disclosure of Material: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising” Thanks to NetGalley and Zeitgeist for providing this ARC.
#NetGalley #Zeitgeist #EverydayNervousSystemRegulation
August 17, 2026
Thank you, NetGalley, for the E-ARC!
As a pediatric occupational therapist who specializes in regulation (sensory, emotional), etc., I was excited to read this book and add to my OT toolbox. Below are my thoughts:
* Foundations: Does a nice job of using language relatable to those who don’t have a background in the NS, PVT, regulation, etc.
* Exercises: I like the quick science behind each exercise, as well as the gentle suggestions of when they could be most helpful. I reallllly like the “make it yours” with ways to adapt the exercises to best fit the person.
* The “tools you already have” section was a nice reminder that we have more than we realize to succeed in improved overall regulation.
* I learned some new exercises and strategies to take with me to work and to also apply to myself.
* Not necessarily groundbreaking to me, but I have a lot of education on this subject matter.
Overall, a very solid book that I do believe can help many people better understand their systems with accessible ways to reorganize.
As a pediatric occupational therapist who specializes in regulation (sensory, emotional), etc., I was excited to read this book and add to my OT toolbox. Below are my thoughts:
* Foundations: Does a nice job of using language relatable to those who don’t have a background in the NS, PVT, regulation, etc.
* Exercises: I like the quick science behind each exercise, as well as the gentle suggestions of when they could be most helpful. I reallllly like the “make it yours” with ways to adapt the exercises to best fit the person.
* The “tools you already have” section was a nice reminder that we have more than we realize to succeed in improved overall regulation.
* I learned some new exercises and strategies to take with me to work and to also apply to myself.
* Not necessarily groundbreaking to me, but I have a lot of education on this subject matter.
Overall, a very solid book that I do believe can help many people better understand their systems with accessible ways to reorganize.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Such a helpful book! Though I did read it from front to back (I wanted to know everything it contained), one wouldn't have to. It is set up so that you can go straight to a chapter with exercises for the state or mood you're currently in. The exercises aren't complicated (though a few do have diagrams so you can position your body correctly). Some could even be done from a desk without drawing attention,
I appreciate having the science of why each exercise works explained. I like the plans for a week or a month, as well as the templates to build my own plan. And what I appreciate most is that this book never feels overwhelming. It repeatedly emphasizes that just a short time can make a big difference. It makes this all far more doable.
I've tried a number of the exercises already before starting the one-week plan. I am happy with the results so far.
Thank you to NetGalley and Zeitgeist for the early read.
I appreciate having the science of why each exercise works explained. I like the plans for a week or a month, as well as the templates to build my own plan. And what I appreciate most is that this book never feels overwhelming. It repeatedly emphasizes that just a short time can make a big difference. It makes this all far more doable.
I've tried a number of the exercises already before starting the one-week plan. I am happy with the results so far.
Thank you to NetGalley and Zeitgeist for the early read.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This is a great resource with quick, practical suggestions. I appreciate that there are so many suggestions for different emotions, and the author suggests specific times to use each (e.g., “Use when you want to signal to your body that it’s safe to sleep” or “Use when you feel physically wired but can’t settle”). The chapter on sleep almost made me cry because I felt so seen. I also am glad there were so many different suggestions of what to do, because some of these would feel really uncomfortable (and therefore not regulating) to do in front of other people. Some of these I could actually do when my toddler is having a meltdown. Just about anyone could benefit from at least some strategies in this book!
Thank you to Zeitgeist and NetGalley for the free eARC! I post this review with my honest opinions.
Thank you to Zeitgeist and NetGalley for the free eARC! I post this review with my honest opinions.
Review of advance copy
In the first few pages the author says “Your body’s stress response isn’t a malfunction or weakness; it’s your body demonstrating remarkable intelligence, preparing you to meet whatever challenge lies ahead.” That to me set the tone for the whole book! I felt as if the whole book had a calming tone to it and that made it so much easier to relax and absorb the info. The 10 quick resets are lifesavers! Very easy to do and quick to work. I did find it very helpful that the chapters were identified by emotion. The 7 day and 21 day chapters are very helpful when anxiety/stress are so overwhelming that even making small decisions is difficult. It is very helpful to have all these in one book. I would highly recommend buying this book.
July 14, 2026
3/5 - I think this book is a solid comprehensive collection of exercises that clinicians can use with their clients and in personal life too. One important note: I know Polyvagal theory is under a lot of criticism and “debunking,” which the author briefly touches on. However, I think the author could have explored this a little more in the book, because the nervous system is so complex. I’m not sure how I feel about the author continuing forward in the book and using the ventral versus dorsal language. There has been responses like Grossman et al. to Porges. — What I do believe in, at the end of the day, is if these skills work for someone, let them continue to use it. Even if the theory isn’t as solid anymore.
August 22, 2026
I have been in survival mode for so long. This book has helped me “relax” for the first time in a very VERY long time. The only reason it’s in quotations is I’m reliving emotions I didn’t experience in the moment and can we talk about the muscle aches from being tensed up for so long!?!?!?!! I need to book a massage! I can actually fall asleep now! After over a decade of insomnia!? Granted I still have a breastfeeding 2 year old who keeps me up but I can actually fall back to sleep using these techniques. I would stay up sooo long begging myself to sleep. I love how straight forward this book is and the bullet points to make it easy when you are in fight or flight. I love this books so much I forgot to thank Netgally for the early arc! I can’t wait to add it to my physical bookshelf!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This came at the right time for me. I really appreciated how simple and doable the exercises were, and I never felt overwhelmed with information. I found myself trying several of the techniques right away, and I liked that it focused on progress instead of perfection.
