Let’s talk about dysregulation. That word that keeps popping up online, usually next to a nervous system graphic and a caption that makes you pause mid scroll and think, wait… is this me?

Before we go any further, I want to say this clearly. Dysregulation is not a label for who you are. It is not a judgement. It is simply a way of describing what happens when your system is carrying more than it can comfortably hold in a given moment.

In very real life terms, dysregulation shows up when your body is asking for support.

It might look like feeling on edge for no obvious reason. Or going quiet and needing space. Or feeling emotional and not fully knowing why. Sometimes it shows up as overthinking, restlessness, irritability, or the urge to stay busy so you do not have to slow down too much.

There is no single way it looks. And there is nothing unusual about it.

I often explain dysregulation by imagining your nervous system as a dimmer switch. When things feel steady, the light is at a level that feels manageable. You can think, feel, connect, and move through your day with some ease. When life turns the dial up or down too far, things start to feel off. Too bright. Too dim. Harder to settle into yourself.

That shift is dysregulation.

It is not your body misbehaving. It is your body responding.

Our nervous systems are shaped by everything we have lived through. Stress, loss, pressure, relationships, expectations, moments where we had to hold it together or stay alert. Your system learned what helped you get through, and it still uses those patterns when something feels like a lot.

That means if you tend to feel anxious, shut down, overwhelmed, or hyper focused, there is a reason. Not a flaw. A reason.

This is also why calming down on command rarely works. Your nervous system is not ignoring you. It is just speaking in sensation, not words. Tightness, heaviness, buzzing, fatigue, that sinking or racing feeling. These are all ways your body communicates.

Understanding this can be surprisingly relieving.

It shifts the question from what is wrong with me to what is my body asking for right now.

Regulation is not about being calm or positive all the time. It is about having enough inner safety to move through different feelings without getting stuck in them. It is about being able to notice when your system is activated and gently support it back toward balance.

And yes, everyone experiences dysregulation. It is part of being human in a world that asks a lot of us.

Somatic work focuses on this exact piece. Instead of trying to think your way out of discomfort, we learn to listen to the body, build awareness, and create small moments of safety. Over time, your system learns that it does not have to stay on high alert or shut things down to get through the day.

There is no rush here. No gold star for doing it perfectly.

Just curiosity. Gentleness. And a growing sense of trust in your body.

If this word has been floating around your world and leaving you feeling uneasy, I hope this offers a different lens. Dysregulation is not something to fear or fix. It is a signal. And when we learn how to respond to it with care, things often start to feel a little more spacious.

Finding that this blog post is landing softly or hitting close to home, I want you to know this is exactly the kind of work I love to do with clients.

In our work together, we are not trying to control your nervous system or force it to calm down. We are getting curious about it. We slow things down enough to notice what your body is already doing and what it might need a little more of to feel supported. Sometimes that looks like building safety. Sometimes it looks like learning how to stay present with sensations instead of bracing against them. Sometimes it is simply having a space where you do not have to explain or perform or hold it all together.

Somatic work helps your system learn, over time, that it does not have to stay on high alert or shut things down to keep you safe. We work with the body, not against it. We listen before we push. And we go at a pace that actually feels doable.

If you have ever felt like you understand things intellectually but your body did not get the memo, this work can be a gentle bridge between the two.

You do not need to be in crisis to start. You do not need to have the right words. You just need a willingness to meet yourself where you are and a little curiosity about what might shift if your nervous system felt more supported.

If that sounds like something your body is quietly hoping for, you are very welcome here.

Your nervous system is not a problem to solve. It is a relationship to tend to.