What is Nervous System Regulation?

If you’re wondering what nervous system regulation is and why it matters, keep reading because that’s exactly what we’re about to explore!

Nervous System DYSregulation

To better understand nervous system regulation, let’s first take a peek 👀 at what nervous system DYSregulation is. Essentially, nervous system dysregulation is when our nervous system is out of balance ⚖️.

Usually this is due to chronic states of stress. We all experience stress in one way or another. Whether it comes from our jobs, schoolwork, commutes🚗, due dates, kids, never-ending chores 🧹, deadlines, endless errands, mortgages, bills, bills, bills, etc., it’s always something. As humans there’s really no way to completely avoid it. And we can’t anyway since it’s a natural involuntary survival mechanism that keeps us safe.

However, the body should only move into stress mode when we’re in real, actual danger—not every time we respond to a perceived threat. Unfortunately, our bodies can’t discern between feeling threatened by a hungry predator 🐅 or feeling anxiety over a looming deadline 🗓️. And this keeps us in a state of chronic stress that can wreak havoc on our health. After all, stress is one of the leading causes of a host of conditions such as heart disease 💔, anxiety, diabetes, GI issues and even premature aging! So, what can we do about it? That’s where nervous system regulation comes into play!

Nervous System Regulation

Within each of us is the power to control our nervous systems. We just need to know how to access these simple, yet powerful, tools. Chronic states of stress keep our sympathetic nervous system (fight-or-flight) turned ‘ON’ and prevent us from relaxing into our parasympathetic nervous system (rest-and-digest). We can’t operate in 'On' mode constantly or we’ll burn💥out. Being able to consciously move into the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) is so important because it allows our bodies to heal and to digest both the food and the experiences that we ingest.

We need to be able to enter into this system in order to allow our bodies the time they need to recover from the stress of daily living. How can we do that? Through a variety of different modalities! These are techniques that can usually be done anywhere at any time to soothe the nervous system and allow the body to return to a relaxed state. Some of these blissful balms include:

~Breathing techniques 🌬️

~Yoga 🧘‍♀️

~Meditation ☮️

~Grounding 🌎

~Sound Healing 🥁

We will be going into each of these techniques in further detail. Stay tuned for more information along with guided practices!