From Stuck to Safe: Eva's 17 Small Nervous System Regulation Tips
- Justin Sunseri, LMFT
- May 13, 2025
- 5 min read
Updated: Apr 30
Finding the Right Path to Getting Unstuck: Eva's Journey
You've probably spent a lot of time trying to get unstuck, often with mixed results. Maybe you've tried therapy, gone on retreats, attended webinars, or joined multiple Facebook groups. You're in search of the thing that gets you unstuck—the hack, the reset, or the magical solution. Am I wrong?
But there is no quick fix. It's usually a slow process. Unstucking will likely require a combination of approaches.
Eva's success story focuses on this very idea. She successfully raised her Safety Baseline from 2/10 to 7/10 in about six months. She accomplished this through a combination of small, practical steps that anyone can take.
Jump to a section:
Safety is the Priority
Understanding Your Inner Landscape
Somatic & Mindful Engagement
Building Your Support System
Consistent Habits & Tools
Your Path Forward
Nervous System Regulation Tip 0: Safety is the Priority
Eva's 17 nervous system regulation tips assisted her in coming out of shutdown. They can be beneficial for anyone stuck in a defensive state. Safety is required to overcome any stuck defensive state.
A strong foundation of safety is crucial to getting unstuck. By practicing feeling safe, you strengthen your ventral vagal pathways from your brainstem. As these pathways grow stronger, your body's ability to self-regulate improves.
Many of Eva's tips directly relate to safety practices.
Nervous System Regulation Tips: Understanding Your Inner Landscape
Before diving into external actions, it's essential to start internally. Understanding your inner landscape—how your nervous system responds and why—forms the foundation for lasting change.
Individual pieces won't unstuck you on their own. However, by identifying what's happening within and grasping the science behind it, you create a framework for moving from defense to genuine safety and regulation.
Name Your State: The first powerful step is often simple: acknowledge and name your defensive state (such as flight, fight, or shutdown). For Eva, understanding that her body wasn't broken but was trying to protect her was transformative.
Learn how to easily identify your Polyvagal state >
Learn the "Why" (Polyvagal Theory): Educate yourself about the science of safety and connection. Understanding why your body reacts can shift your focus from self-blame to building safety.
Learn the Polyvagal Theory basics for free >
Reframe Setbacks: See setbacks as signals, not failures. They are integral to your healing journey, prompting a return to your toolkit with kindness instead of self-criticism.
Learn how to validate and normalize your experiences >
Nervous System Regulation Tips: Somatic & Mindful Engagement
Once you begin to grasp your nervous system's 'what' and 'why', the next step is to gently engage with your body and present moment.
These tips focus on practical techniques that connect directly with your physical sensations and emotions. Create small, mindful moments of connection.
By learning to listen to your body and engage your senses from a place of safety, you build a new, grounded relationship with your inner world.
Start Small with Somatic Exercises: Begin with gentle practices. Think of orienting to your environment or taking calming, deep breaths.
Body First, Story Later: Your path to safety often lies in your physical experiences. Instead of overthinking, find something that makes your body feel safe—a blanket, tea, or a pet's presence.
Start with your environment and passive safety cues >
Gentle Movement: If you're in shutdown, intense exercise can feel overwhelming. Instead, opt for gentle movement. A short, 5-10 minute Tai Chi session is grounding.
Connect Through Your Senses: Mindfully engage one of your senses for 30 seconds. Focus on the scent of an orange, the texture of a leaf, or the sound of soft music. Notice its effect on your body.
Permit Your Emotions: Instead of banishing difficult feelings, allow them to exist beside your safety practices.
Mindfully Experience Feelings (from Safety): As you create safety, start connecting with non-safe feelings directly. This makes the emotions easier to handle, fostering deeper regulation.
Build Your Small Self-Regulation Habits Today
Many of Eva's tips originated from mindfulness challenges within the Unstucking Academy. This program offers ways to foster mindful connections with yourself and others. Start today by building your safety state through small practices, taking courses from Justin, and connecting with like-minded individuals.
Nervous System Regulation Tips: Building Your Support System
While the journey to nervous system regulation is personal, you don’t have to walk it alone. Our biology thrives on connection, and supportive relationships can catalyze healing.
These tips detail how to deliberately cultivate a support system—through community, professional guidance, or trusted connections. This will provide the co-regulation and encouragement needed for getting unstuck.
Engage with Community: Share your journey and learn from others. Being part of a supportive community takes away the feeling of isolation.
Learn about the Unstucking Academy >
Seek Professional Guidance: Consider finding a trauma-informed therapist versed in somatic approaches and Polyvagal Theory.
Learn about working with Justin >
Practice Co-Regulation: Enlist a trusted friend for co-regulation practices, like walking in nature together.
Nervous System Regulation Tips: Consistent Habits & Tools
Understanding your nervous system, engaging somatically, and building a support network are critical. However, the true transformation occurs when insights become daily routines.
Eva's final tips focus on establishing consistent habits and leveraging practical tools that transform occasional efforts into sustainable paths toward regulation and well-being.
Take Immediate Micro-Actions: Don’t wait. Begin with tiny, actionable steps. Build a toolkit of "micro-practices" for daily use.
Journal Your States: Shift your focus from moods to documenting your Polyvagal states and perceived safety levels.
Read Validating Material: Explore books that resonate with your experience and deepen your understanding of trauma and healing.
Establish Daily Safety Rituals: Create daily habits that signal to your nervous system that it’s safe.
Curate Your Content: Be selective about the information you consume. Balance potentially triggering content with supportive inputs.
Eva spent time in her closet with Justin's podcast >
Your Path Forward
Increasing your safety baseline is a dedicated journey, taken one small step at a time. It’s about consistent practice, self-compassion, and building your personal toolkit. Like Eva, who ascended from a 2/10 to a 7/10 in safety, you can cultivate a greater sense of calm and connection in your life.
You don’t have to tackle everything at once. Choose one small, manageable step from this list and begin. You have the ability to start, and each small step is progress on your road to feeling less stuck and more authentically yourself.
Q&A
What is Eva's first nervous system regulation tip?
Eva's first tip is to acknowledge and name the defensive state you're in, such as flight, fight, or shutdown. Understanding that your body isn't broken but is merely trying to protect you can be a transformative realization.
How can one start engaging with their body and present-moment experience?
Begin with brief, gentle somatic practices like mouth-breathing, gazing softly, or practicing prolonged exhales. These small efforts can significantly help in connecting with your physical sensations and emotions.
What role does community play in the journey to nervous system regulation?
Engaging with a supportive community can alleviate feelings of isolation and normalize your experiences. Sharing your journey and gaining insights from others can accelerate your healing process. The Unstucking Academy is a community focused on helping individuals navigate their journey to getting unstuck.
Quotes from this Blog:
You need a strong foundation of safety to get unstuck. As you practice feeling safe, you build the strength of your ventral vagal safety pathways from your brainstem.
Understanding your inner landscape – how your nervous system reacts and why – is key to unlocking lasting change.
Our biology is wired for connection, and nurturing supportive relationships can effectively catalyze healing and growth.
Author Bio:
Justin Sunseri is a licensed therapist and coach specializing in trauma relief. He hosts the Stuck Not Broken podcast and authored the Stuck Not Broken book series. Justin is passionate about the Polyvagal Theory and serves on the Polyvagal Institute's Editorial Board, focusing on helping individuals become "unstuck" from their defensive states.
