At every moment, your body is like an antenna, constantly picking up signals from the environment around you. These signals impact your emotional and physical state, triggering reactions that influence how you feel and behave. However, what if you could be more intentional in controlling the environment within you? Instead of reacting to external circumstances like a thermometer, which reads and adjusts based on the temperature around it, what if you could be like a thermostat, setting the tone for your internal and external environment? Today, we will explore how your nervous system notifies you of the vibration you are in and how you can choose to be the thermostat in your life.
The Nervous System as Your Vibration Gauge
Your nervous system serves as the body’s communication highway, transmitting signals between the brain and the rest of your body. It’s incredibly sensitive to your thoughts, emotions, and the energy surrounding you. At any given moment, your nervous system is reacting to the vibration (energy frequency) that you are in.
For example, when you’re feeling happy, your nervous system is responding to the positive vibrations created by your thoughts and emotions. On the other hand, when you feel stressed or anxious, it’s your nervous system responding to lower, negative vibrations caused by thoughts of fear, worry, or lack.
Simply put, your nervous system is a perfect system for notifying you of the vibration you are in. It acts as an internal mirror, reflecting back the energy you’re currently working with.
Thermostat vs. Thermometer: What Role Are You Playing?
In this context, you can think of yourself as either a thermostat or a thermometer.
The Thermometer: When you function as a thermometer, you are purely reactive to the environment around you. You measure and reflect the emotional and energetic “temperature” of your surroundings, allowing outside influences to dictate how you feel. This is when external circumstances control your internal state. For example, when you’re surrounded by stress at work, you absorb the stress and let it define your mood.
The Thermostat: In contrast, a thermostat sets the temperature. When you act as a thermostat, you are in control of your inner environment regardless of what’s happening around you. You decide how you will feel and respond. For example, in that same stressful work environment, you remain calm, grounded, and clear-headed because you’ve chosen to set your internal state to that vibration. You’re not at the mercy of what’s happening outside of you—you maintain control over your emotional and energetic experience.
The difference between the two comes down to control. Are you allowing your environment to dictate your mood, or are you proactively setting the tone for how you feel?
The Impact of Your Thoughts on Your Nervous System
Your thoughts are the primary drivers of your nervous system’s response. When you’re thinking empowering thoughts, your body responds with positive emotions—happiness, excitement, or peace. On the flip side, when you’re thinking from a place of lack, fear, or worry, your nervous system reacts with anxiety, stress, or discomfort.
Here’s a simple breakdown:
Happy, relaxed thoughts → Your nervous system signals feelings of peace, joy, and relaxation.
Worried, fearful thoughts → Your nervous system triggers stress responses like tension, anxiety, and agitation.
The beauty of this system is that you can change it. You are not stuck in the vibration you’re currently experiencing. By consciously choosing your thoughts, you can shift your emotional state, and in turn, the vibration you’re operating from.
Becoming the Thermostat: How to Shift Your Vibration
So, how do you make the shift from being a thermometer, constantly reacting to your surroundings, to a thermostat that sets the emotional and energetic tone?
1. Awareness of Your Current State
The first step in becoming the thermostat is recognizing when you’re in a reactive state. Pay attention to how your body feels. Are you tense? Are your thoughts racing? Do you feel like your emotions are being dictated by outside circumstances? If so, you’re functioning as a thermometer, merely reflecting the stress, chaos, or negativity around you.
2. Pause and Reflect
Once you notice that you’re reacting to your environment, press pause. This pause gives you the space to take a breath, calm your nervous system, and choose a new response.
The pause itself is powerful—it allows you to step out of automatic reactions and regain control. In this moment, ask yourself: “What vibration am I currently in, and is this where I want to stay?”
3. Shift Your Thoughts
To change your vibration, begin by consciously shifting your thoughts. Choose to think thoughts that are empowering, life-giving, relaxing, and courageous. For example:
Instead of thinking, “I can’t handle this stress,” replace it with, “I am capable of navigating this situation with calm and confidence.”
Instead of focusing on what’s wrong, think, “What’s one thing I can do to bring more peace into this moment?”
Shifting your thoughts directly affects your nervous system’s response, calming your body and elevating your vibration.
4. Set the Tone for Your Day
Begin each day by setting your intention to be the thermostat. Decide in the morning how you want to feel, no matter what the day brings. For instance, you might say:
- “Today, I choose to be calm and grounded.”
- “I will respond to challenges with patience and clarity.”
- “I am in control of my thoughts and emotions.”
When you make this conscious choice early in the day, you’re preemptively deciding how you will handle whatever comes your way, ensuring that external circumstances won’t easily throw you off balance.
The Power of Positive Vibration: How It Transforms Your Life
When you consistently function as a thermostat, you create a powerful shift in both your internal and external worlds. Here’s why:
1. You Cultivate Emotional Resilience
By choosing how to respond, you become more resilient to life’s ups and downs. External challenges won’t throw you off course because you’ve trained your nervous system to stay balanced, regardless of outside influences. You become more adaptable, finding peace even in difficult situations.
2. You Attract More Positive Experiences
Operating from a high vibration attracts more positive experiences into your life. When you’re in a happy, empowered state, your energy naturally draws in opportunities, people, and circumstances that match that vibration. This is often referred to as the Law of Attraction—like attracts like.
3. You Take Control of Your Well-being
Your mental, emotional, and physical health all benefit from being a thermostat. High-vibration states, like joy, peace, and gratitude, boost your immune system, improve mental clarity, and promote overall well-being. In contrast, reactive states of stress and fear can lead to burnout, illness, and fatigue.
Daily Practices to Help You Become the Thermostat
Here are some simple practices to help you become the thermostat, tuning your nervous system to a higher, more empowering vibration:
- Breathing Exercises: Deep breathing helps calm the nervous system and shift from stress to relaxation. Try the 4-7-8 breathing technique: inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, and exhale for 8 seconds.
- Gratitude Practice: Each morning, list three things you’re grateful for. Gratitude shifts your focus away from lack and into abundance, setting a positive tone for the day.
- Visualization: Visualize yourself responding calmly and confidently to challenges. Imagine what it feels like to be in control of your thoughts and emotions.
- Affirmations: Use affirmations throughout the day to reinforce positive thinking, such as: “I am in control of my thoughts and emotions.” or “I am capable and confident.”
Thermostat or Thermometer—Which Will You Choose?
At the end of the day, the choice is yours. Will you continue to be a thermometer, reacting to the ups and downs of your environment, or will you step into the power of being a thermostat, setting the tone for how you feel, think, and respond?
Your nervous system is your perfect guide, notifying you when it’s time to pause and recalibrate. Take charge of your thoughts, choose a positive vibration, and watch as your internal and external world transform in ways you never imagined.
So, what will you choose today—thermostat or thermometer? The power to decide is in your hands.
