You wake up after a full night of rest, but you’re still tired.
Before you’ve even gotten out of bed, you’re already thinking about the day’s tasks and challenges.
Your shoulders are tense. Your thoughts are racing. Your heart always seems to be beating a little too fast.
After a full day of work, you come home exhausted—but somehow, you’re still restless. When it’s finally time to sleep, your body won’t settle down.
Then, the same exhausting pattern repeats—for days, weeks or sometimes years.
If this sounds familiar, chronic stress may be making it harder for your nervous system to return to a balanced state. You might hear this described as a dysregulated nervous system: when your body remains on high alert or struggles to recover from stress.
The good news is that there are ways to help your body feel safer and more supported.
In this August blog, we’ll explore how stress affects your mind and body, along with practical and integrated techniques for regulating your nervous system.
Read along to start your journey of growth and healing today! It’s never too late to start.
Your Body Is Trying to Protect You
Your brain and body are constantly working to keep you safe.
Sometimes, the threat is obvious: a dangerous animal, a speeding car or someone behaving aggressively.
Other times, it’s an overflowing inbox, an upcoming deadline, a difficult conversation or the chore you’ve been avoiding all week.
These situations aren’t equally dangerous, but they can still activate some of the same stress responses. How you react depends on how your brain interprets the situation, along with your past life experiences and current stress level.
Your sympathetic nervous system controls many of the changes associated with fight or flight. When it becomes active, your body releases adrenaline to help you respond quickly.
This can cause:
- A faster heart rate, helping deliver oxygen throughout your body
- Larger pupils, allowing more light into your eyes
- More relaxed airway muscles, helping air reach your lungs
- Slower digestion, allowing your body to use energy elsewhere
- The release of stored energy for your body to use quickly
These changes help you react when you’re in danger. The sympathetic nervous system prioritizes certain bodily functions that help you act quickly, increasing your alertness and sharpening your reflexes. Once the threat passes, the parasympathetic nervous system helps your body slow down and settle.
At least, that’s what is supposed to happen.
Excess Is the Enemy
Stress is natural, necessary and sometimes helpful.
You wouldn’t rush out of a burning building with the same urgency if it weren’t for your stress response.
The problem isn’t that you experience stress.
The problem is that modern stressors don’t always end quickly, and some feel like they never end.
You finish one assignment only to remember the next one. You leave work but continue replaying the day in your mind. One financial concern leads to another. Even when nothing dangerous is happening, your body may remain on alert.
It’s like your internal alarm system has become a little too enthusiastic.
The stress response also involves the hormone cortisol. Despite its reputation as the stress hormone, cortisol isn’t bad. Your body needs it.
Cortisol is essential for your day-to-day functioning. It plays a role in:
- Managing how your body uses energy
- Keeping inflammation under control
- Supporting healthy blood pressure
- Helping to regulate your sleep cycle
However, chronic stress can disrupt the way this system works. It can affect how much cortisol your body releases, when it releases it and how your body responds.
You may notice:
- Difficulty sleeping
- Fatigue or low energy
- Headaches
- Muscle tension
- Digestive problems
- Difficulty concentrating
- Irritability
- Restlessness
- Anxiety or low mood
Chronic stress can then create a frustrating cycle.
You struggle to sleep because you’re stressed. Poor sleep leaves you with less energy to manage the next day. Everyday challenges become more overwhelming, which creates even more stress.
But your body isn’t permanently stuck this way.
Regulation Doesn’t Mean Always Being Calm
Regulating your nervous system isn’t about feeling calm all the time.
In our April blog, we introduced the Window of Tolerance and discussed what can happen when stress pushes you into states such as hyperarousal or hypoarousal.
When your body speeds up, you may feel tense, restless, irritable or constantly on alert. This state is often called hyperarousal.
At other times, your body may slow down or shut down. You might feel exhausted, numb, unmotivated, foggy or disconnected. This is often described as hypoarousal.
Neither response makes you weak or broken. They’re different ways your body may try to protect you.
Regulation means noticing what’s happening inside you and responding in a healthy way.
Is your jaw clenched?
Has your breathing become shallow?
Are your thoughts racing?
Or do you feel disconnected from everything around you?
Recognizing these signs gives you an opportunity to respond before stress takes over. You don’t need to control every feeling—you’re simply learning how to work with your body instead of fighting against it.
Ways to Regulate
There isn’t one technique that works for everyone.
You may need activity, while someone else needs stillness, comfort or connection. What helps may also change depending on whether you feel restless and alert or tired and disconnected.
Think of the following strategies as options, not homework.
Slow Down Your Breathing
Your breathing often becomes faster and shallower when you’re stressed. Slowing it down may help reduce some of the physical signs of stress.
Try breathing gently through your nose, then exhaling slowly. You could also make your exhale slightly longer than your inhale.
For example:
Breathe in for three seconds.
Breathe out for four or five.
Repeat.
Don’t worry about taking the deepest breath possible. The goal is simply to breathe more slowly and comfortably.
Release Physical Tension
Progressive muscle relaxation involves deliberately tensing and relaxing different muscle groups.
Start with your hands. Gently clench them for a few seconds, notice the tension and then let go.
