Regulate Your Nervous System

The Nervous System that we are referring to here is sympathetic (fight, flight, freeze, fawn) and parasympathetic (rest and digest). When they are not balanced, we have dysregulation which can look like…

• chronic pain

• migraines

• difficulty concentrating or tunnel vision

• agitation, anger, annoyance

• clumsy and running into things

• moody and roller coaster of emotions

• insomnia

• nausea

• indigestion, constipation, or diarrhea

• anxiety or feelings of playing catch up

• overwhelm or overstimulated

• and many more

The goal is to bring these systems into balance. They both serve a purpose and neither is good or bad. They are a deep integral part of keeping us safe. Imbalance sheds light on an area of our life that we can change or improve to return us to a safe space in our body. The issue is that we have not evolved as fast as the surrounding world, and our body is perceiving more dangers than ever before! We may not have a lion chasing us but we have work deadlines, social events, child activities and more.

WAYS WE GET STUCK:

Hyperarousal: excessive arousal and increased state of responsiveness. This can look like being jumpy, anxious, alert, on edge, sweaty, heart racing, high blood pressure, etc

Hypoarousal: decreased arousal and decrease state of responsiveness. This can look like being lethargic, numb to the world and emotions, no motivation, disassociated, depressed, etc

There is no one-size-fits-all all approach for regulating our nervous system and bringing us back to a calm center. That’s why you will find many different modalities in this section to help you find what works best for you! Some practices may be better suited for various thoughts and emotions too. For example, you might use a somatic practice for anger and an IFS practice for fear or maybe a combination of both for overwhelm.

Some ways to help with Nervous System Regulation:

• STRESS MANAGEMENT, SLEEP, PROPER NUTRITION, GUT HEALTH, SOCIAL CONNECTION/COMMUNITY (important for every single person)

• Art, Dance, Movement, Shaking, Stomping, Tapping, Breath Work, Body Scans, Somatic Practices, Vagal Toning, Yoga, Energy and Emotion Release, Meditation, Journaling, Singing, Vagal Toning, Hot/Cold Therapy, EMDR, Hypnotherapy, NLP, RRT, Grounding/Earthing, Being in Nature (pick and choose what works best for you)

Enjoy

** I am not a dr and only share with you my practices and practices I have learned over the years. I do not claim that these will “fix” all your problems as the body is incredibly intricate. Please seek medical advice for diagnosis, treatments, or anything regarding your unique condition.