Reset Your Nervous System: Simple Wellness Skills to Practice This Summer

Summer often arrives with the promise of slower days and sunny escapes, but the shift in routine, summer heat, and packed schedules can leave us feeling surprisingly overwhelmed. That’s where the Community Resiliency Model (CRM)®, developed by the Trauma Resource Institute, comes in. Designed to help us track and reset our nervous system, CRM offers simple, sensory-based skills that restore balance when stress takes over. The best part? You don’t need hours of free time or special equipment to practice them—just a few intentional moments under the summer sun. Let’s dive into a few easy, accessible CRM skills you can use to stay grounded and present all season long.

Before diving into the skills, it helps to take a quick peek “under the hood” to see how our bodies process stress and why these tools work so well. (Don’t worry, no pop quiz at the end!)

Our autonomic nervous system controls the automatic functions of our body and operates using two primary systems:

• The Sympathetic Nervous System: This is our accelerator pedal. It activates our “fight-or-flight” response when we encounter stress or danger.
• The Parasympathetic Nervous System: This is our brake pedal. It calms us down, activating when we feel safe, rested, and relaxed.

To feel our best, these two systems need balance. We can’t live in constant fight-or-flight, but we also can’t live on full pause.

In CRM, we use the concept of the Resilient Zone (or your “OK Zone”) to describe this balance.

When you’re in your OK Zone, your parasympathetic system is steady, allowing you to think clearly, handle challenges, and stay present. But when life throws stress your way, it’s completely normal to get bumped out of your zone:

• Bumping High: You might feel anxious, irritable, or overwhelmed.
• Bumping Low: You might feel fatigued, sad, disconnected, or numb.

Bumping out of your OK Zone is a normal human response. The goal isn’t to never get stressed—it’s to prevent getting stuck in those high or low zones so we can bounce back faster.

📹 Curious about what’s happening in your brain during these moments? Check out this quick video on stress and the brain.

Now that you know how the nervous system operates, here are three simple, sensory-driven CRM skills you can practice to bring yourself back into your OK Zone this summer!

3 Simple CRM Skills for Summer

Skill 1: Tracking

What it is: Noticing physical sensations inside your body without judgment (e.g., muscle tension, breathing speed, or temperature changes).

Why it helps: When you learn to spot the physical signs of stress early, you can practice a self-regulation tool before you feel totally overwhelmed.

☀️ Summer Application: Next time you’re sitting in the sunshine or stepping into cool water, pause and practice tracking. Notice the physical sensations in your body: Does your skin feel warm or cool? Is your breathing fast or slow? Are your shoulders relaxed?

Skill 2: Resourcing

What it is: Bringing your attention to a person, place, memory, or object that creates a feeling of peace, joy, or safety.

Why it helps: Your brain doesn’t always know the difference between a real event and a vividly imagined memory. Visualizing a positive resource sends safety signals to your nervous system.

🏖️ Summer Application: Think about a favorite summer memory—a relaxing beach trip, a fun barbecue, or a quiet morning on the porch. Close your eyes and visualize it in detail. What did you see, hear, or smell? What pleasant sensations do you notice in your body right now as you recall it?

Skill 3: Grounding

What it is: Connecting your physical body directly to a tangible object or surface in the present moment.

Why it helps: Grounding helps pull you out of racing thoughts in your head and safely anchors you into the “here and now,” preventing stress from building up.

🌲 Summer Application: Take off your shoes and walk barefoot on the grass, or feel the solid support of a chair while sitting outdoors. Pay close attention to the physical contact between your body and the ground. Notice how stable and supported you feel right in this moment.

Ready to Deepen Your Practice?

These simple summer practices are just a glimpse into what the Community Resiliency Model® has to offer. Whether you want to build personal resilience, support your family, or bring these trauma-informed tools into your workplace, our CRM workshop will give you a complete roadmap. If you are interested in taking a CRM workshop, submit a training request form or check out our events calendar!