Your Body’s Survival System: A Guide to Making the Most of It

Written By Jen McNaughton

When you’re feeling on edge, frozen, or disconnected, it might help to know these reactions aren’t failings—they’re your body’s survival system doing its job. Understanding how your nervous system responds to stress can offer powerful, compassionate ways to navigate tough times more smoothly.

The Three States of Your Nervous System

According to Polyvagal Theory, your autonomic nervous system is made up of three key states—each with its own purpose in survival and connection, shaped through evolution.jfsdigital.org+4PMC+4denvermetrocounseling.com+4

1. Ventral Vagal (Safe & Connected)

This is your grounded, social-friendly state. When you feel calm, connected, and open to others, you're in ventral vagal. Physically, your heart rate is regulated, your breathing is steady, and you can engage comfortably.PMC+2denvermetrocounseling.com+2
What it’s like: You feel present—able to talk, listen, and respond with ease. Even a warm conversation can help shift you into this state.

2. Sympathetic (Mobilized & Alert)

This is your “fight-or-flight” mode—activated when danger is detected. Your heart pounds, your body tenses, and adrenaline surges to help you react. It can also show up as restlessness or anxiety, even when real danger isn’t present.PMC+1
What it’s like: Worry, racing thoughts, tight muscles, a sense you must do something—anything—to escape the pressure.

3. Dorsal Vagal (Shut Down & Disconnected)

If the threat feels overwhelming or inescapable, your system may go into dorsal vagal—an immobilized, collapsed state. It’s a primitive defense of shutting down internally rather than facing the threat.Verywell Mind+4Semantic Scholar+4Aldebaran Healing+4
What it’s like: Feeling numb, frozen, exhausted, or emotionally distant—like you can’t muster the energy to move or feel.

Why This Matters When Life Feels Hard

Your nervous system isn't broken—it's built to survive. But when you're stuck in high-alert or shutdown, it can feel unbearable. The good news? You can support yourself back toward connection and balance.

Tools to Gently Regulate Your System

These practices honor your body's survival system and help gently shift from dysregulation toward safety and connection.

1. Slow Diaphragmatic Breathing

Deep, belly-centered breathing activates the parasympathetic system—signaling the body that it’s safe. Studies show that short sessions of guided breathing meaningfully lower anxiety and stress hormones while improving focus.
Try this: Breathe in slowly through your nose (count to 4), let your belly rise, then exhale through your mouth (count to 6). Repeat for a few minutes.

2. Mindfulness & Present-Moment Awareness

Mindfulness helps you step out of reactive loops by gently observing thoughts and sensations without judgment. Meta-analyses consistently show mindfulness-based programs reduce anxiety symptoms in many populations.
Try this: Choose one sensation—maybe the feel of your feet grounding you—and spend a minute fully attending to it, gently returning attention when it wanders.

3. Grounding Through the Body

Movement helps discharge aching activation from the nervous system. Simple actions like stretching, walking, or shaking out your limbs support nervous system regulation, easing a sense of overwhelm.
Try this: Stand firmly, press your feet down, roll your shoulders back three times, then forward three times—notice how your body responds.

4. Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)

Stress can often hide in tight muscles. PMR brings awareness and relief by intentionally tensing and releasing muscles. Research shows improvements in markers like heart rate and blood pressure.
Try this: Starting with your hands, tense into fists for five seconds, then release and feel the difference. Repeat through arms, shoulders, jaw, and legs.

5. Social Support & Co-Regulation

Human connection naturally regulates our nervous systems. Safe, supportive interactions—even brief ones—can activate the ventral vagal system of calm and resilience.
Try this: Reach out to a trusted friend, share a moment or a smile, and notice how short, warm exchanges shift your body’s state.

6. Nature & Sensory Regulation

Natural elements—like sunlight, fresh air, or the sound of leaves—stimulate safety signals in the brain. Exposure to nature is linked to lower anxiety, reduced cortisol, and enhanced mood.
Try this: Step outside, notice three things you can see, hear, and feel. Let nature's textures quietly bring ease.

7. Writing to Externalize Worry

Putting anxious thoughts on paper can reduce their power. Studies affirm that expressive writing calms stress by engaging meaning-making brain regions and fostering a sense of organization.
Try this: Write freely for five minutes about what’s weighing on you—no editing. Pause and take deep breaths before revisiting or closing the page.

Internal Family Systems (IFS): A Nervous System-Regulating Approach

IFS is more than talk therapy—it supports nervous system balance by reconnecting with a calm, compassionate inner Self.

  • Self-Leadership Calms the System
    IFS invites you to access your Self—a core calm, curious, compassionate presence—and lead from there. This grounded Self-energy aligns with the ventral vagal state, helping the nervous system feel safe and accessible.([turn0search10])

  • Research Evidence
    A pilot study on IFS for PTSD found marked improvements in trauma, anxiety, symptoms, and interoceptive awareness—suggesting IFS helps you reconnect with how your body feels and restores internal safety.([turn0search6])

  • Trauma Healing & Nervous System Stability
    IFS supports healing by validating internal parts, nurturing self-regulation, and inviting parts to release what no longer serves them—all of which create internal safety, coherence, and regulation.

At Arnica Mental Health

We understand these states not as character flaws—but survival tools. Our clinicians are trained to help you recognize which state you’re in and gently guide your system back toward regulation. Whether through breathing tools, trauma-informed somatic approaches, or relational connection, we help you move through stress with more ease, clarity, and safety.

References

Jen McNaughton
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