How to Regulate Your Nervous System During Political Uncertainty
How to Regulate Your Nervous System During Political Uncertainty
Feeling overwhelmed by fear, frustration, and political uncertainty? Discover neuroscience-informed strategies to regulate anger and anxiety in today’s tense political climate with support from trauma-informed experts at Embodied Wellness and Recovery.
Finding Calm in Chaos: Strategies for Managing Anger and Anxiety in the Current Political Climate
When the World Feels Unsafe
Are you having trouble sleeping at night or concentrating during the day? Do you notice your shoulders tense every time the news comes o, or your heart racing when you scroll through social media? You're not alone. In times of political upheaval, government transitions, and economic instability, anger, anxiety, and fear are natural nervous system responses.
And yet, when these responses go unregulated, they can lead to chronic stress, strained relationships, and a sense of helplessness.
At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we hear it every day: "I want to stay informed, but I'm exhausted." "I feel unsafe in my own country." "I'm furious and don’t know where to put that energy."
So, how do we stay engaged without becoming dysregulated? How do we navigate political anxiety without losing our sense of peace?
Let’s explore some compassionate, neuroscience-informed strategies to help you feel more grounded, empowered, and emotionally resilient.
The Neuroscience of Political Anxiety
When we perceive a threat, even a symbolic or systemic one, like political instability, our brain activates the amygdala, which triggers the body’s fight, flight, or freeze response. This leads to:
– Increased cortisol and adrenaline
– Muscle tension and a racing heart
– Tunnel vision or obsessive thinking
– Sleep disruption and digestive issues
Over time, chronic exposure to real or perceived political stressors can cause nervous system dysregulation, making it harder to stay present, process information, and connect with others.
This is especially true for individuals with a history of trauma or marginalization, where fear isn’t just about policy, but personal safety, identity, and lived experience.
Signs You May Be Politically Dysregulated
– Constant anger or irritability
– Doom-scrolling or obsessively checking the news
– Avoidance or emotional shutdown
– Arguments with loved ones over political views
– Panic attacks or chronic worry about the future
If you relate to any of the above, you’re not broken. You’re human.
Trauma-Informed Strategies to Regulate Anger and Anxiety
1. Limit Media Exposure Without Numbing Out
Set boundaries around when and how you consume news. Choose trusted sources, schedule check-in windows, and avoid doom-scrolling before bed.
Try this: Set a 15-minute timer for daily news intake. Follow it with 5 minutes of breathwork or grounding.
2. Anchor to the Present with Somatic Tools
When your mind races toward worst-case scenarios, bring your body back to the present.
Try this: Place both feet on the ground. Inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 6. Feel the chair beneath you. Look around the room and name 5 things you see.
These somatic cues calm the vagus nerve, shifting the body into a more regulated, parasympathetic state.
3. Express Anger Constructively
Anger is often a response to injustice, fear, or grief. Rather than suppressing it or exploding, learn to channel it through movement, creativity, or activism.
Try this: Go for a brisk walk, punch a pillow, write an uncensored journal entry, or join a local advocacy group aligned with your values.
4. Connect with Community
Isolation intensifies fear. Supportive, affirming relationships are one of the most powerful tools for nervous system regulation.
Consider: Joining a trauma-informed group therapy circle, support network, or community healing space where political concerns can be held safely.
5. Name and Validate Your Experience
Soothe your nervous system by naming what you're feeling: "This fear makes sense." "Of course I'm angry."
This activates the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s regulatory center, which soothes the amygdala’s alarm bells.
6. Reconnect with Agency
Anxiety thrives in powerlessness. Reclaim your sense of agency by identifying what is within your control:
– How do you speak to yourself?
– Who do you engage with?
– How do you nourish your body?
– Where do you direct your energy?
You’re Not Alone in This
The emotional toll of today’s political climate is real. It touches our nervous systems, our relationships, our bodies, and our sense of the future.
But healing is within reach. With the proper support, you can move from overwhelm to clarity, from anger to empowerment, and from anxiety to grounded action.
