Signs Your Nervous System Is Dysregulated (and How to Rebalance)
So many of us move through life without realising that our nervous system has been operating in survival mode for far too long. We adapt. We push through. We cope.
But beneath it all, the body whispers — through tension, exhaustion, or emotional overwhelm — that something is out of balance.
A dysregulated nervous system isn’t a sign that anything is “wrong” with you. It’s simply a sign that your system has been protecting you, often for years, and now it’s asking for support.
Let’s explore the signs, and the gentle ways you can return to balance.
Common Signs of Nervous System Dysregulation
A dysregulated nervous system can show up differently for everyone, but these are some of the most common patterns:
1. Feeling constantly “on edge”
A sense that you can’t fully relax, even in safe environments.
Your body may feel tight, alert, or braced — as if waiting for something to happen.
2. Emotional overwhelm
Big emotions come quickly: anxiety, irritability, shutdown, or tears without knowing why.
Your window of tolerance feels small.
3. Chronic tension and pain
Neck tightness, jaw clenching, migraines, lower back ache — the body holds what the mind tries to carry alone.
4. Trouble sleeping
Difficulty falling asleep, waking at 2–3am, or never feeling rested.
5. Digestive changes
A dysregulated vagus nerve can show up as bloating, constipation, IBS, or a tight feeling in the gut.
6. Feeling disconnected
Moments where you feel detached from yourself, your emotions, or the world around you — a sign of dorsal shutdown.
7. Sensitivity to sound, light, or people
Everything feels “too much,” as if your system has lost its natural buffer.
If you recognise yourself in these signs, your body isn’t failing you — it’s signalling. And there are gentle, grounded ways to support regulation again.
How to Rebalance Your Nervous System
Healing the nervous system is about offering the body experiences of safety, slowness, and connection again.
Here are supportive practices you can begin anytime:
1. Slow, attuned breathing
Long exhales activate the parasympathetic system.
Try: 4-second inhalation, 6–8-second exhalation.
2. Orienting to your space
Gently look around the room, noticing colours, shapes, and textures.
This tells your brain: “I am safe in this moment.”
3. Grounding through the body
Feel your feet on the floor, your sit bones on the chair, or your back supported.
Let the body be held.
4. Somatic touch
A hand on the heart, one on the belly, or holding your own forearm can soften the vagus nerve and bring you back into your body.
5. Craniosacral therapy
This gentle hands-on work helps the nervous system unwind from bracing and survival patterns.
By improving the flow of cerebrospinal fluid and calming the deeper rhythms of the body, craniosacral therapy supports regulation from the inside out.
6. Connection and compassionate presence
Being with someone who listens — without rushing, fixing, or judging — can shift your entire physiology.
Safety is relational.
7. Rest
Real rest — not numbing, not escaping — but letting your body settle without demands.
Your Body Knows the Way Home
Dysregulation doesn’t mean brokenness.
It means your system has been protecting you, doing its best with what it had.
With the right kind of support — gentle, attuned, and grounded — your nervous system can soften again.
It can remember balance, connection, and ease.
If you’re ready to explore this healing work, craniosacral therapy and somatic counselling offer a compassionate pathway back to yourself.
