One Thing Everyone Should Know About Their Nervous System

Your nervous system has your best interests in mind, always, even if it doesn’t feel that way!

We mostly notice things that aren’t working in our bodies and in our lives. Our nervous system is designed to alert us to danger, and so the symptoms of activation are noticeable, often unpleasant, uncomfortable and disruptive. You can feel anxiety, racing heart, overwhelmed and jittery. You also may not sleep well. You might feel low and depressed, like you can’t motivate yourself, can’t get out of bed, feel really lethargic, or stuck in your body and in your life. These sensations can feel downright scary, and they give the cue that something is “wrong.”

Of course you want to change this and feel like yourself again. It can feel like your body has let you down. However, this fight, flight or freeze response is designed to keep you safe. I think it is so important and so helpful to acknowledge this because it is a reminder that your body is trying to take care of you in the best way it knows how to do.

Often, your nervous system and these symptoms go into overdrive because your brain and nervous system sees a current situation as a threat when the situation doesn’t actually need an extreme response. These patterns develop from past experiences and traumas. Our brains are really good at identifying patterns and responding to them. You can change your nervous system, your response and your patterns. You can support your nervous system in becoming more resilient and increasing your capacity and becoming more regulated. 

When you have a lot of dysregulation, a history of trauma and strong nervous system response symptoms, it can feel like your body is against you and you need to fight back against it. How do things shift if you recognize that your body is trying to keep you safe? For me, I feel gratitude. It feels so much better to nurture my body and nervous system, explore kind and compassionate ways to gently shift, and support change. 

Interested in learning more? Reach out for a nervous system coaching session.