Understanding Your Nervous System: Insights from Sarah Baldwin
How Your Nervous System Shapes Your Reality
Have you ever wondered why you react the way you do in stressful situations? Or why certain moments seem to overwhelm you while others trigger fight-or-flight responses? Trauma expert and somatic practitioner Sarah Baldwin joined Heal Squad with Maria Menounos to break down the nervous system, how it influences our emotions and reactions, and, most importantly, how to regulate it for a healthier, more balanced life.
Baldwin explains, “You make sense. Every single thing about you—every protective response, every coping strategy—is there to protect you.” Understanding this can help us reframe how we view our reactions and take actionable steps toward emotional regulation.
Understanding the Three Nervous System States
Baldwin describes how our nervous system operates in three primary states:
- Sympathetic (Fight or Flight): Your body mobilizes to escape a perceived threat. This can manifest as anxiety, anger, frustration, or even hyper-productivity.
- Dorsal (Shutdown or Freeze): A state of withdrawal and exhaustion, where life can feel overwhelming and hopeless.
- Ventral (Regulation): The optimal state where you feel grounded, calm, and connected to the present moment.
“Every state is like its own country,” Baldwin says. “If you don’t know where you are, you won’t know how to get where you want to go.”
How to Regulate Your Nervous System
Rather than just “powering through” stress or emotional turbulence, Baldwin shares actionable tools to regulate your nervous system effectively:
For Sympathetic Overload (Fight or Flight Mode):
- Move Your Body: If you’re feeling overwhelmed or angry, sitting still won’t help. Go for a walk, exercise, or complete small physical tasks to release pent-up energy.
- Let Your Body Shake: Instead of resisting nervous energy, allow your body to shake naturally, which helps release stored tension.
- Listen to Matching Music: If you’re feeling amped up, don’t force yourself to listen to calm music—start with something upbeat and gradually transition to something slower.
For Dorsal Shutdown (Freeze Mode):
- Engage Your Senses: Hold an ice cube, run warm water over your hands, or feel the sun on your skin to reconnect with your body.
- Use Breathwork Differently: Instead of slow breathing, try two rapid breaths through the mouth followed by a pause—this introduces small amounts of energy without overwhelming your system.
- Practice Orienting: Identify five things you see, hear, smell, and touch to bring yourself into the present moment.
How to Handle Emotional Triggers in Real-Time
One of the most powerful takeaways from Baldwin’s conversation with Heal Squad is how to manage emotional triggers in daily life. Have you ever received a text that instantly made your blood boil? Instead of reacting immediately, Baldwin suggests:
- Pause Before Responding: Remind yourself that no good comes from reacting in a dysregulated state.
- Engage in a Regulation Practice: Walk, breathe, or hum—whatever helps you release the charged energy.
- Come Back to the Situation When You Feel Centered: When you’re in a ventral (regulated) state, you’ll naturally respond in a way that aligns with your true self, rather than from a place of stress or fear.
Why Parents Need Nervous System Regulation Too
For parents, Baldwin emphasizes the importance of nervous system awareness—not just for their own well-being, but for their children as well. “Nervous systems read nervous systems,” she explains. “Your child picks up on your state more than your words.”
By practicing self-regulation, parents create a calm and stable environment that fosters emotional resilience in their children. Teaching kids simple regulation tools—like deep breathing, swaying, or tapping—helps them navigate their own emotions from an early age.
Your State Creates Your Story
A game-changing insight from Baldwin’s interview is that your nervous system state directly influences your thoughts. When you’re in a fight-or-flight mode, your thoughts will be focused on survival, making you more reactive. When in a dorsal shutdown, your mind might convince you that nothing will ever improve. But when you’re regulated, you see things clearly and respond with wisdom.
“If we don’t regulate first, we end up making life decisions from a dysregulated place,” Baldwin warns. Learning how to tune into your body and shift into regulation can change the way you navigate relationships, work, and stress.
Final Thoughts
Sarah Baldwin’s insights remind us that our nervous system isn’t broken—it’s simply doing its best to protect us. By learning to recognize our patterns and implementing practical regulation tools, we can break free from reactive cycles and move toward a more balanced, peaceful life.
For more healing and wellness tips, be sure to subscribe to Heal Squad with Maria Menounos via YouTube or Apple Podcasts.
