Our mental health is greatly affected by our nervous system. Our nervous system when dysregulated can cause us to respond to situations in an over-reactive or under-reactive way. It is common for our bodies nervous system to struggle when we are currently experiencing or previously experienced a great amount of stress or trauma. Our nervous system are the cells and neurons in our body that send signals and responses. When our nervous system is dysregulated, it can cause problems, anxiety, depression, and much more.
Our nervous system is what manages our fight and flight responses. When our nervous system is not regulated, it can cause us to shut down, feel fatigued, etc. These symptoms show that our body is stuck in an overactive state. A dysregulated nervous system can affect our mental health, heart rate, how we breathe, the foods we can tolerate, and much more.
Signs of a dysregulated nervous system:
With a dysregulated nervous system, you may struggle sleeping because of being unable to relax. This lack of sleep causes us to be tired during the day and have little energy.
- Having chronic pain or sickness
When dysregulated our nervous system can cause us to feel unexplainable pain. It can also cause us to have a weakened immune system, causing us to get sick often.
- Feeling irritable or on-edge
When we constantly feel overwhelmed this can cause a dysregulated nervous system. This overwhelming feeling causes us to have anxiety, feel irritable, and unable to calm down.
You may feel that it is difficult to focus on tasks or that it is hard to concentrate. You may forget things often or even lose track of time.
Our nervous system when dysregulated can cause low immune responses, which can cause autoimmune disorders, as well as hormone dysregulation.
How to regulate your nervous system:
- Use deep breathing exercises
Deep breathing can help our brain send proper signals through our nervous system.
- Visualize feelings/emotions
When we visualize our emotions, we can better understand and manage them.
- Understand your bodies needs
This can be difficult but listening to our bodies needs can help to regulate your nervous system.
Listen to what your body is telling you, use meditation techniques, and respond in an appropriate way.
- Address past stress & trauma
Our stressors and trauma from the past are what causes a dysregulated nervous system. We can address this stress and/or trauma by seeking help from a trained therapist.
Regulating our nervous system may seem challenging. This process is different for everyone, especially those with added stressors, such as autoimmune disorders. Take this time to fully understand what your body is trying to tell you and understand your mind/body connections. Visualizing feelings/emotions, creating mind and body connections, as well as addressing past stress and trauma are just a few things to do to help regulate your nervous system. Do not push your body too quickly, take this process slow and really focus on your mental and physical health and well-being.
Being in an overactive state can make simple tasks in life very challenging. Remember to be kind to yourself through this process, having a dysregulated nervous system can be very challenging. Seek help from a loved one, friend, or therapist during this time. Therapy is a great resource for those struggling with their mental health and a dysregulated system, so that we may be able to better understand our mind and body connections and how to cope with these symptoms.