At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we specialize in:
– EMDR and trauma reprocessing
– Nervous system regulation tools
– Mind-body techniques for sustainable resilience
Whether you're dealing with political anxiety, relationship stress, or chronic dysregulation, we're here to walk with you toward healing and emotional safety. Reach out to schedule a free 20-minute consultation with our team of top-rated therapists, somatic practitioners, relationship experts, and trauma specialists to get some relief from obsessive rumination and mental spiraling today.
📞 Call us at (310) 651-8458
📱 Text us at (310) 210-7934
📩 Email us at admin@embodiedwellnessandrecovery.com
🔗 Visit us at www.embodiedwellnessandrecovery.com
👉 Check us out on Instagram @embodied_wellness_and_recovery
🌍 Explore our offerings at Linktr.ee: https://linktr.ee/laurendummit
References:
Porges, S. W. (2011). The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-Regulation. W. W. Norton & Company.
Van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Viking.
Siegel, D. J. (2010). The Mindful Therapist: A Clinician’s Guide to Mindsight and Neural Integration. W. W. Norton & Company.
Heart-Brain Coherence: A Neuroscience-Backed Path to Healing Trauma Through Somatic Therapy
Heart-Brain Coherence: A Neuroscience-Backed Path to Healing Trauma Through Somatic Therapy
Struggling with nervous system dysregulation from unresolved trauma? Learn how heart-brain coherence, grounded in neuroscience, can support healing through somatic therapy. Discover how Embodied Wellness and Recovery helps you regulate your emotions, restore connection, and reclaim your well-being.
Heart-Brain Coherence and How It Applies to Somatic Therapy
Do you often feel overwhelmed, anxious, or disconnected—and can’t seem to calm your body no matter how hard you try? Do you struggle with emotional triggers, chronic stress, or patterns in your relationships that leave you feeling dysregulated or unsafe in your own skin?
If so, you’re not alone. These are common signs of nervous system dysregulation, a physiological imprint of unresolved trauma that lives not just in the mind but in the body.
At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we specialize in helping individuals heal from trauma, addiction, and intimacy wounds using neuroscience-based somatic therapy. One of the most powerful, research-backed tools in this approach is a state called heart-brain coherence.
What Is Heart-Brain Coherence?
Heart-brain coherence is a measurable state in which your heart rate variability (HRV)—the variation in time between heartbeats—becomes smooth and synchronized. In this state, the signals from your heart to your brain shift from chaotic to harmonious, influencing brain function, emotional regulation, and overall resilience.
In simple terms, when your heart rhythm is steady and coherent, your brain functions better. You feel calmer, think more clearly, and respond rather than react.
Why Trauma Disrupts Heart-Brain Communication
When you've experienced trauma—especially developmental trauma, relational neglect, or chronic stress—your nervous system adapts to survive. These adaptations can include:
– Hypervigilance or constant fight-or-flight mode
– Shutdown or emotional numbness (dorsal vagal freeze)
– Difficulty trusting or connecting with others
– Reactivity in close relationships
– Chronic anxiety, depression, or addiction patterns
Over time, these patterns get hardwired into your autonomic nervous system, affecting not just your emotions but also your heart rate patterns and the messages your heart sends to your brain.
Neuroscience shows that the heart sends more signals to the brain than the brain sends to the heart (McCraty et al., 2009). When those signals are dysregulated due to emotional distress or trauma, the brain receives mixed messages, impairing cognitive function and emotional resilience.
The Science Behind Heart-Brain Coherence
The HeartMath Institute has led decades of research into the science of heart-brain coherence. Their studies show that cultivating this state can:
– Improve mental clarity and decision-making
– Increase emotional self-regulation
– Reduce stress and anxiety
– Enhance immune system function
– Foster feelings of connection and safety
From a somatic therapy lens, heart-brain coherence helps clients learn to regulate their physiology in real time—a critical skill for trauma recovery.
“The heart and brain are in constant communication, and the quality of this dialogue deeply influences how we think, feel, and behave.”
— Institute of HeartMath
How Somatic Therapy Uses Heart-Brain Coherence
Somatic therapy is an evidence-based approach that helps people heal through the body—not just through talking. At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we guide clients in developing body-based awareness, emotional regulation, and felt safety using techniques that support heart-brain coherence.
