Nervous System Check-in Challenge

The challenge

This challenge is a way to practice interoception in everyday life, which is reading what is happening inside you as you go about your day. You will check in with your nervous system every 20 minutes for four hours. There is no deadline. You can try it when it suits your life, and if it does not work the first time, you can try again another day.

• Pick a four-hour window when a repeating alarm will not be disruptive, such as a quiet weekend morning. Avoid times that call for full concentration or carry any risk, such as driving, operating machinery, or anything intense
• Set a repeating alarm on your phone for every 20 minutes
• When it goes off, pause and ask: Where is my activation on a one to ten scale? Do I feel regulated, flooded, or frozen? If you like, add the emotion you are feeling
• If you want to, regulate in a small way. One conscious breath with a longer exhale is enough. You can also feel the body where it touches the chair or floor, feel your feet, or look around the room
• Return to what you were doing

You can use the Your Notes box on this page to jot down what you notice. A few words at each check-in is plenty. Some people also like a free app that prompts them to log how they feel at set intervals, and that can be an optional addition.

Why so many check-ins

Our brains have well-worn paths, patterns we follow almost automatically. When activation comes, many of us react the same way we always have. Each check-in is a bit like walking a new path through a field: the more it is walked, the easier it becomes to follow. Over time, interoception can shift from something you do in a course to something that happens naturally, while driving, in a conversation, or in a meeting.

Like any exercise, it may be uncomfortable at first. Repetition builds strength.

What many people notice

• Activation is often more present than they realized
• It may rise and fall through the day, sometimes without an obvious cause
• They begin to catch their reactivity a little earlier, sometimes a moment before they act
• Small choice points open up where there was only a habit before

A more connected day

Missing connection with others is often not about a lack of love. It can be because the nervous system is busy sounding an alarm, even about something unrelated to the person in front of you. As you become aware of your own state, you can return to the present moment, settle, and be more available to the people around you. This applies anywhere, including conversations about faith, family, and belonging.