Hit Reset in 90 Seconds

Hi lovely,

There’s something tender—and wildly liberating—about remembering that an emotion only lasts 90 seconds in the body.

Ninety seconds.
That’s it.

After that, the only thing keeping it alive is the story the mind keeps looping.
The thoughts we rehearse.
The meaning we attach.
The spirals we unintentionally feed.

This teaching comes from neuroanatomist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, and every time I revisit it, I feel my whole system exhale. It reminds me that emotional waves are just that—waves, not permanent states.

🌿 A Story About Overwhelm & the Story We Tell Ourselves

I’ve moved through life with a sensitive nervous system, which means overwhelm has always hit me fast and full. One glance at my to-do list, one unexpected task, one tight moment in my schedule—and suddenly it feels like everything is too much, all at once.

My mind is quick to spin a familiar story:
There’s so much to do.
There’s not enough time.
I’ll never catch up.

And once that narrative starts running, my body follows—tight chest, buzzing energy, that familiar squeeze behind the ribs. For years I assumed this intensity meant something was wrong with me, or wrong with my life, or wrong with the way I was handling things.

But what I’ve learned is this:

Overwhelm is a sensation.
The panic about not having enough time is the story.
And they are not the same thing.

When I can soften the narrative—even for a breath—something shifts.
If I quiet the spiral and return to the simple affirmation all is well, and I am capable, my system responds immediately. The edges loosen. The urgency dissolves. I can feel the wave without being swallowed by it.

This is why the 90-second ritual has become such an anchor for me.
It gives my body a moment to move the sensation through…
before my mind can build it into a storm.

🧠 Why 90 Seconds Matters (The Neuroscience)

When a big feeling arises—fear, irritation, sadness, even joy—the body initiates a chemical response that lasts roughly a minute and a half. That’s your nervous system signaling you, processing the sensation, and preparing to return to baseline.

But when we keep thinking the same thoughts…
when we stay hooked into the narrative…
when we identify with the feeling instead of noticing it…

We re-trigger the amygdala, the brain’s alarm system. We restart the emotional cycle again and again.

The result?
A 90-second wave becomes an all-day storm.

This ritual interrupts that cycle.
It gives the body space to do what it already knows how to do—move the emotion through.

🌬️ The 90-Second Sacred Pause Ritual

Set a timer if that helps.
Let this be your micro-ritual for the week, your sacred power button.

1. Hand on Heart (10 seconds)

Feel the warmth of your palm.
Let your body register the signal of I’m here.
Touch increases vagal tone and immediately softens protective physiology.

2. Slow, Long Exhale (20–30 seconds)

Inhale gently through the nose.
Exhale slowly—longer than your inhale.
This is the fastest way to downshift your nervous system and tell the amygdala it’s safe to stand down.

3. Stay With Sensation (Remaining 50 seconds)

Don’t go into the story.
Don’t fix or figure out.
Just witness:

• Where does this emotion live in the body?

• Does it move?

• Does it tingle, heat, tighten, float?

Stay with it like you would with a friend who simply needs to be held.

When the 90 seconds completes, notice—
Has the wave shifted?
Has the charge softened, even a little?
Are you more here?

🌱 A sense of relief

After I practice this, I usually notice a real sense of relief in my system.
This is because when we allow ourselves to actually feel an emotion, the nervous system can complete its processing cycle instead of staying stuck in a stress response.

The 90-second pause creates enough safety for the body to move through the physiological wave without my mind adding extra meaning or narrative. When I interrupt the story and stay with the physical sensations, the amygdala quiets, the prefrontal cortex comes back online, and I can focus again instead of getting swept away by the emotion.

💛 Your Invitation This Week

Commit to one 90-second pause each day.
Place a reminder where you’ll see it:
on your mirror, on your phone, above your altar, next to your tea kettle.

Let this be your practice of self-trust.
Your remembering.
Your return.

Slow isn’t your weakness.
Slow is your nervous system coming home.

With love and gratitude,
Megan
Sacred Yoga & Sound
Earth Medicine Yoga ✧ Nervous System Repair ✧ Ritual-Based Healing