This isn't the kind of book you read once and forget about. I can easily see myself coming back to it whenever life starts to feel a little hectic and I need a reminder to slow down and reset. If you're looking for practical ways to feel more grounded, this is a great one to have on your shelf.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
This isn't the kind of book you read once and forget about. I can easily see myself coming back to it whenever life starts to feel a little hectic and I need a reminder to slow down and reset. If you're looking for practical ways to feel more grounded, this is a great one to have on your shelf.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I've been coming across a lot of information lately on somatic therapy especially in regard to trauma treatment and for those who have highly sensitive nervous systems. I found this a very quick overview of what those exercises are and how try them for yourself. The format was well organized and there were illustrations for some of the exercises which I appreciated as a visual person.
Recommended for people new to somatic therapy and want to give this body-focused approach a try. The end of the book also had links to trackers and 7 and 30-day challenges for those who may be overwhelmed and don't know where to start.
Thank you to NetGalley and PRH for the review copy.
Recommended for people new to somatic therapy and want to give this body-focused approach a try. The end of the book also had links to trackers and 7 and 30-day challenges for those who may be overwhelmed and don't know where to start.
Thank you to NetGalley and PRH for the review copy.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I have been seeing somatic therapy a lot on my social media recently and I was excited to check this ARC out on NetGalley!
First of all, I love how it was set up. It was broken up into 3 parts; Foundations, Everyday Exercises, & Practice Plans and Personalization.
I loved the whole person focused approach and the encouragement to use this book as you need it. I found flipping to the chapters I was most interested in easily digestible, informative, and helpful. I found chapter 3 the emergency toolkit 10 resets especially helpful and I've been able to integrate them into my day to day.
Thank you to Zeitgeist and NetGalley for the ARC!
First of all, I love how it was set up. It was broken up into 3 parts; Foundations, Everyday Exercises, & Practice Plans and Personalization.
I loved the whole person focused approach and the encouragement to use this book as you need it. I found flipping to the chapters I was most interested in easily digestible, informative, and helpful. I found chapter 3 the emergency toolkit 10 resets especially helpful and I've been able to integrate them into my day to day.
Thank you to Zeitgeist and NetGalley for the ARC!
August 12, 2026
This is an excellent companion for those trying to heal from PTSD and are willing to try somatic therapy. The author really gets how it feels when dysregulated. Her tone is friendly, encouraging, and exactly right for the audience it is written for.
It is handy and packed with practical and easily doable practices for immediate relief as well as lasting recovery.
Verdict: Highly recommend. Must buy
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sharing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
It is handy and packed with practical and easily doable practices for immediate relief as well as lasting recovery.
Verdict: Highly recommend. Must buy
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sharing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4.5/5 Stars
This is an incredible resource filled with practical exercises and helpful handouts designed to support nervous system regulation. The author's expertise shines through on every page, and their genuine desire to help readers succeed is evident. Rather than simply explaining concepts, the book provides plenty of tools you can tailor to your own needs. I'm excited to dive deeper into the exercises and discover what works best for me.
This is an incredible resource filled with practical exercises and helpful handouts designed to support nervous system regulation. The author's expertise shines through on every page, and their genuine desire to help readers succeed is evident. Rather than simply explaining concepts, the book provides plenty of tools you can tailor to your own needs. I'm excited to dive deeper into the exercises and discover what works best for me.
August 3, 2026
This is an amazing, practical book. I've worked as an executive coach for 7 years and taught self defense to survivors of violent trauma for twenty years prior to that. I've never seen a more ready-to-use, plain English explanation for the layperson anywhere. Even though I was familiar with many of the practices, there are just so many that a reader really has no excuse to not start practicing these stress-relieving, regulating practices right away. What a gem of a book!
August 13, 2026
Thank you, NetGalley, for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Everyday Nervous System Regulation by Melissa Romano, LGSW is an excellent tool to add to or begin your tool box. The majority of the book is comprised of easy to do exercises. It also includes templates that can be used to document and plan the practices.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publication Date: July 7, 2026
#EverydayNervousSystemRegulation #NetGalley
Everyday Nervous System Regulation by Melissa Romano, LGSW is an excellent tool to add to or begin your tool box. The majority of the book is comprised of easy to do exercises. It also includes templates that can be used to document and plan the practices.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publication Date: July 7, 2026
#EverydayNervousSystemRegulation #NetGalley
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
@penguinrandomhouse #partner
Excellent book. No water, just simple and clear explanations. Every page has one exercise, you can open any page and do something right there - no preparation. Everyone needs that! If you are more organized and like structure, there are 7 and 30 days plans to follow, with pages for daily logs and planners at the end of the book. Can’t recommend it enough!
Excellent book. No water, just simple and clear explanations. Every page has one exercise, you can open any page and do something right there - no preparation. Everyone needs that! If you are more organized and like structure, there are 7 and 30 days plans to follow, with pages for daily logs and planners at the end of the book. Can’t recommend it enough!
August 19, 2026
Fantastic resource for myself and my clients!
August 25, 2026
I listened/read this through NetGalley. Honestly its a decent book of you havent been through education courses. Everything in this book ive learned through my years of teaching.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Melissa has done it again. She has created an accessible, easy to understand, resource for Nervous System Regulation. This book meets people where they are and allows for multiple ways to approach learning and implementing. From beginning to end (dedication to index), Melissa was thoughtful, purposeful, and inclusive. Highly recommend this book (and plan on buying it as gifts).
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews