5 Signs Your Nervous System Is Dysregulated
And How Holistic Therapy Can Help
If you’ve ever found yourself saying, “I don’t know why I’m like this,” you’re not alone.
Many people living with anxiety, trauma, or chronic stress aren’t broken or failing at life. Often, their nervous system has simply been working overtime.
Your nervous system’s job is to keep you safe. When it perceives threat, whether that threat is real, remembered, or ongoing, it shifts into protective mode. Over time, especially after trauma or prolonged stress, that protective state can become the default. This is what we mean when we talk about nervous system dysregulation.
At Wildflower Therapy Group, we approach this with compassion. Dysregulation isn’t a personal flaw. It’s an adaptive response that once helped you survive.
Here are some common signs your nervous system might be dysregulated, not as a checklist to diagnose yourself, but as a way to help make sense of your experience.
1. You Feel On Edge Even When Nothing is “Wrong”
You might notice a constant sense of alertness, restlessness, or tension in your body. Even during calm moments, it can feel hard to fully relax. Your mind may scan for problems, and your body may stay braced as if something could go wrong at any moment.
This can be a sign that your nervous system is stuck in a state of hypervigilance. It learned that staying alert was necessary, and it hasn’t yet received enough signals of safety to stand down.
2. You Feel Exhausted But Wired at the Same Time
Many people describe feeling deeply tired yet unable to rest. Sleep may feel unrefreshing, or your mind may race as soon as you try to slow down. You might push through the day on adrenaline, only to crash later or feel emotionally numb.
This kind of exhaustion often reflects a nervous system that’s been in survival mode for too long. It hasn’t had the chance to fully reset.
3. Your Emotions Feel Intense or Unpredictable
You might notice emotional swings that feel out of proportion or hard to control. Small things may trigger big reactions, or you may feel flooded by emotion one moment and disconnected the next.
From a nervous system perspective, emotions are closely tied to safety. When regulation is compromised, emotional responses can feel louder or harder to contain, not because you’re too sensitive, but because your system is overwhelmed.
4. Your Body Holds Tension, Pain, or Discomfort
Tight shoulders, jaw clenching, headaches, digestive issues, or chronic pain can all be ways the body holds stress and unprocessed experiences. Trauma doesn’t just live in memory. It often lives in the body.
When the nervous system is dysregulated, the body may stay in a state of readiness, holding tension as a form of protection.
5. You Feel Disconnected From Yourself or Others
Some people experience the opposite of hyperarousal. Instead of feeling anxious or activated, they feel numb, spaced out, or detached. You might struggle to feel joy, motivation, or connection, even with people you care about.
This can be a sign of a nervous system that’s learned to shut down to avoid overwhelm. It’s not indifference. It’s a protective response.
How Holistic Therapy Can Help
Holistic therapy doesn’t try to force regulation or talk you out of your symptoms. At Wildflower Therapy Group, we view nervous system healing as a collaborative, whole person process that honors your mind, body, and spirit.
Rather than asking, “What’s wrong with you,” holistic therapy gently explores, “What happened to you, and how did your system adapt?”
Through approaches like somatic therapy, EMDR, mindfulness, yoga therapy, and energy based practices like Reiki, we help clients begin to feel safe in their bodies again. This work supports the nervous system in learning new patterns of regulation, at a pace that feels respectful and attuned.
Holistic therapy also recognizes that healing doesn’t happen in isolation. Cultural context, identity, relationships, and lived experience all matter. Your nervous system didn’t develop in a vacuum, and it doesn’t heal in one either.
Healing Is Not About Becoming Calm All The Time
A regulated nervous system isn’t one that’s always relaxed or positive. It’s one that can move flexibly between states. It can feel stress and return to balance. It can experience emotion without becoming overwhelmed. It can rest when rest is needed.
If you recognize yourself in these signs, it doesn’t mean you need to try harder or do more. It may mean your system is asking for support, safety, and understanding.
At Wildflower Therapy Group, we believe your symptoms make sense. Your body has been communicating all along. With the right support, you can learn to listen to it with compassion and begin to feel more at home within yourself.
Reach out today if you’d like support.