Nervous system regulation at work is foundational to individual and collective success.
When our nervous systems are regulated, we think clearly, collaborate effectively, and access creative solutioning.
When we’re dysregulated, the opposite happens.
We misread intention. We become defensive or protective. We blame or withdraw. Meetings tighten. Innovation shrinks. Accountability turns into fault-finding.
And because emotions are contagious, one activated nervous system can quietly influence an entire room.
But so can a regulated one. 😉
When our nervous system is — or isn’t — regulated, it doesn’t just impact us. It impacts culture, service, and the people we go home to.
There are two states we move through at work — whether we realize it or not.
- Coherence - Being in your midline. In your center. Coming from a clear, grounded place.
- Incoherence - Numb. Shut down. Dissociated. Anxious. Reactive. Frenzied. Hypervigilant. Suppressed.
One builds trust.
The other spreads tension.
Here’s what most teams miss:
When pressure rises, incoherence is not a character flaw.
It’s a nervous system response.
After sustained stress or change, our systems stay on alert. We become guarded. We hold back. We shut down.
Or we double down — pushing harder until our bodies revolt with headaches, tight shoulders, back pain, exhaustion, and symptoms that don’t quite make sense.
Not because we’re weak.
Because we’re wired for survival.
But survival energy is very different from creative energy.
When we’re incoherent, our access to innovation, collaboration, and healthy accountability shrinks.
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You Have to Notice Incoherence Before You Can Disrupt It
The first step is self-awareness.
When you notice you’re scattered, tight, defensive, or withdrawn, that’s not failure.
That’s access.
That’s the doorway back to coherence.
When you feel the swirl — the perseverating thoughts, the emotional wave, the urge to collapse or react — drop out of your mind for a moment and drop into your body.
Where do you feel it?
- Knots in your stomach?
- Heat rising up your neck?
- Tension in your jaw?
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Regulation Starts in the Body
Before you send the email.
Before you respond in the meeting.
Before you shut down or assign blame.
Pause.
Close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Inhale up the front of your body.
Exhale down the back.
Let your exhale be slightly longer than your inhale.
Or shake. Do heel drops. Roll your shoulders. Put one hand on your belly and one on your heart. Hum. Step outside and look at the sky.
The goal isn’t to eliminate emotion.
It’s to be emotionally steadfast — to have your emotions rather than be your emotions.
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Have Your Hard Emotions. Don’t Be Them.
Hard emotions are not the problem. They are information.
The problem arises when we unconsciously spray them onto others.
If you’ve had a rough morning and begin work grumpy, short, or withdrawn — that’s being your emotions. You’re spreading them by the nature of how you’re showing up.
Instead, try this:
“I’ve had a rough morning. I may not be my usual sparkly self today, but I’m committed to getting the work done. And just know, I’m working on it, and if I seem off, it’s not about you.”
That’s having your emotions.
- You acknowledge them.
- You take responsibility for them.
- You prevent emotional spillover.
That’s healthy-culture supporting behavior.
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Remember Team Stability Anchors
Constant change and uncertainty can be destabilizing for the nervous system, causing dysregulation.
Remembering stability anchors restores a sense of shared coherence.
As a team, remember:
- Your shared purpose.
- Your shared commitment to doing good work.
- Who you are for one another.
- Who you are for those you serve.
Stability anchors interrupt doom-casting and bring the team back to center, back to what matters most right now.
Gratitude helps too. It pulls us out of “what if” and back into what is.
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A healthy workplace isn’t one without incoherence.
Incoherence is part of being human.
The differentiator is how quickly a team members notice dysregulation — and return to a calm, clear, authentic, confident center.
When teams build this capacity:
- Tunnel vision gives way to innovation.
- False harmony gives way to honest, elevating truths.
- Drama and gossip give way to kind, candid collaboration.
Coherence is a daily practice.
And it’s wonderfully contagious.
