Is Your Nervous System Out of Balance?
Your nervous system controls everything—your emotions, stress responses, involuntary movements, all of your internal organs and even your ability to relax. But when your nervous system is dysregulated, you may experience chronic anxiety, fatigue, brain fog, and emotional ups and downs that seem impossible to control.
So, let's break down five key signs of nervous system dysregulation and how you can start regulating your nervous system so that you can start thriving outside of survival mode.
What Is Nervous System Dysregulation?
Nervous system dysregulation happens when your body stays stuck in survival states, fight, flight, freeze, instead of naturally moving between states of stress and relaxation. Trauma, chronic stress, and burnout can all disrupt your nervous system's natural ability to flow through emotional states without getting stuck.
When your nervous system is dysregulated, your body struggles to regulate emotions, energy levels, digestion, and overall well-being. Instead of feeling safe and grounded, you might feel constantly overwhelmed, exhausted, or disconnected.
5 Signs Your Nervous System Is Dysregulated
1. Chronic Anxiety or Hypervigilance
If you’re always on edge, easily startled, or find it hard to relax, your nervous system may be stuck in fight-or-flight mode. This can look like:
Racing thoughts and overthinking
Trouble sleeping due to a restless mind
Feeling overwhelmed by small stressors
Heart palpitations, chest tightness or constriction
Fear, panic, anger or irritability
2. Unexplained Fatigue or Burnout
A dysregulated nervous system can make you feel drained even after a full night’s sleep. This happens when your body can’t fully shift out of survival mode, leading to:
Chronic fatigue, even after rest
Brain fog and difficulty concentrating
Feeling unmotivated or emotionally numb
3. Frequent Psychosomatic Issues
Your nervous system is responsible for all of your internal organs: brain, heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, stomach, bladder. If you have IBS-like symptoms, bloating, or nausea, it could be a sign that your body is struggling to regulate itself. Other signs may include:
Frequent migraines or headaches
Heart conditions such as A-Fib or POTS
TMJ or jaw pain
Back, shoulder, or joint pain
Shallow or rapid breathing (can't catch your breath)
4. Emotional Numbness or Dissociation
If you often feel disconnected from your emotions, body, or surroundings, your nervous system may be stuck in freeze mode. Signs include:
Feeling emotionally flat or “checked out”
Struggling to feel joy, excitement, or deep emotions
Zoning out or losing track of time frequently
Memory gaps and inability to remember significant events
Feeling empty or "nothingness"
5. Sensitivity to Stress and Overwhelm
Do loud noises, crowded places, or minor inconveniences make you feel irritable or overstimulated? A dysregulated nervous system can overreact to normal stressors, making life feel harder than it should. You may become more sensitive to:
Background noise
Smells
Touch
How to Heal a Dysregulated Nervous System
Healing your nervous system takes intentional, body-based practices that signal safety and regulation. Your nervous system only speaks the language of physical sensation so when healing your nervous system, it's crucial to connect with the body instead of solely relying on cognitive focused modalities like traditional talk therapy. Here’s where to start:
✅ Somatic Experiencing – Work with body-based awareness to release stored stress and trauma.
✅ Grounding Exercises – Press your feet into the floor, take deep belly breaths, and focus on the present moment.
✅ Nervous System Nourishment – Prioritize protein-rich meals, hydration, and mineral balancing to support regulation.
✅ Gentle Movement – Try gentle stretching, or slow walks to release tension and complete stress cycles.
✅ Vagus Nerve Stimulation – Voo sounds, deep breathing, and cold exposure help shift your body into a parasympathetic (rest and digest) state.
Ready to Regulate Your Nervous System?
You don’t have to live in a constant state of stress, exhaustion and survival for the rest of your life. Your nervous system can heal, and the right tools make all the difference. Here's how to heal a dysregulated nervous system:
💡 Try a Drop-In Somatic Healing Session: Experience nervous system regulation firsthand.
💡 Join Back Pocket Healing: Get ongoing nervous system support whenever you need it. Learn more here.
💡 Access a Library of Somatic Tools: Practice somatic techniques that support your nervous system at your own pace. Access Here.
Your healing starts now—one small step at a time. 💙