Rooted Calm: The Vagus Nerve, Survival Mode & the Magick of Enjoyment A Mental Health Awareness Month Reflection from Green Magick Apothecary
There’s a quiet truth I’ve come to know deeply, both as an herbalist and a survivor:
You can’t stop and smell the roses if your body still thinks it’s being chased by a bear.
When I first began learning herbalism, it wasn’t to treat physical illness. It was to soothe something deeper—something I didn’t have words for yet.
I was trying to heal the part of me that couldn’t calm down.
That didn’t know how to rest.
That felt like it had to earn every breath, every moment of peace.
I wasn’t just tired. I was stuck in survival mode.
The Survival State We Don’t Always See
We talk about trauma and stress like they’re just feelings—but they live in the body. They get stored in our nervous system, often in the vagus nerve—the long, winding nerve that connects the brain to the heart, lungs, gut, and even our muscles.
The vagus nerve is the command bridge of the parasympathetic nervous system—the one responsible for rest, digest, and regulation.
It’s what tells your body, “You’re safe now.”
But if you’ve lived through prolonged trauma, especially early in life, that message doesn’t always get through.
The vagus nerve becomes dysregulated.
You stay in fight, flight, freeze, or fawn—because your body thinks it has to.
Even when nothing is wrong.
When the Body Can’t Let Go
That’s why so many trauma survivors experience:
- Racing thoughts and shallow breathing
- Digestive issues
- Chronic muscle tension
- Autoimmune flares
- Anxiety, numbness, and overwhelm
- A deep sense of disconnect from joy or pleasure
It’s not a character flaw.
It’s biology.
Your body isn’t betraying you. It’s protecting you.
It’s just… stuck.
Healing Isn’t Just Calming Down. It’s Reclaiming Joy.
What I learned on my path—what herbalism helped me remember—is that rest isn’t just a state of being. It’s a skill.
One that can be relearned.
And when we regulate the vagus nerve, we don’t just relax—we open the door to enjoyment.
Because rest-and-digest is the physiological state that makes pleasure possible.
That lets you appreciate a warm breeze.
Taste your tea.
Smell the roses.
Feel the magick in a moment.
Nature Knows How to Help
There’s no single fix. But there are gentle, daily rituals that remind your body it’s safe to come home:
- Grounding (bare feet on the earth)
- Breathing with long exhales
- Humming, singing, or chanting
- Warm herbal baths with muscle-soothing plants
- Hand on heart and self-reassurance: “I’m safe now.”
- Nervine herbs like lemon balm, chamomile, tulsi, skullcap
- Morning sunlight to reset the nervous system
These aren’t luxuries.
They are vital practices of somatic self-care—rituals that support the vagus nerve and slowly, lovingly teach the body how to exhale again.
My Mission as an Herbalist
This is why I started Green Magick Apothecary.
Not to just make products—but to create portals back to presence.
Every balm, every soak, every ritual is an offering to that part of you that’s still on high alert.
To the nervous system that just wants to feel safe.
To the heart that wants to finally feel joy again.
You are not broken.
You are wise.
And you are more than your survival mode.
Let’s walk the healing path together—rooted, rested, and reclaiming every beautiful, magickal moment we were once too afraid to feel.