Are you really “dysregulated”? Let’s talk about your nervous system

If your Instagram or TikTok algorithm is anything like mine, you’re probably being bombarded with advice about your nervous system. From “nervous system resets” to emotional triggers linked to unresolved trauma, social media is full of buzzwords. You’ve likely seen posts telling you to try a cold plunge, do a vagus nerve reset, or drink some magic beverage to calm your body down. Let’s be honest — these messages do hit home.

The expectations of modern life are relentless, especially for women. We’re often stuck in a revolving door of doing too much, feeling anxious, overstimulated, or just plain exhausted. So when these posts promise answers, they resonate — because we’re living the symptoms.

But let’s slow down and ask the bigger questions:

What is the nervous system? Can it really be “dysregulated”?

How can Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offer a more grounded, whole-body approach?

Understanding the Nervous System (Western Perspective)

Your nervous system is your body’s internal communication network. It controls everything that happens in your body — your heartbeat, digestion, movement, hormone regulation, reproduction, and stress response. It’s made up of two main parts:

1. Central Nervous System (CNS)

• Includes your brain and spinal cord

• Processes information and sends instructions to the body

2. Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

• Includes the nerves branching off from your spine that connect to the rest of the body

Within the PNS is your Autonomic Nervous System (ANS), which regulates the things you don’t have to consciously think about — like breathing, digestion, and heart rate. The ANS is made up of two key systems:

Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS)

 – “Fight or Flight”

Activated when you’re in danger, under stress, or facing a perceived threat. Your body diverts energy away from digestion, reproduction, and healing — and instead focuses on alertness, heart rate, and blood pressure. It’s meant to help you survive short-term stress.

Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS)

 – “Rest and Digest”

Activated when you’re calm. It supports long-term health: digestion, reproductive function, immune response, and hormone balance. It’s where the body does most of its healing.

Your body is designed to move between these two states fluidly. Both are necessary. But in modern life, many women are stuck in “fight or flight” far too often — because of trauma, chronic stress, overwork, or internalised pressure to do it all.

What Does It Mean to Be “Dysregulated”?

When the sympathetic nervous system stays switched on too long, your body becomes overloaded. This is often called “nervous system dysregulation.”

Symptoms of dysregulation can include:

• Fatigue or burnout

• Anxiety or overwhelm

• Irritability or mood swings

• Brain fog

• Digestive issues

• Irregular or painful periods

• Hormonal imbalances

• Insomnia or disrupted sleep

These symptoms occur because the body has redirected its energy away from hormonal regulation, digestion, and reproduction — functions that require calm, not crisis.

The TCM Perspective: Balance, Not Biohacks

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, we don’t talk about the nervous system in the same anatomical terms — but we understand how emotions, organ health, Qi (vital energy), and blood influence your ability to feel calm, grounded, and resilient.

What Western medicine calls dysregulation, we might describe as:

• Liver Qi stagnation (emotional repression, tension, PMS)

• Heart Shen disturbance (anxiety, insomnia, scattered thinking)

• Spleen Qi deficiency (fatigue, overthinking, digestive issues)

• Kidney depletion (burnout, low libido, hormonal irregularity)

Rather than trying to “hack” the nervous system with short-term trends, TCM focuses on restoring balance throughout your entire system — gently, holistically, and in line with your body’s natural cycles.

How We Support the Nervous System at Seven Points Wellness

You don’t need a cold plunge or a hormone drink. You need care that sees the full picture of your life, your cycle, your emotions, and your health story.

We use:

• Acupuncture to regulate Qi, calm the Shen, and ease stress

• Herbal medicine to nourish the organs and stabilise hormones

• Diet and lifestyle guidance tailored to your constitution and cycle

• Support through key transitions like postpartum, perimenopause, or burnout recovery

You’re Not Broken — You’re Asking for Support

You don’t need fixing — you need rebalancing. Your nervous system isn’t something to override or optimise like a machine. It’s something to listen to. And at Seven Points Wellness, we’re here to help you do just that.

Want to find your way back to calm?

Book a session and let’s talk about how TCM can support your whole system.