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:

      – Somatic therapy

      – 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.

Living in Overdrive: The Overlooked Link Between Trauma, ADHD, and Nervous System Dysregulation

What is the link between ADHD and chronic sympathetic nervous system activation? Learn how trauma stored in the body can mimic or amplify ADHD symptoms—and how somatic therapy offers hope for regulation and healing.

What Is the Connection Between ADHD and Excess Sympathetic Nervous System Arousal from a Trauma Response Stored in the Body?

Do you often feel constantly “on,” as if your body is revving in high gear—even when you’re exhausted?

Are you easily distracted, reactive, and struggling to sit still, even in moments of supposed rest?

Does your mind race, your body tense, and your sleep disrupted—despite attempts to calm down?

If you resonate with these experiences, you may be living with sympathetic nervous system overactivation—a chronic state of fight-or-flight. For many people diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), especially those with trauma histories, this nervous system dysregulation plays a central yet often overlooked role.

At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we specialize in treating trauma not just cognitively but somatically—understanding how the body stores trauma and how it can influence attention, emotional regulation, and relational safety. This blog will explore the neuroscience behind this phenomenon and offer compassionate, body-based solutions.

Understanding the Sympathetic Nervous System: Your Body’s Accelerator

The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is part of your autonomic nervous system, which regulates involuntary bodily functions like heart rate, digestion, and respiration. When the SNS is activated, it prepares your body for survival—this is the fight-or-flight response:

     – Heart rate increases
     – Breathing becomes shallow
    – Muscles tense
     – Focus narrows on potential threats

This response is adaptive in acute danger. However,  when trauma is unresolved or chronic, the body can remain stuck in a state of sympathetic overdrive, even in the absence of present-day threats.

ADHD and Chronic Nervous System Dysregulation

ADHD is often described as a neurodevelopmental disorder involving challenges with attention, impulsivity, and executive function. But these symptoms don’t occur in a vacuum.

Emerging research reveals that many ADHD symptoms may intersect with trauma-related nervous system dysregulation—particularly sympathetic dominance. Here’s how:

     – Hyperactivity can reflect internal hyperarousal
     – Impulsivity may be a survival response (fight or flee)
    – Inattention can stem from mental exhaustion or dissociation
     – Emotional dysregulation often correlates with a nervous system stuck in high alert

In this light, what we label as ADHD may, for some, be a nervous system adaptation to early life stress, neglect, or trauma.

The Role of Stored Trauma in ADHD-like Symptoms

Trauma is not just a psychological experience—it lives in the body. According to Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, trauma reshapes both the brain and the body, altering how we respond to the world (van der Kolk, 2014).

When trauma is stored in the body, it creates chronic activation of the sympathetic nervous system. Over time, this baseline of hypervigilance can resemble or exacerbate ADHD symptoms:

     – Difficulty sitting still (a body on alert)
     – Scattered attention (focus hijacked by perceived threat)
    – Interrupting or talking over others (survival-driven impulsivity)
     – Trouble sleeping (anxiety lodged in the nervous system)

It’s not that ADHD and trauma are the same, but in many cases, ADHD, like behaviors may reflect trauma responses embedded in the body’s physiology.

The Window of Tolerance: When Regulation Is Out of Reach

Trauma reduces our “window of tolerance”—the range of nervous system states within which we can function optimally. In ADHD and trauma, individuals may fluctuate between:

     – Hyperarousal (sympathetic state): anxiety, agitation, panic, anger
     – Hypoarousal (parasympathetic collapse): fatigue, freeze, disconnection

This leads to internal chaos that can look like classic ADHD but is, at its root, a nervous system attempting to protect you.

The ADHD–Trauma Overlap: Misdiagnosis and Missed Opportunities

This overlap raises essential questions:

      – What if ADHD isn’t just a brain-based disorder but also a trauma-informed adaptation?
     – Could somatic healing of the nervous system reduce or recalibrate ADHD symptoms?
      – Are we treating attention problems with stimulants when the underlying issue is unresolved trauma?

It’s crucial not to pathologize survival strategies. What may look like disorganization or distractibility might actually be your body doing its best to stay safe.

Hope and Healing Through Somatic and Trauma-Informed Therapy

The good news is that neuroplasticity—the brain and body’s ability to rewire—offers hope. At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we take a holistic approach to ADHD and trauma, integrating:

      – Somatic Experiencing: Gently releases stored trauma through body-based awareness and movement
     – Polyvagal-informed therapy: Builds nervous system regulation and expands the window of tolerance
     – EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing): Reprocesses traumatic memories that keep the nervous system stuck
      – Trauma-Sensitive Yoga & Breathwork: Helps the body downshift from sympathetic to parasympathetic states
    – Mindfulness and lifestyle interventions: Encourage slower pacing, grounding, and body trust

Healing isn’t about fixing what’s broken. It’s about reconnecting with what’s always been wise within you.

Practical Tools to Soothe a Sympathetically Charged Nervous System

If you’re experiencing chronic stress, ADHD symptoms, or trauma responses, here are a few nervous system-friendly practices to begin with:

     – Walk more slowly throughout the day
    – Eat meals without distractions
     – Practice deep, diaphragmatic breathing
     – Spend time in nature daily
     – Limit digital stimulation
     – Hold a warm object (mug, heat pack) to signal safety to your body

Each small act of slowness tells your nervous system: You are safe now.

You’re Not Alone—and You’re Not “Too Much”

So many individuals, especially those with trauma histories, feel shame around their ADHD symptoms—believing they’re too scattered, too intense, and too emotional. But what if your body is simply doing its best to protect you?

At Embodied Wellness and Recovery, we see through the lens of compassion and neuroscience. You’re not defective. You’re a brilliant, adaptive human whose body has learned how to survive. And now—with the proper support—it can learn how to thrive.

If This Resonates…

If you’re wondering whether your ADHD symptoms might be linked to unresolved trauma or nervous system dysregulation, we invite you to reach out to schedule a free 20-minute consultation. Whether through 1:1 somatic therapy, EMDR intensives, or trauma-informed coaching, we’re here to support your healing.

You don’t have to live in overdrive. Let us help you restore balance, calm, and self-trust.

📍 Serving Los Angeles, Nashville, and clients nationwide (via telehealth)

📞 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

Levine, P. A. (2010). In an Unspoken Voice: How the body releases trauma and restores goodness. North Atlantic Books.

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. Penguin Books.