Healing a dysregulated nervous system is a journey that involves both practical strategies and spiritual growth. When our nervous system is out of balance, it affects every part of our lives—physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
The constant state of fight or flight can make it hard to find peace or feel connected to God’s presence. However, as we begin to heal, we can experience not only relief from physical and emotional symptoms but also a deeper sense of spiritual calm and trust in God.
Just as Scripture teaches us to cast our anxieties on Him because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7), the process of regulating our nervous system can be seen as a form of surrender—allowing God to bring us into His rest and restore our well-being.
The foundation of who we are must be who God says we are, not what our pain or worries try to tell us about who we are since one of the driving forces of our dysfunction is our pain.
By the way, what if I told you your feelings aren’t inherently bad or sinful? You don’t need to fear or suppress them. They can be a guide. If you’re interested, I have a free 3-day study on living by faith while processing emotions. Check it out here!
Would you rather listen than read? Click play below to listen to how to regulate your dysregulated nervous system.
What Does it Mean to Have a Dysregulated Nervous System
Having a dysregulated nervous system means that the balance between the sympathetic nervous system (which controls the “fight or flight” response) and the parasympathetic nervous system (which controls the “rest and digest” response) is disrupted. This imbalance can cause you to either be stuck in a heightened state of stress or anxiety or a state of low energy and depression.
This dysregulation often results from prolonged exposure to stress, trauma, or other factors that continuously activate the sympathetic nervous system, making it difficult for the body to return to a state of calm. Over time, this can lead to physical and mental health issues if not addressed.
What Are the Signs of a Dysregulated Nervous System
A dysregulated nervous system can manifest in various ways, impacting your emotions, behavior, and physical health. Here’s how it might show up:
Emotional Symptoms
- Anxiety and Panic: Frequent feelings of fear, worry, or panic that seem disproportionate to the situation.
- Irritability or Anger: Overreacting to minor inconveniences or feeling easily frustrated.
- Emotional Numbness: Feeling detached, disconnected, or unable to experience emotions fully.
- Mood Swings: Rapid shifts in mood, from high energy to low energy or from happiness to sadness.
Behavioral Symptoms
- Hypervigilance: Constantly being on edge, feeling jumpy, or overly aware of your surroundings.
- Avoidance: Staying away from situations or places that might trigger stress or anxiety.
- Difficulty Focusing: Struggling to concentrate or being easily distracted.
- Compulsive Behaviors: Repeatedly engaging in activities (like checking, cleaning, or organizing) to manage anxiety.
Physical Symptoms
- Sleep Disturbances: Trouble falling or staying asleep, or experiencing nightmares.
- Chronic Fatigue: Persistent tiredness that doesn’t improve with rest.
- Digestive Issues: Problems like nausea, stomach pain, or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
- Muscle Tension: Persistent tightness, pain, or aches in muscles, especially in the neck, shoulders, and back.
- Rapid Heartbeat: Heart palpitations or a feeling of your heart racing.
Cognitive Symptoms
- Racing Thoughts: Difficulty slowing down your thoughts, especially when stressed.
- Memory Issues: Trouble remembering things or feeling mentally foggy.
- Negative Thought Patterns: Persistent negative thinking or catastrophic thinking about the future.
A dysregulated nervous system can manifest in different ways depending on the situation and the duration of the event. What was a moment of stress can become a lifetime of worry if we allow our minds to continue down that thinking process that keeps our nervous system in overdrive.
How to Heal Your Dysregulated Nervous System
Here are some less common but effective approaches to healing a dysregulated nervous system:
- Cold Showers or Ice Baths: Brief exposure to cold water can activate the parasympathetic nervous system and improve resilience to stress over time. It’s thought to help the body learn to regulate itself more effectively under stress.
- Gargling or Singing: These activities stimulate the vagus nerve, which is key in regulating the nervous system. Gargling vigorously or singing loudly can engage the muscles at the back of the throat, promoting parasympathetic activity.
- Eye Movement Exercises: Looking slowly from side to side while keeping your head still can activate the vagus nerve, helping to calm the nervous system.
- Nature Immersion: Spending time in a forest or natural setting, without any specific agenda, can reduce stress hormones and help regulate your nervous system. The combination of fresh air, natural light, and the calming effect of greenery can be deeply restorative.
- Tension & Trauma Release Exercises (TRE®): This involves simple exercises that trigger natural tremors in the body. These tremors help release deep muscular patterns of stress, tension, and trauma, promoting nervous system regulation.
- Intentional Laughter: Even forced laughter can stimulate the vagus nerve and shift the nervous system out of a stressed state. Group laughter sessions or laughter yoga can be particularly effective.
- Somatic Experiencing: A therapeutic approach focused on releasing stored trauma in the body by helping you tune into bodily sensations and allowing your nervous system to complete its natural regulation processes.
- Journaling with Your Non-Dominant Hand: This practice can help access deeper, unconscious thoughts and emotions, allowing for the release of stuck energy and regulation of the nervous system.
There are more common techniques to help a dysregulated nervous system, too, like breathing, exercise, movement, and choosing foods that help us feel good. Since our bodies work as a whole, we can’t try to treat one area. We must look at how everything we do impacts our whole body.
Signs Your Nervous System Is Healing
As your nervous system begins to heal, you’ll notice changes that reflect a greater sense of peace and stability in your life. For instance, better emotional regulation is often one of the first signs. If situations that used to make you anxious or angry now seem easier to handle, this suggests that your nervous system is finding balance. For example, think of how Jesus remained calm during the storm while the disciples panicked (Mark 4:35-41). Just as Jesus calmed the storm, a healing nervous system allows you to remain calm in situations that once overwhelmed you.
Physical improvements are another key sign you are healing from a dysregulated nervous system. You might start sleeping better or feel less tension in your body. If you previously struggled with chronic headaches or fatigue, noticing these symptoms decrease is a clear indication of healing. Just as God promises rest for the weary (Matthew 11:28-30), your body begins to experience the physical rest that comes with a balanced nervous system.
A quieter mind is also a sign of healing. Instead of constant worry or racing thoughts, you might find it easier to think clearly and stay focused. For example, where you once struggled with fear, like the Israelites facing the Red Sea (Exodus 14:10-14), you may now feel more at peace, trusting that God will make a way. This shift reflects a calmer, more settled nervous system.
Behavioral changes are another indication that you are healing and your dysregulated nervous system is recovering. You might notice that you’re reacting less impulsively and responding more thoughtfully in stressful situations. For instance, if you once responded to criticism with anger, you might now be able to listen and respond with grace. This mirrors the biblical teaching to be “quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry” (James 1:19).
Lastly, healing your nervous system often leads to improved relationships. As you become more emotionally regulated and less reactive, you’ll likely find that your connections with others deepen. Just as Jesus teaches us to love others as ourselves (Mark 12:31), a healed nervous system enables you to approach relationships with greater love, patience, and understanding.
These examples—staying calm in challenging situations, finding rest, thinking clearly, responding thoughtfully, and deepening relationships—reflect both physical healing and spiritual growth, showing how closely our bodies and faith are intertwined.
Resources for Healing Your Nervous System
- Hire a mental health coach and trauma-informed coach like me!
- Read the Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer (This is an affiliate link. A small portion comes back to me to support my business and ministry.)
- Read at Rythm of Regulation