Some of the somatic tools we use include:
– Coherence Breathing: A slow, steady breath pattern that synchronizes heart and brain rhythms.
– Heart-Focused Meditation: Directing awareness and gratitude to the heart center to activate the parasympathetic (calming) nervous system.
– Polyvagal-Informed Touch and Movement: Helping the body feel safe enough to downregulate survival responses.
– EMDR and Trauma Resourcing: Integrated with somatic awareness to help discharge trauma stored in the body.
Through these practices, clients learn to anchor in safety, retrain their nervous systems, and build new neural pathways for regulation, resilience, and connection.
The Role of Safety in Trauma Recovery
In trauma recovery, safety isn’t just a concept—it’s a felt sense in the body. Until the nervous system believes it is safe, the brain remains on high alert, interpreting cues of danger even when none are present.
Heart-brain coherence helps establish this foundational safety by shifting the body out of survival mode. With practice, individuals begin to trust their own inner signals again—learning to feel safe feeling.
This shift makes space for deeper healing in other areas:
– Building intimacy without fear
– Navigating conflict without collapse or aggression
– Releasing the need to self-soothe with substances, food, or overwork
– Reconnecting with one’s purpose and aliveness
Healing the Disconnect: Why This Matters for Intimacy and Addiction
Many clients we support at Embodied Wellness and Recovery are healing not only trauma but its ripple effects—intimacy disorders, attachment wounds, and addiction. These issues are all symptoms of a more profound disconnection from the self and the body.
By restoring coherence between the heart and brain, we help clients come home to themselves. From this place of internal alignment, it becomes possible to build relationships based on presence, emotional availability, and embodied love.
A Daily Practice: Try This 3-Minute Heart Coherence Exercise
1. Sit or lie down comfortably.
2. Place a hand over your heart.
3. Inhale for 5 seconds, exhale for 5 seconds, focusing on your breath.
4. As you breathe, imagine your breath flowing in and out of your heart.
5. Once steady, bring to mind a feeling of gratitude, compassion, or love.
6. Stay with this feeling for a few minutes.
This simple practice can rewire your nervous system, one breath at a time. Over time, it helps you become less reactive, more present, and deeply in tune with your body’s wisdom.
You Are Not Broken—Your System Is Just Doing Its Job
If you’re struggling with dysregulation, addiction, or painful relationship patterns, know this: your nervous system is not broken. It’s trying to protect you based on past experiences. But with support, attunement, and somatic practices that promote heart-brain coherence, healing is not only possible—it’s your birthright.
How Embodied Wellness and Recovery Can Help
At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we specialize in trauma-informed, somatic therapy that integrates the latest findings in neuroscience with deep, compassionate presence. Our team of top-rated therapists and somatic practitioners are trained in modalities like EMDR, polyvagal-informed therapy, and somatic experiencing to help you:
– Regulate your nervous system
– Heal from unresolved trauma
– Cultivate meaningful connection and intimacy
– Move from survival to safety, from protection to presence
Whether you're navigating trauma, addiction, or relationship difficulties, our team walks alongside you as you reconnect with your body, your breath, and your truth.
🧘♀️ Ready to experience a more coherent, regulated you?
Contact us today to schedule a free 20-minute consultation with our team of skilled therapists, somatic practitioners, or relationship experts to learn more about our somatic therapy sessions. Let’s begin your journey back to yourself.
📱 Text us at (310) 210-7934
📩 Email us at admin@embodiedwellnessandrecovery.com
🔗 Visit us at www.embodiedwellnessandrecovery.com
👉 Check us out on Instagram @embodied_wellness_and_recovery
🌍 Explore our offerings at Linktr.ee: https://linktr.ee/laurendummit
🧾 References (APA Format)
McCraty, R., Atkinson, M., Tomasino, D., & Bradley, R. T. (2009). The coherent heart: Heart-brain interactions, psychophysiological coherence, and the emergence of system-wide order. Integral Review, 5(2), 10-115.
Porges, S. W. (2011). The polyvagal theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self-regulation. W. W. Norton & Company.
van der Kolk, B. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Viking.