The Nervous System: New Frontier in Wellbeing
- Calmfidence Council
- Oct 14
- 4 min read
Written by Zelda F. Vilmar, Founder, Advisor, and Calmfidence Council Member
We are living in a culture that celebrates control: biohacks, morning routines, to-do lists, clean eating, discipline, productivity. These strategies promise clarity, success, and even peace, but many people still feel burned out, anxious, and stuck.
Why? Because we have been trained to approach wellbeing as a mental exercise. Fix your mindset. Reframe your thoughts. Push harder.
The truth is, when your nervous system is dysregulated, mindset can only take you so far.
Research confirms that how we feel is not just about what we think. It is about what our body is doing beneath awareness—heart rate, vagal tone, breath patterns, stress hormones (McEwen, 2004). Wellbeing is not just a mindset. It is a physiological state.
Its not just about willpower anymore!
Regulation Is the Root
At the centre of this conversation is your autonomic nervous system, which governs everything from digestion to heart rate to immune function. It constantly scans the environment, asking: Am I safe, or am I in danger?
When the answer is “safe,” the body enters parasympathetic mode. Breathing deepens. Digestion flows. Thoughts are clear. Connection with others feels easy.
When threat is perceived—even subtle, like a loud noise, cold email, or tight deadline—the system shifts into sympathetic arousal (fight or flight) or dorsal vagal shutdown (freeze).
These shifts are biological, not moral. You are not weak or undisciplined. Your body is doing what it evolved to do.
According to Polyvagal theory (Porges, 2011), the nervous system constantly moves between these states. Wellbeing is not staying relaxed all the time, it is developing autonomic flexibility: the ability to return to calm after stress.
What It Feels Like to Be Regulated
You know regulation when you feel it: deeper breathing, presence in the moment, grounded yet alert. You respond instead of react.
Psychotherapist Deb Dana explains: regulation is the foundation for focus, healing, emotional resilience, even intimacy (Dana, 2018).
Without it, the body interprets the world through survival. With it, there is choice and connection.
You cannot feel calm in your mind if your body is still in defence mode.
You Cannot Think Your Way to Safety
We often try to solve dysregulation with intellect: journaling, analysis, goal-setting. These live in the cognitive brain. Regulation happens deeper, in the body.
“The fastest way to shift your state is through your body, not your thoughts.” — Dr Andrew Huberman, 2021
Practices like breathwork, cold exposure, movement, and co-regulation with safe people speak the language of the body. Even lengthening your exhale increases parasympathetic tone, slowing the heart rate and signalling safety to the brain.
Practical Tools to Support Your Nervous System
You do not need expensive programmes or extreme interventions. Start with what is simple, accessible, and consistent:
Diaphragmatic breathing: Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds, exhale through your mouth for 6.
Morning sunlight: Exposure within 30–60 minutes of waking helps regulate cortisol (Huberman, 2021).
Gentle movement: Walking, stretching, or slow yoga discharges sympathetic energy.
Cold exposure: A 30-second cold shower can increase vagal tone.
Soothing sound: Certain frequencies stimulate the vagus nerve via the ear.
Human connection: A calm conversation with someone safe is one of the strongest regulators.
Regulation Is the Soil Where Everything Else Grows
Meditating, concentrating, eating mindfully, or showing up with kindness is harder when the nervous system is in protection mode. Regulation is the missing link.
When you prioritise safety in your body, everything else begins to shift. Energy stabilises. Decisions feel clearer. Motivation is no longer chased—you trust momentum instead.
The Nervous System in Modern Life
Modern life bombards us with micro-stressors: notifications, noise, social pressure, urgency. Even joyful events can keep us in low-grade alert. Chronic stress impacts immunity, gut health, and accelerates ageing (McEwen, 2004).
And yet, most of us are never taught how to regulate. We are taught to push through, distract, or numb.
Calm is not the absence of problems. It is internal safety. The ability to stay connected with yourself, breathe fully in uncertainty, and rest without guilt. Calm is a relationship, not a destination.
You Deserve to Feel Safe in Your Own Body
Your body is not broken. Anxiety, fatigue, or tension are not weaknesses—they are signals. Listening to them allows you to work with your body, not against it.
The promise of nervous system work: less resistance, more clarity, and a foundation of calm that is no longer conditional.
References
Dana, D. (2018). The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy. Norton & Company.
Huberman, A. (2021). Huberman Lab Podcast.
McEwen, B. S. (2004). Protection and damage from acute and chronic stress. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1032(1), 1–7.
Porges, S. W. (2011). The Polyvagal Theory. Norton & Company.
Wiest, B. (2020). The Mountain Is You. Thought Catalog Books.
About the Author
Zelda F. Vilmar is a Founder and trusted Advisor specialising in longevity, Decentralised Science (DeSci), and digital innovation. She brings a wealth of international leadership experience, blending strategic vision, brand development, and emerging technologies. Zelda’s insights remind us that true biohacking begins with presence, not pressure.
Connect with Zelda
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