Toolkit for an Overactive Nervous System

Is Your Nervous System Always On Alert? Do you startle easily, struggle to sleep, or feel anxious even when nothing’s wrong? You may have an overactive nervous system, a common result of chronic stress or unresolved trauma.

An overactive nervous system is often triggered by chronic stress, anxiety, or trauma, keeps the body stuck in a constant state of alert, also known as “fight, flight, or freeze.” This dysregulation can lead to being easily startled, difficulty sleeping, muscle tension, and feeling anxious for no clear reason. According to Harvard Health, “When your sympathetic nervous system is activated too often, it can have long-term effects on your mental and physical health” (Harvard Health Publishing, 2020). 

Fortunately, techniques like breathwork, vagus nerve stimulation, somatic therapy, and mindfulness practices can help rebalance the nervous system. Resources like The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, and apps such as Insight Timer or Curable, offer tools to support nervous system healing and emotional regulation.

This Calming Plan is designed to help soothe an overactive nervous system, reduce the startle response, and support restful, uninterrupted sleep. Many people experiencing chronic stress, anxiety, or past trauma find themselves feeling on edge, jumpy during the day and restless at night. This guide offers practical, science-backed tools you can use daily to retrain your mind and body to feel safe, calm, and grounded. With consistent use, you can begin to sleep peacefully, wake with less anxiety, and feel more in control of your emotional well-being.

Be patient with yourself. Healing the nervous system is like training a wild horse to trust again. It takes gentle repetition, nervous system nourishment, and safe environments, but it works. Even 2–3 weeks of consistent practice can bring major changes in how you feel.

• Morning (5–10 min): Cold water face splash or shower (activates vagus nerve), Deep belly breathing (inhale 4, hold 4, exhale 6–8), Say: “I am safe. I am grounded. My body is healing.”
• Evening (20–30 min): No screens or stressors 1 hour before bed, Gentle stretching, yoga, or somatic shaking to release stored tension, Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR): Tense and release each muscle group from toes to head, Sleep meditation, binaural beats, or calming music (see resources below).

• Humming, singing, gargling, cold exposure, deep breathing—all help activate your parasympathetic system.
• Try 5 minutes of slow resonance breathing: 6 breaths per minute (inhale 5 sec, exhale 5 sec).

Supplements (consult doctor): Magnesium glycinate, L-theanine, ashwagandha, sleepy tea, CBD, or melatonin. Use a weighted blanket or body pillow for grounding touch (mimics safety). Try calming scents like lavender or chamomile. Meditation, self-hypnosis, relaxing music.

1. Tapping (EFT) for Feeling Safe - Tap on key acupoints (top of head, eyebrow, under eye, etc.) while saying: “Even though I feel nervous, I am safe now. I choose to feel calm and peaceful.”

2. Safe Place Visualization (before bed) - Close your eyes. Imagine a place where you feel completely safe. Add sights, sounds, smells, temperature. Visit this place nightly until your brain begins to automatically go there when stressed.

3. Reprogram Thoughts - Write affirmations or “power thoughts” and repeat: “My body knows how to relax.” “I sleep peacefully and wake refreshed.” “I am no longer in danger. I am safe now.”

If your startle response or anxious sleep is tied to past trauma, unresolved grief, or ongoing life stress, you may benefit from: 

• Somatic therapy (healing stored body tension)
• EMDR (to reprocess trauma memories)
• Trauma-informed yoga or meditation
• Therapeutic journaling: “When did I start feeling this nervous?” “What helps me feel safe now?”