You might understand why you feel anxious, low, or stuck re-experiencing difficulties from the past, and have a number of concrete strategies to soften those experiences. However, you might still find your body responding as though it’s bracing for distress, feeling heavy or on edge. Much of how we experience the world is shaped by our nervous system — how we respond to stress, connect with others, and feel safe or unsafe in our own bodies. Even when we’re not fully aware of it, the body holds the stories of what we’ve lived through – the stress that lingers in our breath, the tension in our shoulders, the flutter in our chest when we feel uncertain.
When our nervous system feels more balanced, it can become easier to think clearly, regulate our emotions, and stay connected. When our nervous systems are overwhelmed or dysregulated, even ordinary moments may start to feel like too much, and we can experience burnout, anxiety or general distress.
As we notice the ways our body speaks, we come to understand that emotional pain isn’t just “in our heads” — it also lives in the places where we’ve learned to brace, hold, and protect ourselves. Our automatic responses — fight, flight, freeze, or connection — are intelligent survival strategies. The nervous system is always working to protect us. From this lens, experiences like anxiety, shutdown, or emotional reactivity can be seen as signals from the body — messages about safety, connection, and overwhelm.
Therapy with the right kind of mental health professional can provide a space to gently reconnect with the body — to slow down, notice, and begin to make sense of what it’s been carrying. As we tune into this connection, we open up the possibility of feeling more at home within ourselves. We can learn to collaborate with our nervous system: listening to its signals, recognizing its patterns, and gently guiding it toward safety and connection when possible.
Practices like gentle awareness, grounding, movement, or breath can help the nervous system begin to find its way toward balance. This isn’t about forcing relaxation or pushing through discomfort, but about slowly teaching the body that safety is possible in the present moment — and reconnecting with your innate capacity for self-regulation.
The over 70 clinicians at CFIR provide high quality therapy to help you gain more awareness to, and capacity to better regulate your nervous system in support of your mental health. Help is available to help you become a stronger, more resilient self, and to strengthen your relationships.
Juliana Riffat is a Registered Psychotherapist at the Centre for Interpersonal Relationships (CFIR) in Toronto. She works with children aged 8 years and older, teens, adults, and parents, supporting individuals and families navigating a range of emotional, relational, and developmental challenges. Juliana believes that healing begins with understanding and connection — that by attuning to the body’s quiet signals and the stories that shape our inner world, we can begin to restore a sense of safety and trust in ourselves.
Her approach is holistic and integrative, drawing from many approaches such as psychodynamic, attachment-based, somatic, and trauma-informed frameworks. Juliana brings warmth, curiosity, and care to her work, creating a collaborative space where healing can unfold at each client’s own pace.
References:
Dana, D. (2023). Polyvagal practices: Anchoring the self in safety. W. W. Norton & Company.
