If you’re like me, you’ve spent much of your life trying to think your way to calm.

You analyze. You troubleshoot. You optimize.
But your nervous system? It’s still screaming.

Unfortunately, we don’t always realize when we’re overwhelmed until it’s too late—until we snap at someone we care about, or spiral into shutdown mode, or can’t sleep because our minds won’t stop replaying everything that went wrong that day.

And while we’ve gotten very good at building mental systems for coping, we’re often missing one crucial piece:

Your nervous system doesn’t speak English.
It speaks frequency.

Today, I’m going to share one of my favorite (and slightly unorthodox) tools for quickly calming your nervous system: binaural beats.

The science of sound

Binaural beats are a form of auditory stimulation where two slightly different frequencies are played, one in each ear.

Your brain perceives the difference between them as a third tone, and begins to synchronize with that frequency.

It’s called brainwave entrainment, and it works by guiding your brain into specific states through rhythmic auditory stimulation. The result? You can intentionally influence your mental state just by listening.

Studies suggest that brainwave entrainment can:

• Lower anxiety levels and promote a sense of calm
• Enhance memory and cognitive performance
• Support meditation or mindfulness practices
• Improve focus and sustained attention
• Help with sleep onset and deeper rest

And because the process is passive, you don’t need to do anything—it works while you listen, making it especially helpful for anyone who struggles with traditional techniques like meditation or journaling.

Different frequencies correspond to different mental states:

• Alpha (8–12 Hz): relaxed but alert
• Theta (4–7 Hz): deeply calm and introspective
• Delta (1–4 Hz): deep sleep and recovery

What this means for you:
You can use sound to gently shift your brain from fight-or-flight into rest-and-regulate, without trying to think your way there.

Why this works especially well for Fives

Most advice around nervous system regulation feels… performative.

“Just talk about your feelings!”
“Get into your body!”
“Practice presence!”

But, as a Five, that kind of emotional expressiveness can feel unnatural, even disorienting. It asks you to start from a place you’re not in.

Binaural beats don’t require that kind of leap.

They meet you where you already are—intellectually curious, internally focused, overstimulated—and give you a path toward groundedness without demanding emotional exposure.

You don’t need to understand your emotions.
You don’t need to express anything.
You just need to listen.

How I use them

I’ve found binaural beats most helpful when:

• I need to write or focus but can’t get past the mental noise
• I’ve been socially “on” for too long and feel fried afterward
• I can’t fall asleep because my thoughts won’t slow down
• I feel emotionally overloaded and can’t articulate why

I’ll usually put on a theta or alpha track with noise-canceling headphones, lie down for 15–20 minutes, and just breathe. That’s it. No journaling. No self-work. Just… reset.

It’s not magic, but it can feel like it.

Your turn

If you’ve been feeling mentally, emotionally, or sensorially overloaded lately, this is your invitation to try something different.

Start with a free YouTube track (search “theta binaural beats”) or try my go-to alpha playlist on Spotify.

Give yourself 15 minutes, undisturbed. Headphones on. Eyes closed.

Then, notice what shifts.

Not because you tried to fix it, but because you gave your nervous system a different language to speak.

And if you’re up for it, share your experience with us in the community.