Creating Calm Corners: How Your Environment Shapes Your Nervous System

Your body knows what your mind might miss: the spaces around you are constantly sending signals to your nervous system. 

Walking into certain environments immediately changes how you feel, and there's solid science behind this response. Your vagus nerve—the superhighway connecting your brain and body—constantly scans your surroundings for signs of safety or threat. 

The good news? You can harness this same system to create calm. This episode walks you through creating a nervous system-friendly space that signals safety to your body. 

Chapters

• 0:00 How Spaces Shape Your Feelings
• 1:26 Environment's Impact on Behavior
• 3:22 Sensory Anchors for Nervous System Calm
• 4:35 Creating Your Calm Corner
• 7:11 Why Environment Matters to Wellness

Transcript

Emily Feist: 0:00

Do you notice how walking into certain spaces instantly makes you feel more tense, like a cluttered kitchen or a noisy room, while other spaces seem to let you breathe easier? That's not in your head, it's in your body, your nervous system and your behavior.

Emily Feist: 0:16

Welcome back to It Starts at Vagus, the podcast where we stop chasing calm and start creating it, one small shift at a time. I'm your host, Emily, and I'm your guide to rewiring stress, restoring peace and giving your nervous system the attention it deserves. Today we're exploring how the spaces around you shape the way you feel.

Emily Feist: 0:35

A calm corner or room isn't just about aesthetics or home decor. Your brain and body are constantly scanning your environment for signs of safety. The colors, the lighting, the clutter or the lack of it all tell your nervous system whether it's time to stay on guard or time to let go. And here's where it gets fascinating. The vagus nerve, the superhighway between your brain and your body, responds to those signals. A cluttered, noisy room can nudge the vagus nerve into retreat. Calm, predictable space tells the vagus nerve you're safe now allowing your heart rate to slow, your digestion to come back online and your body to rest. By the end of this episode, you'll see how creating even one calm corner in your home can lower your stress, help you breathe easier and gently train your body to remember what safety feels like.

Emily Feist: 1:26

Let's start by talking about the spaces that we're in. When you walk into a cluttered or chaotic space, your brain starts processing dozens of tiny decisions all at once. Even if you don't realize it, your body does. Your vagus nerve senses the tension. It hears the background static of stress and your heart rate speeds up to match. Now let's picture the opposite a space that feels soft, simple and clear. The light is warm and the textures are inviting, and there's less for your brain to juggle. The vagus nerve reads those safety signals and sends a message down to your body it's okay to relax right now. It's the same reason your shoulders drop when you walk into a cozy cafe compared to a really crowded waiting room. Your body isn't just responding to what you see. It's responding to what your nervous system interprets as safety, and those spaces affect how we behave.

Emily Feist: 2:23

Our environments don't just affect how we feel, they also shape what we do. For example, if your phone charger sits right next to you on the nightstand, you're likely going to scroll before bed. However, if you have your calm corner next to you that has a blanket or a journal, you're more likely to settle down into stillness. Here's the magic Every time you choose rest over scrolling, reflection, over busyness. You're exercising the vagus nerve. Each calming behavior slowing your breath, sipping warm tea or curling under a blanket that sends direct input through the vagus nerve, telling your whole body you're safe here. Over time your calm corner becomes a training ground, strengthening your vagus nerve's ability to bring you back into balance quicker. We can also use sensory anchors to bring that calm faster and support balance, the calmness in our body.

Emily Feist: 3:22

Our bodies take in calm through the senses and the vagus nerve carries much of that information between our body and brain. Soft textures calm the skin and those signals travel upward through the nervous system. Dental lighting soothes our eyes, lowering stress messages. Even the scents around us, like lavender or cedarwood, can activate the vagus nerve through the pathways of breath. And don't underestimate including nature. A plant on the windowsill taps into our hard wiring for greenery. Nature cues safety and the vagus nerve responds by easing tension. Even the absence of things matter. A clear surface gives your eyes and nervous system a chance to rest. Over time gives your eyes and nervous system a chance to rest. Over time your body learns this is where we calm down. Just entering the space becomes enough to activate that vagus response, and I see this daily with my massage clients. They start to relax just by being in the therapy room, even before I start the massage, because their body gets the signals that the space is calm. Because our body gets the signals that the space is calm, relaxing and safe to put their guard down.

Emily Feist: 4:34

So how do we create our calm space? Let's make it practical. Here are three simple steps that you can start today to create your own nervous system friendly corner. Step one clear the noise, start small, go ahead and pick one corner or one chair, or even a side table. You're going to remove all the extras. If you've got a chair covered in laundry, fold it or move it to a basket, and if the table is stacked with unopened mail, put it in a drawer or into another basket that you can organize later. It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be less. Every object your eyes land on is another loop for your brain, another silent to-do list. Fewer items equal fewer stress signals. Think of it like your mind has too many tabs open in a browser, clearing the clutter is like hitting that little X on the tab, so you don't need it. Suddenly, your nervous system can run smoother.

Emily Feist: 5:25

Next, we're going to anchor the senses. Bring in one calm cue for each of your senses. For sight, we can swap harsh over light for a lamp with a warm bulb or a candle on the table. Even a single plant by the window shifts the mood. Next one is going to be sound. Turn off background noise and replace it with something intentional, like a soft playlist or a white noise app, even if you like the sound of the stillness of your own home. Next, we're going to include touch. This is where we can add those soft blankets or a cushion, or even a nice rug under your feet. Your body will crave the invitation to sink into comfort. Last, we're going to address smell. A few drops of lavender cup of tea or even freshly washed fabric can calm your breath. When your senses get safe, predictable input, your vagus nerve responds, your breath slows down, your shoulders release and your body starts to believe that I can settle here. Imagine those sensory choices like a chorus, each one's small, but together they create that harmony.

Emily Feist: 6:37

Next we're going to claim that corner. Give this space a purpose. It doesn't have to be the whole room. It can be a single chair or a floor cushion in the bedroom. It doesn't matter what it is. We're going for consistency and easy, so that every time you return to this spot for journaling or a few minutes of breathing, your body learns that this is where calm happens and over time, you won't need those extras. The corner itself will cue your nervous system that it feels safe there. Think of it as if it's your charging station. Just like your phone needs to recharge when you plug it into the same spot, your nervous system recharges faster every time you sit in your calm corner.

Emily Feist: 7:23

What I want you to get out of this episode today is that you need to recognize that your environment is not neutral. Every corner of your home is sending messages to your nervous system, either to stay on alert or to settle into safety, and my hope is that your home can become default safety by just being there, that your nervous system can relax, because clutter is mental static. The calm spaces they're like reset buttons for your vagus nerve. They don't just change how a room looks, they change how your body feels. Creating a calm corner doesn't require a remodel. It's as simple as soft lighting and adding a texture that you love, clearing away what distracts you and returning often enough. That tells your body that it has the ability to learn that this is a place where I can breathe freely. Over time, your vagus nerve will get faster at bringing you into that calm, simply because you've trained it in that space.

Emily Feist: 8:24

All right, friends, thanks for hanging out with me today. Remember to soothe your nervous system and reclaim who you are. If this episode helped you today, share it with a friend or leave a quick review. I'll be back next Tuesday for another episode of. It Starts at Vagus. Until next time, remember, wellness starts at Vagus.