From there, move through your arms, shoulders, face, stomach and legs.
You may be surprised by how much tension your body has been holding.
Picture Somewhere Calming
Guided imagery simply means picturing a place or experience that helps you feel calm.
Imagine yourself beside a lake, walking through a forest or sitting somewhere comfortable and familiar.
What can you see?
What can you hear?
What does the air feel like?
You’re not pretending your problems don’t exist. You’re simply giving your attention somewhere peaceful to rest for a moment.
If imagining a calming place makes you uncomfortable, focus on something pleasant in your actual surroundings instead.
Use Calming Phrases and Sensations
You can pair simple phrases with physical sensations such as warmth, heaviness or steady breathing.
You might repeat:
My arms feel heavy.
My hands feel warm.
My breathing is slow and steady.
The goal isn’t to force yourself to relax. It’s to focus on sensations that feel neutral or calming.
This exercise may feel unfamiliar at first, so following a guided recording could make it easier.
Get started right away with this quick and free guided exercise.
Return to the Present
Mindfulness is about noticing what’s happening right now without immediately judging it or trying to change it.
Feel your feet against the floor.
Notice the sounds around you.
Pay attention to your breathing.
You don’t have to clear your mind or sit silently for an hour. You can practice mindfulness while walking, eating, showering or completing an everyday task.
If focusing inward makes you more anxious, open your eyes and reconnect with your surroundings.
Try naming:
- Five things you can see
- Four things you can feel
- Three things you can hear
- Two things you can smell
- One thing you can taste
If it brings you back to the present, you’re doing it right.
Move Your Body
Stress prepares your body to act. Movement gives some of that energy somewhere to go.
You could:
- Take a short walk
- Stretch your shoulders
- Dance to your favourite song
- Practice yoga
- Ride your bike
- Shake out your hands and arms
If going outside feels unbearable, or you simply don’t want to, stay active indoors by:
- Cooking
- Cleaning
- Organizing your space
You don’t need an intense workout or a complicated routine. Choose something that feels accessible and, ideally, a little enjoyable.
Try Deep Pressure
Some people find steady pressure comforting. You could use a weighted blanket, hug a pillow or wrap yourself in a regular blanket.
Research into weighted blankets is still developing, so they shouldn’t be treated as a guaranteed solution for anxiety or stress. Still, some people find the pressure soothing.
Only use an option that allows you to breathe, move and remove the pressure comfortably.
Connect With Someone You Trust
You don’t always have to regulate alone.
Talking to a friend, sitting with your partner or spending time with someone you trust can make stress feel more manageable.
You don’t necessarily need advice.
Sometimes, you just need to feel heard.
Listen to What Your Body Needs
Before choosing a strategy, pause and ask yourself:
What am I noticing right now?
What would help me feel a little more supported?
It’s important to understand if you’re experiencing hyperarousal or hypoarousal—different states call for different strategies.
If you feel restless, movement may be more helpful than sitting still.
If you feel exhausted and overstimulated, reducing noise or dimming the lights may help.
If you feel numb or disconnected, gentle movement or light sensory stimulation may assist you in being more present.
Regulation isn’t about finding the perfect technique.
It’s about knowing your body and responding with care.
One Step at a Time
You can’t reset your nervous system like you would restart a computer. You also can’t remove every source of stress from your life.
What you can do is give your body more opportunities to recover.
A short walk, a few slower breaths or five minutes of muscle relaxation may not solve the problem causing your stress, but these small actions still count. They can interrupt the cycle and help you respond more intentionally.
Start with one small change this week.
Once it becomes familiar, try another.
Your stress patterns didn’t develop overnight, and changing them may take time. Be patient with yourself and celebrate the moments when you notice even a small difference.
If stress feels constant, interferes with your sleep or responsibilities, or affects your well-being, consider speaking with a mental health professional. They can help you understand what may be contributing to your stress and find strategies that reflect your needs.
At The Centre for Mind Body Psychotherapy, we understand that stress affects the mind and body. Our holistic approach explores the experiences, patterns and emotions contributing to chronic stress while helping you develop healthier ways to respond.
You don’t have to figure it out alone. We’re here to help if you need us.
References
American Psychological Association. Stress Effects on the Body. American Psychological Association, www.apa.org/topics/stress/body.
Cleveland Clinic. (2021). Cortisol: What it is, function, symptoms & levels. In Cleveland Clinic. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/22187-cortisol
Cleveland Clinic. Sympathetic Nervous System: What It Is and Its Function. Cleveland Clinic, 6 June 2022, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/23262-sympathetic-nervous-system-sns-fight-or-flight
Mayo Clinic Staff. Chronic Stress Puts Your Health at Risk. Mayo Clinic, 21 July 2026, www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-20046037.
McMaster University Continuing Education. Mastering the Art of Self-Regulation: Five Tips to Soothe Your Nervous System. McMaster University, 11 Apr. 2024, continuing.mcmaster.ca/mastering-the-art-of-self-regulation-5-tips-to-soothe-your-nervous-system/.
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Relaxation Techniques: What You Need to Know. National Institutes of Health, www.nccih.nih.gov/health/relaxation-techniques-what-you-need-to-know.
