One of the key contributors to mental health issues is a dysregulated nervous system.
A dysregulated nervous system will often cause us to react (thoughts/ feelings/ behavior) in an apparent inappropriate way to an event, person, or situation.
The most common mental health symptoms that manifest from a dysregulated nervous system include: depression , anxiety and panic, sleep issues, poor memory, poor concentration and attention, irritability, and exhaustion. It can also manifest as inappropriate behavior, such as rage outbursts, passive aggression, being shut down, lying, being vindictive or particularly argumentative, which can further exacerbate problems with every day life and mental health.
The sympathetic nervous system is like a car alarm for our body. When something is off or senses danger it can go off enabling the fight or flight response. Think about if you were in the woods walking along a trail and noticed a bear coming toward you. Would you freeze (deer in headlights), flight (run away), or fight (square up)? It is understood that this survival instinct was developed back when humans first roamed the Earth and developed such skills to hunt or survive the land.
It is also understood that our nervous system can get stuck in this fight or flight response, meaning it thinks we are in danger causing us to feel anxious or even experience panic attacks regularly.
Try this quick relaxation technique, Progressive Muscle Relaxation, to help turn off the nervous system and come back to a regulated state. Approximately 5-7 minutes long.
By: Shelby Secor, LMHC
03/15/2024