Regaining Control: Overcoming Dysregulation

In times of uncertainty and upheaval, emotional regulation can feel impossible. The political climate, social unrest, and constant flood of information create a state of chronic stress, leaving many feeling emotionally drained and on edge. Dysregulation—the inability to manage emotional responses effectively—has become a widespread experience, affecting both neurodivergent and neurotypical individuals alike.

For those with ADHD, autism, sensory processing differences, or other neurological variations, dysregulation isn’t just an occasional challenge; it’s a daily battle. The world is loud, overwhelming, unpredictable, and often built for a brain that processes information differently than yours.

Regaining control doesn’t mean forcing yourself to fit into external expectations. It means understanding your unique triggers, recognizing the moments when you start to spiral, and building strategies that actually work for your mind and body.

The Sensory Reset Method is designed to help you get back to baseline when you’re overstimulated, emotionally flooded, or stuck in fight-or-flight mode. This is about regulation—not suppression—so that you can function at your best without feeling like you’re constantly at war with yourself. For many, emotional regulation is a skill that can be refined over time. But for neurodivergent individuals—those with ADHD, autism, sensory processing differences, or other neurological variations—dysregulation isn’t just an occasional challenge. It can be a daily battle. The world is loud, overwhelming, unpredictable, and often built for a brain that processes information differently than yours.

Regaining control doesn’t mean forcing yourself to fit into neurotypical expectations. It means understanding your unique triggers, recognizing the moments when you start to spiral, and building strategies that actually work for your mind and body.

The Sensory Reset Method is designed to help you get back to baseline when you’re overstimulated, emotionally flooded, or stuck in fight-or-flight mode. This is about regulation—not suppression—so that you can function at your best without feeling like you’re constantly at war with yourself.

The Sensory Reset Method

Objective: Develop a personalized toolkit to help you regulate emotional and sensory overload in real time.

Instructions:

1. Identify your primary sensory triggers. Are you more sensitive to sound, touch, light, movement, or unpredictability? Understanding which stimuli push you toward dysregulation is the first step.

2. Create an emergency grounding technique. Choose one sensory-based method that helps bring you back to center—deep pressure, white noise, cold exposure, rhythmic movement, or a weighted object.

3. Establish a go-to reset space. Whether it’s a quiet room, a dark corner, or a specific object you carry with you, have a designated space where you can regulate.

4. Use a 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique. When you feel yourself spiraling, anchor yourself by naming:

   • 5 things you can see

   • 4 things you can touch

   • 3 things you can hear

   • 2 things you can smell

   • 1 thing you can taste

5. Track your regulation patterns. Keep a log of what methods work best for you in different situations—public spaces, high-stress environments, or social interactions.

Why This Works

Dysregulation isn’t just about emotions—it’s about neurological overload. When your brain is overstimulated, the rational part of your mind (the prefrontal cortex) takes a backseat, and your survival instincts take over. By engaging your senses intentionally, you can override the panic response and bring yourself back to a state where thinking clearly is possible.

Going Deeper

• Level 1: Start by identifying what overstimulates you the most and notice how your body reacts.

• Level 2: Experiment with different regulation techniques to see which ones help you recover the fastest.

• Level 3: Develop a proactive strategy—adjust lighting, sound, and movement in your environment to prevent dysregulation before it starts.

Reflection Questions

1. What are your top three triggers for dysregulation?

2. What is one grounding technique that has worked for you in the past?

3. How does your body signal that you are becoming overstimulated?

4. What small adjustments could you make to your daily routine to reduce sensory overwhelm?

Conclusion

Emotional and sensory regulation isn’t about forcing yourself into stillness—it’s about learning to navigate the world with the brain you have, not the one society expects you to have. The Sensory Reset Method is just one way to reclaim control, but the key is to build a system that works for you.

This is just one exercise from Mens, Corpus, Anima, the first book in the Codex Heretica. If you’re ready to explore deeper strategies on resilience, emotional regulation, and self-mastery, dive into the book’s chapters and build a system that helps you thrive. Your mind is not the enemy. Learn to work with it, not against it.