How do I use movement, water and daylight to reset the nervous system? 

Parenting Perspective 

When children are overstimulated, restless, or showing signs of emotional overload, their nervous system can feel as though it is ‘stuck on high alert’. Parents often notice this in the form of irritability, sudden tears, or a general difficulty in calming down. Teaching them how to use simple, natural tools like movement, water, and daylight can give them lifelong skills to regulate their emotions in healthy and effective ways. 

Use Movement as a Release 

Encourage your child to use physical activity as a safe outlet for any pent-up energy. Movement activates the body’s natural calming system and helps emotions to move through them, instead of building up inside. This does not need to be structured exercise; it can be simple, playful, and child-friendly. 

• A five-minute stretch break when homework stress begins to build. 

• A short walk around the block after an argument or a meltdown. 

• Skipping, jumping jacks, or running on the spot for a minute before returning to a focused task. 

Use Water as a Calming Tool 

Water has a natural and profound soothing effect on the human body. Even small, intentional uses of water can send a signal to the body to slow down and regulate itself. 

• Washing the hands or face with cool water when your child feels hot or anxious. 

• Encouraging short, calming showers after overwhelming social settings like school. 

• Giving them a small water bottle to use as a ‘calm anchor’, reminding them to take slow sips during stressful moments. 

These small water rituals can act as effective reset buttons for the nervous system, helping to ground a child when their emotions feel too big. 

Use Daylight to Set a Natural Rhythm 

Exposure to natural light helps to stabilise our mood, balance our hormones, and strengthen our sleep patterns. Making sure your child gets a dose of daylight every day can help to prevent overstimulation from occurring in the first place. 

• Opening the curtains wide in the morning to welcome the day. 

• Eating breakfast near a window or, if possible, on a balcony. 

• A few minutes of outdoor play after school, even if homework is waiting. 

These brief moments of daylight help to regulate the body’s internal clock and signal a sense of safety and calm to the nervous system. 

By weaving movement, water, and daylight into your child’s daily routines, you are creating a valuable toolbox that they can reach for in moments of stress. Over time, these practices will become second nature, helping them to grow into someone who can self-regulate with balance and ease. 

Spiritual Insight 

Islam gently teaches us to seek balance through the care of both our body and our soul. The natural rhythms of prayer, the use of water in wudu, and the encouragement to walk, reflect, and rise with the morning light all naturally align with calming the human system. 

Divine Rhythms for Balance 

Allah Almighty states in the noble Quran at Surah Al Furqaan (25), Verse 47: 

‘And it is He (Allah Almighty) Who has designated for you the night as a cover (for respite), and sleep for your rejuvenation; and designated the day for re-energising (the Earth with automated light energy).’ 

This verse reminds us that the natural cycles of light and rest are divine signs from God that are designed to nurture our emotional and physical balance. 

Finding Purification in Natural Elements 

It is recorded in Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 763, that the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: 

‘The earth has been made for me a place of prostration and a means of purification.’ 

This hadith teaches us that the natural elements around us, such as light, earth, and water, are divine gifts through which we can restore our state of calm and our connection to Allah Almighty. 

When parents encourage their children to use movement, water, and daylight to reset their nervous systems, they are not only supporting their emotional health but are also nurturing a spiritual awareness that Allah Almighty has placed a means of healing in the everyday world all around us.