How to regulate your nervous system to keep calm
While it’s completely normal to occasionally feel stressed out or anxious, constantly feeling burnt out, worried, or irritable could be a sign that your body is struggling to return to a calm state.
These kinds of emotions could suggest that you’re experiencing nervous system dysregulation. This can stem from ongoing stress, poor sleep, or emotional strain. But don’t worry, by building small consistent habits you can help balance your nervous system, reduce your stress levels, and feel calmer day-to-day.
How can I speak to a medical professional about stress quickly?
When you’re feeling a little anxious and dysregulated, waiting for a GP appointment can sometimes worsen these emotions. If you’re struggling to cope day-to-day and would like some immediate help, Benenden Health offers immediate access to a 24/7 Mental Health Helpline. This means you can talk to a trained mental health professional any day, at any time. Remember, you’re not alone and support is always there, should you need it.
How can I regulate my nervous system?
While professional support can be important, there are also simple nervous system regulation techniques you can practise at home to help your body return to a calmer state. These approaches focus on building habits to regulate your nervous system over time.
1. Breathing techniques
When your nervous system is dysregulated, you may notice that you feel more anxious, which can make your breathing quicker and shallower. Slowing your breath can help signal to your body that it’s safe to relax.
There are lots of different breathing techniques you can try, such as the 4-7-8 breathing method, or even just slowly taking long, deep breaths.
For a simple nervous system regulation exercise, you could try box breathing:
- Sit or stand comfortably with your feet flat on the floor.
- Breathe in slowly through your nose for a count of four.
- Breathe out gently through your mouth for a count of four.
- Repeat for a few minutes, or until you feel calmer.
Slowing your breathing not only helps your body feel less alert but also gives your mind something to focus on, rather than any anxious thoughts.
2. Mindfulness
Mindfulness involves bringing your attention to the present moment, rather than focusing on worries about the past or future.
This could be as simple as:
- Noticing your surroundings on a walk.
- Paying attention to your breathing.
- Focusing fully on a daily activity, such as eating or making a drink.
Practising mindfulness regularly may help regulate your nervous system by reducing stress in the long-term, while improving emotional awareness over time.
3. Exercise
Regular movement can help support both your physical and mental wellbeing. During exercise, your body releases endorphins (happy hormones) and reduces stress hormones. This in turn can help to make you feel calmer and happier.
Activities such as jogging, stretching, swimming, yoga, or chair yoga may help to:
Reduce stress levels.
Improve mood.
Support better sleep.
Remember, exercise doesn’t need to be intense or high impact. Even gentle, consistent movement, like taking the dog for a walk, can still be beneficial to regulate your nervous system.
4. Cold water exposure
If your nervous system is dysregulated, you may experience panic attacks. A panic attack is a sudden surge of intense anxiety, often accompanied by physical symptoms like:
- A racing heart.
- Shortness of breath.
- Dizziness.
- Chest tightness.
- A feeling of losing control.
Although panic attacks can feel incredibly overwhelming, they are not physically dangerous.
Some people find that brief exposure to cold water during a panic attack – such as splashing their face with cold water – can help them feel more alert and grounded.
The next time you have a panic attack, you could try taking a short cold shower or splashing your face with cold water, if possible. While research is still developing, this type of exposure may help stimulate the nervous system and encourage a reset response in the body.
5. Social interactions
Connecting with friends, family, or supportive groups may help you feel safer, reduce feelings of loneliness, and regulate your nervous system. Even small interactions, such as a phone call or a short conversation, can make a huge difference in the way you feel.
However, talking about mental health can feel daunting, both for you and the people who care about you. To make these conversations feel less scary, try writing down what you want to say beforehand, or choosing in an environment you feel safe in, such as your own home.
For a helping hand in guiding these difficult conversations, read our blog on how to talk about mental health.
6. Grounding techniques through tapping
Unresolved traumas can also trigger nervous system dysregulation.
Trauma doesn’t necessarily mean a huge, life-altering event. It could just be an experience or memory that makes you feel upset or anxious.
When the brain hasn’t fully processed stress, it can store those memories with a strong emotional charge. This can make your body react as if the threat is ongoing.
EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), often referred to as ‘tapping’, is a self-help technique which is designed to help retrain how the brain processes these experiences. EFT involves gently tapping on specific acupressure points, such as the neck, while focusing on an anxiety-provoking thought or feeling.
By pairing the stressful thought with a repetitive, grounding physical action, EFT may help ‘decouple’ the memory from the anxious emotions it triggers, helping to regulate your nervous system.
7. Therapy
If you’re finding it difficult to manage symptoms on your own, therapy can provide structured support. There are many different types of therapies, such as interpersonal therapy and psychodynamic therapy. However, CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) is often the most popular for those with anxiety.
Talking therapies can help you understand why your nervous system feels dysregulated and develop coping strategies for when you feel especially overwhelmed.
Speak to your GP or a mental health professional to help you understand the best way to treat your nervous system dysregulation.
How does your nervous system work?
To understand why these techniques work, it helps to know how your nervous system functions.
Your nervous system plays a key role in how your body responds to the world around you. It helps control everything, from your breathing and heart rate to how you react to stress.
A major part of this is the autonomic nervous system, which has two main branches:
The sympathetic nervous system, which prepares your body for action (often called the “fight or flight” response).
The parasympathetic nervous system, which helps your body rest, recover, and return to a calm state.
In a balanced system, your body moves between these states as needed. For example, you might feel alert during a busy workday, then gradually relax in the evening.
However, when you’re experiencing nervous system dysregulation, it can become harder to switch off from feelings of stress and anxiety, even when there is no immediate threat.
Why does nervous system dysregulation happen?
There isn’t always a single cause of nervous system dysregulation. Instead, it’s often linked to a combination of factors, including:
Ongoing, chronic stress.
High levels of anxiety.
Emotional strain or difficult life events, such as grief.
Over time, these factors may keep your body in a more alert or reactive state. This can make it more difficult to feel calm, even in safe or familiar situations.
What are the symptoms of nervous system dysregulation?
Nervous system dysregulation can affect both your mind and body. Symptoms can vary from person to person, but may include:
Feeling constantly on edge or anxious.
Difficulty relaxing or “switching off”.
Irritability, depression, or low mood.
Poor sleep or trouble falling asleep.
Fatigue or feeling burnt out.
A racing heart or shallow breathing.
Difficulty concentrating.
Panic attacks.
If you’re experiencing one or a combination of these symptoms, you may have a dysregulated nervous system. If these symptoms are ongoing or start to affect your daily life, you can seek support from a healthcare professional.
When should I seek professional help for nervous system dysregulation?
It’s normal to experience stress from time to time. However, if you feel constantly overwhelmed or think you could do with some extra support to regulate your nervous system, it’s important to seek help. After all, you deserve to feel happy and content in your daily life.
A GP or mental health professional can help you understand what you’re experiencing and recommend appropriate treatment or support options.
We understand that speaking to a doctor about mental health issues can sometimes feel daunting or embarrassing, but there’s nothing embarrassing about wanting to improve your mental wellbeing.
How can Benenden Health help with nervous system dysregulation?
If you’re struggling with nervous system dysregulation, having access to timely support can make a difference.
Benenden Health offers access to a range of healthcare services designed to support both your physical and mental wellbeing, including a 24/7 GP Helpline and 24/7 Mental Health Helpline. So, when your nervous system feels overwhelmed or you need reassurance, you can turn to trusted medical guidance for support.
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