How well do you know your Nervous System?

Thoughts of a Malahide Psychotherapist

We hear people mentioning our nervous system a lot, but do we really understand what our nervous system does? And how it is influencing our thoughts and moods?

Our nervous system is designed to keep us safe. It is constantly scanning your environment and when it senses danger, it flips into fight, flight, freeze, or fawn mode — giving you the energy to respond by releasing adrenalin into our system. This energy can be felt by us clearly when it is an obvious danger such as our automatic response to a clear danger, such as jumping back out of a car heading towards us.

So what’s the problem? Our nervous system was not designed for modern life, it hasn’t kept pace with the change in our human lifestyle. It keeps triggering that high stress response, even when there’s no real emergency.

Work, family pressure, deadlines, constant notifications, perfectionism… they all add up. Over time, your nervous system can start operating as if it’s always under threat.

We can identify when our nervous system is responding to the big events but often we are unaware that it is having a strong response to our everyday life.

You may recognise or identify some of the symptoms. For example

- You Can’t Switch Off — Even When You’re Exhausted

Your brain is always on, you might be replaying conversations, worrying about tomorrow, or scrolling on autopilot because stillness feels uncomfortable.

- Digestive Upsets or Unexplained Body Tension

Tight shoulders, clenched jaw, butterflies in your stomach — or even bloating and reflux. When your body is stuck in stress mode, digestion takes a back seat, and muscles hold tension “just in case.”

- Emotional Reactivity — Snapping or Crying Easily

Small things feel big. You might snap at loved ones or burst into tears over something minor. Your nervous system might be overloaded and has little capacity left.

- Constant Brain Fog or Forgetfulness

A stressed nervous system diverts resources away from memory and focus, making clear thinking harder.

- You Feel ‘Disconnected’ from Your Body

It’s like you’re moving through life on autopilot — functioning, but not truly feeling present. This “shut down” can be your body’s way of protecting you when stress feels unrelenting.

Why This Happens

When stress and unresolved experiences build up, the body can lose its ability to return to a calm, balanced state.

Your nervous system isn’t broken. It’s simply learned to stay on high alert. And the good news? It can relearn safety.

By figuring out through therapy what your nervous system is deeming threatening instead of merely stressful or inconvenient you can learn to rewire your brain/nervous system.

There are also a few small steps you can start today: a few small actions you can take to help your nervous system relax more and come down from high alert

• Breathing . this is the easier way to “hack” your system. Gently exhale for longer than you inhale for one minute— this signals safety to your nervous system.

• Body Check-In: Pause and notice — where am I holding tension right now? Can I soften that spot just a little?

• Micro-Moments of Rest: Lie down for 2–3 minutes, close your eyes, and let your body sink into the support beneath you.

Therapy using a combination of education, cognitive behavioural therapy and somatic therapy can really help you to see when your nervous system is detecting a threat and reacting – not that you are losing your mind!

When you are ready, find a good therapist and see what you can learn about your unique nervous system responses.