How to Reset Your Nervous System After Dieting, Stress, or Burnout
Have you ever felt like your body is stuck in overdrive? Anxious, tense, and exhausted all at once?
If you’ve been in a season of chronic dieting, intense prep, emotional stress, or simply “go-go-go” energy, chances are your nervous system is dysregulated. Even when you’re no longer under immediate pressure, your body might still feel unsafe, alert, or disconnected.
This is your nervous system doing its job, but we want to work on bringing it back into balance.
In this post, we’ll break down:
What your nervous system is and how it works
Signs your nervous system needs support
Six simple and powerful ways to regulate and reset your system
How this healing process supports your body, hormones, and long-term health
What Is the Nervous System?
Your nervous system is your body's communication and regulation center. It tells you when to act, when to rest, and how to respond to the world around you.
It’s made up of two main parts:
1. The Sympathetic Nervous System (Fight or flight mode)
This activates when your body perceives stress or danger — even if the "threat" is emotional or subtle, like under-eating, lack of sleep, or high-pressure goals.
It’s useful for short bursts. But living here chronically = burnout, fatigue, hormonal chaos.
2. The Parasympathetic Nervous System (Rest and digest mode)
This is where true healing, digestion, recovery, and hormonal balance happen.
We want to spend more time here — but for many women post-dieting or stress, this feels foreign.
Signs Your Nervous System is Dysregulated
If you’ve been stuck in high-stress or survival mode for too long, your body might be showing signs like:
Trouble sleeping or relaxing
Always feeling “on edge” or emotionally drained
Digestive issues (bloating, constipation, loss of appetite)
Hormonal imbalances or irregular cycles
Weight gain despite healthy habits
Feeling disconnected from your body or intuition
Compulsive overthinking, fear, or pressure around food
If you are experiencing any of these signs, your body is in protection mode, and we can shift that - don’t worry! Our bodies are so resilient and can heal from just about anything if we give it the environment to do so.
6 Ways to Reset and Regulate Your Nervous System
1. Sleep & Rest
Your body needs to feel safe enough to slow down. Sleep will be very important to reset and recover, and it is important we practice allowing ourselves to slow down and rest. Rest might feel difficult coming out of fight or flight, so it may be something you need to practice.
2. Slow Down & Being Present
If you've lived by a strict prep schedule or hustle culture, slowing down can feel wrong, but it's exactly what your nervous system needs. Do this by eating your meals slowly, being present with those around you, and tuning into your 5 senses to bring you back into the present moment.
3. Spend Time in Nature
Nature is one of the most powerful and free regulators available. It grounds your energy, calms the mind, and re-centers the body. Try barefoot grounding in the grass or sand, daily walks with no podcast or phone, or watching a sunset or sunrise. There is beauty all around us! Take advantage of this free and healing tool.
4. Nourish with Enough Food & Hydration
If you've been under-eating or restricting, your body still thinks it's in danger. To feel safe, it needs steady, balanced nourishment. Eat balanced and nourishing meals 3–5x/day, add minerals/electrolytes to water to hydrate on a cellular level, and please stop skipping meals — fuel is safety, and your body needs to know it is safe.
5. Journal for Emotional Regulation
Journaling helps shift your mind out of chaos and into clarity. When your brain slows down, your body follows.
6. Connect to Regulate
We’re not meant to heal alone. Safe relationships are powerful regulators. A lot of us are struggling to find true connection, which does impact our health and happiness. Share your feelings with a trusted friend or coach, try voice memo’s instead of texting, find supportive groups, retreats, or programs (fun fact - I offer all of these if you need a safe space to connect).
When your nervous system feels safe, everything in your body works better. Your hormones rebalance, your digestion improves, and your energy returns. Healing in this way isn’t just about feeling calm, but it’s about creating long-term health, restoring your strength, and allowing your body to truly thrive. If you’re craving structured support to rebuild your health and mindset from the inside out, explore the next round of Empower HER, my signature program for healing, strength, and alignment. More details on my website.
