How to calm your nervous system when it’s over active or dysregulated
Here are some things I have tried to calm my nervous system when I’ve been triggered, some help me more than others and at different times, different one’s work. You can try some to see which work best for you.
Calm the nervous system naturally
- Aromatherapy – Lavender, chamomile, orange, lemon, bergamot, rose, geranium, neroli, ylang ylang
- Herbs – Chamomile, lavender, passionflower, valerian, CBD, kava kava, Ashwagandha
- Exercise – this helps to release endorphins which have a calming effect and helps to release the stress hormones from the system
- Yoga – focuses on breathing and relaxation
- Meditation – this helps to focus the mind and calm the nervous system
- Calming music – this soothes and promotes relaxation
- Time in nature – for peace and tranquility…ah bliss
- Massage – helps to relax the muscles and calms the nervous system
- Acupuncture – helps to stimulate points on the body for calm and relaxation
- Weighted blanket – a gentle way to calm down and gives a feeling of safety
- Cuddles and hugs – spend time cuddled with loved ones, this will help calm and relax you because it will help you release oxytocin ” the love hormone ”
- Deep breathing or breath work – helps to calm you
- Sighing – take a deep breath then do a long sigh when you feel triggered or overwhelmed
- Be creative – do arts or crafts that you enjoy and find relaxing
- Shake it off – shake off the negative feelings/energy to release them and all the stress hormones. Dancing is a good one for this
- Heat – take a warm bath, snuggle a hot water bottle ( I find this helps me a lot )
- Good fats – feed your brain with good/healthy fats, it protects the brain for good brain health and cushions the nervous system
- Be in touch with your feelings – and be more grounded in your body – dissociation ( disconnection from yourself ) is a trauma response. For healing it will require you to connect fully to yourself and to know what you are feeling
- Meet your needs – learn to get to know what your needs are, then learn how to meet those needs. Learn how to communicate what your needs are to others. Get the balance right – know when to ask for help and when to help yourself. Know the difference between unhealthy or overly independent and too dependent on others ( codependent )
- Self love and self care – consistent self love and self care practices, tells your nervous system that you are okay, that you are safe now and you will take good care of you. You can then learn to trust yourself again
- Cold swimming or plunging – swimming or plunging into very cold water – pool, lake, sea – apparently it helps some, personally, I’d rather not ( unless it’s a really hot day ) my idea of torture, but whatever works for you
- Magnesium salt baths – magnesium, Himalayan or Epsom salts all help to relax and calm the body and mind. I have one usually once a week for a boost of magnesium ( the magnesium absorbs through the skin ) and well, just to relax
- Writing/journaling – my go too when things get really tough, I write poems and songs. It helps to release pent up emotions and clears my mind
There are quite a lot of things that help calm the nervous system
I know this list seems huge but don’t let it overwhelm you. Start trying one at a time to see if it helps, if not then forget about it and try another. Different things work for different people. I use some of them from the list, sometimes different one’s at different times. Experiment – see what works for you and what doesn’t
Symptoms of a dysregulated nervous system
- Anxiety/panic
- PTSD and C-PTSD
- OCD
- depression
- mood swings
- ADHD
- highly sensitive to sensory stimuli
- poor concentration and attention
- poor memory
- exhaustion and chronic fatigue
- sleep problems
- digestive issues
- chronic aches and pains
- low immunity
- hormonal dysfunction
- feeling constantly overwhelmed
- constantly feeling on edge
What causes the nervous system to dysregulate
It is caused by trauma, of all kinds, big or small and prolonged or extreme stress. Some people seem to be more resilient to it than others.
Some traumas/stressors
- Abuse – of any kind, mental, emotional, verbal, physical, sexual
- Loss – of loved ones, pets, job/career, home
- witnessing violent acks
- being attacked
- being in or witnessing an accident
- natural disasters
- poverty
- prolonged or extreme stress
- divorce/separation
- childhood abuse, neglect, rejection, family disfunction
- being bullied
- Being in a job that expoeses you to traumatic eventes such as military or emergency services
What happens each and every time in the body when there is a stressor
When normal every day stress occurs, the nervous system kicks in by sending a signal to the brain, then the fight flight freeze response is triggered. When this is triggered, this is like an alarm going off in the body that there is a threat or danger. The body responds by flooding the body with adrenalin and cortisol ( the stress hormones ) the heart rate speeds up, breathing becomes quicker and lots of other bodily functions change in order to fight, flee or freeze from the danger/threat. The brain/body doesn’t recognize if it is a real threat or an imagined threat, it just responds. The whole system goes into survival mode, within seconds.
The alarm goes off to try and keep you safe from any danger or threat
After the alarm, the brain and body will realize there wasn’t a real threat, so the nervous system calms down back to normal and you carry on as before.
BUT if the nervous system is dysregulated, it takes a lot longer for it to all calm down after a normal daily stressor. If there is past trauma stored in the body or mind, it can be triggered at anytime, sometimes it doesn’t even need a trigger to set off that alarm, the system is then constantly on survival mode ( PTSD or C-PTSD sufferers ) are usually always or mostly on survival mode – which is exhausting!
Your system can’t handle all these stress hormones for long periods of time constantly. It is really not good for your health or well-being. This stress response is only meant to happen in extreme times of survival, not every day occurrences.
So imagine your body going through this response multiple times a day, that’s why learning to relax, calm and heal the nervous system is crucial
Avoid
- Stress ( obviously ) even though sometimes that is hard
- caffeine
- too much sugar
- artificial sweeteners
- nicotine
- junk food
Note to self: Next time you are having a massive panic attack, for no reason what so ever – DON’T FREAK OUT! it’s just your fight, flight, response, your body is just trying to keep you safe. It is a normal response, it will pass. Think about this the next time you have a survival response!
Have you found this post useful? let me know in the comments. Do you have any other ways of calming or healing the nervous system?
Love LittleWildflower x