Without making this post too scientific, it’s important to understand how our thoughts, emotions, and behaviours are all connected to a regulated or dysregulated nervous system. The more informed we become of how they influence each other, the better we’ll be able to implement this knowledge. So we can develop more autonomy over our actions and who we want to be as a person.
What Is The Nervous System?
It’s effectively our body’s circuit board. It’s responsible for telling us how to function without actually having to “tell” us. It’s because of these electrical signals that we can think, feel, and choose. When our nervous system dysregulates, it’s our autonomic nervous system that’s dysregulating.
What Is The Autonomic Nervous System?
It’s the part that consists of the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous system. The fight or flight response is part of the sympathetic system, and the rest and digest response is part of the parasympathetic system. However, the Polyvagal Theory, argues that these systems are more connected than we used to think. Their interlink influences how we mediate and regulate our emotions and behaviours in response to stress.
How Can We End Up With A Dysregulated Nervous System?
With a well-balanced nervous system, we respond appropriately to external stressors. For example, if we’re driving and the car in front begins to brake suddenly, we respond by braking too. During this short but stressful period, our sympathetic system kicked in. The fear of not hitting the car in front caused us to do what needed to be done (brake). Once distance was regained and you realised the threat was no longer present, the anxiety and adrenaline you felt dissipated. You returned to your relaxing drive. This was a successful return to homeostasis.
Having a dysregulated nervous system can make it feel like our body is stuck in time. Even after a threat has passed and we’re out of danger, our body continues to react as if we’re not. Stress hormones like cortisol, continue to flow, and we remain hyper or hypo aroused. Our system keeps us on high alert or in a “play dead” state.
There are so many reasons we could develop a dysregulated nervous system, from chronic stress to lifestyle and environmental factors. For those of us who were repeatedly exposed to traumatic experiences, our nervous systems weren’t able to develop properly. Resulting in a dysregulated nervous system.
A Few Signs That Proved My Nervous System Was Stuck In Dysregulation, And Maybe yours Too
Like I’ve said before, everything is connected. Our mind, our brain, and our body. When I reflect back on how I used to feel and act, it’s painfully clear that I was dysregulated. And even though I work hard every day to repair my dysregulated nervous system, there are still moments I’m not. But I remind myself I’m human, not perfect.
Examples of Symptoms
- You feel “on edge,” as if something bad is going to happen or you’re in danger. At times, I still notice this. If I’m in a coffee shop, I sometimes flinch up when the doors open, looking at who just came in. Like a mouse in the grass, I’m subconsciously scoping my surroundings for perceived threats. Men in my awareness can trigger this dysregulation more. If you read back over previous posts, you’ll get an idea why.
- You can be overly sensitive to sensory stimuli, such as a certain environment, smell, or sound. Sometimes, I become hyper-aware of the tones of people’s voices. If someone sounds abrupt, I can feel myself becoming increasingly fearful and distressed. My system feels like it’s getting ready for danger. This triggers the emotional connection to my past, of being frequently subjected to this kind of hostility.
- Your inner empath has become one of your biggest obstacles. And it was for me. I was raw to not only my emotions and reactions but to everyone else’s too. Trying to make everyone happy, so I wouldn’t take on their pain, only left me mentally exhausted and dysregulated.
- You struggle with coping with emotions, which can lead you to get lost in your emotions. For example; if something or someone caused me to feel depressed, I would fall down the black hole completely.
- You’re having skin or gut issues. When I was in chronic dysregulation, my skin was the worst it had ever been. Most likely because of the prolonged release of cortisol, which increases oil production. Hence most spots!
How Can You Start To Soothe And Heal Your Dysregulation?
Therapy and medication did open the door for repair. But it was complex trauma that caused my dysregulated nervous system. The effects of trauma, or “ACE,” on our nervous system, proved traditional therapy was not the best route for me. Some experts believe it can actually do more harm than good. You’re re-igniting the memories, setting the nervous system into overdrive again without actively calming it back down in the process. It wasn’t until I took a more somatic approach to my healing that I to began feel more regulated. On a much deeper and more habitual level.
Explore Polyvagal Techniques
Such as breathing exercises, mindfulness practice, and meditation. They can jumpstart the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps get you into a calm enough state to reground and refocus.
Mind Your Language – To Yourself
The way you talk to yourself does have an effect, whether you realise it or not. Self-compassion can really help support you as your nervous system dysregulates and can re-regulate you back down.
Holistic Therapies
such as EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) and EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique). These can reprocess trauma and help lower the emotional charge connected to negative experiences, which can help calm the body. I “tap” daily, and I do feel calmer after I’ve completed a session.
More practices that continue to be life-changing for me and my nervous system can be found throughout this blog site. They go into more detail and give how-to advice, such as my tools and how to journal page!
I used to think that reregulating the dysregulated nervous system was impossible. But it turns out it can be done; if you’re willing to put the work and effort in.
But it’s truly worth it.
Did you learn something new from this post? How regulated do you think your nervous system is? I’d love to hear your story. Leave a comment or just fill out a contact form!
[…] there is a silver lining; called re-regulation. I spoke about it in my last post. Since learning to soothe my nervous system, I’ve been able to withstand the emotional […]