You’ve likely heard us say it before: humans are whole beings, and we believe in caring for them that way. But beyond that belief, we want to understand how to intentionally support the body as an integrated system — physically, emotionally, and mentally. In this post, we’ll explore the nervous system: what it is, how it becomes dysregulated, and practical ways to support it. And as always, we’ll approach it holistically — because true wellness considers the whole person.
What is the nervous system
“The nervous system is the complex network of specialized cells and tissues that coordinate the body’s activities by transmitting signals to and from different parts of the body. It is responsible for perceiving sensory stimuli, processing information, and generating responses that maintain homeostasis and support functions such as movement, thought, emotion, and autonomic regulation.
This system consists of two major anatomical divisions: the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Functionally, it is further classified into the somatic (voluntary) and autonomic (involuntary) systems, with the autonomic system including the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches.” (1)
How is the nervous system connected to the whole body
“Your nervous system plays a role in everything you do. The nervous system regulates complicated processes like thoughts and memory. It also plays an essential role in the things your body does without thinking, like blushing, sweating, and blinking.
Your nervous system’s main function is to send messages from various parts of your body to your brain, and from your brain back out to your body to tell your body what to do. These messages regulate your:
– Thoughts, memory, learning and feelings.
– Movements (balance and coordination).
– Senses (how your brain interprets what you see, hear, taste, smell, touch and feel).
– Wound healing.
– Sleep.
– Heartbeat and breathing patterns.
– Response to stressful situations, including sweat production.
– Digestion.
– Body processes, such as puberty and aging.” (2)
The involuntary nervous system expanded further
“The involuntary nervous system is made up of three parts:
– The sympathetic nervous system
– The parasympathetic nervous system
– The enteric (gastrointestinal) nervous system
The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems usually do opposite things in the body. The sympathetic nervous system prepares your body for physical and mental activity. It makes your heart beat faster and stronger, opens your airways so you can breathe more easily, and inhibits digestion.
The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for bodily functions when we are at rest: it stimulates digestion, activates various metabolic processes and helps us to relax. But the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems do not always work in opposite directions; they sometimes complement each other too.
The enteric nervous system is a separate nervous system for the bowel, which, to a great extent, autonomously regulates bowel motility in digestion.” (3)
The nervous system and the limbic system are deeply interconnected, making it difficult to distinguish where one begins and the other ends. The limbic system is often referred to as the emotional center of the brain, as it plays a key role in processing feelings, memory, and motivation. You experience it in action when you feel pleasure while eating certain foods or when your heart rate and blood pressure rise in response to emotional stress.
The limbic system
The limbic system can be divided into specific parts of the brain.
“Hypothalamus: The hypothalamus produces hormones, helps you sleep, and manages your mood, hunger and thirst, sexual arousal, blood pressure, body temperature and heart rate.
Amygdala: The amygdala plays a role in how you experience emotions and feelings (like anxiety, anger and fear), memory and social interpretations (information about others).
Thalamus: The thalamus processes sensory information (hearing, taste, sight and touch) and helps with memory, planning and emotions.
Hippocampus: Your hippocampus is responsible for your ability to form new memories.” (4)
When you consider how intricately the parts of the limbic system communicate with one another, it becomes easier to understand why scent is so powerful. A familiar fragrance can instantly bring memories to mind, shift your mood, or evoke a deep emotional response. These sensory experiences are not random — they are processed and stored in memory, forming lasting connections between scent and emotion.
“Though it is easy to imagine the limbic system springing into action only in moments of crisis, it is active every waking—and sleeping—moment of your life. It hums in the background as you enjoy a meal, listen to music, or hold someone’s hand. It evaluates every interaction, comparing it with past experiences, coloring your perception with emotional tone. It is also a tireless teacher. Through emotional feedback, it shapes your preferences, habits, and fears. It rewards behaviors that bring pleasure and discourages those that bring pain, building an emotional memory bank that influences your choices often without your conscious awareness.” (5)
Although the limbic system operates largely in the background, it is not fixed or beyond influence. It can be shaped, supported, and even healed over time. Emotions are very real — but they do not always reflect objective truth. For example, you may feel afraid of spiders. That fear is a genuine emotional response, even if the spider itself poses little or no actual danger. Your fear does not make the spider dangerous — but that does not make your fear any less real.
Understanding this distinction is important. When we recognize that emotions are valid experiences but not always reliable indicators of threat, we create space to gently support and regulate the nervous system rather than be ruled by it.
Emotions are a gift of being human. They are expansive and deeply felt, often acting like thermometers that intensify and illuminate our experiences. Desires, too, are part of our humanity. Yet while emotions themselves are not inherently right or wrong, the way we respond to them matters greatly.
Emotions are not always indicators of truth; they must be weighed against what is objectively true and good. For example, you may feel anger when someone takes the parking space you were hoping to use. That frustration is real. However, their action is not inherently wrong simply because it disappointed you. If you were to respond with unkind words out of that anger, that would be allowing emotion and desire to dictate behavior rather than guiding them with intention and discernment.
“The good news is that the limbic system is not fixed. Neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to reorganize itself—applies here as well. Emotional habits can be reshaped, and limbic circuits can adapt to new experiences.” (6)
Ways to support the nervous system
Our nervous system impacts our daily lives in multiple ways, so it is important to evaluate its health and consider ways to support it holistically.
To check in on your nervous system consider if you are in a state of flight (running away), fight (ready to argue about anything/blame others), freeze (you don’t want to do anything or a see anyone), or fawn (you won’t stand up for yourself or you want others to tell you what to do). Physical signs of dysregulation are: depression, shallow breathing, hyperventilating, tension, everything is funny, difficulty concentrating, difficulty sleeping, always being tired, and digestive issues. All of these are signs of a dysregulated nervous system but could also be signs of bodily systems needing help. Supporting the nervous system is good for your overall health and relatively easy.
Practices are as simple as:
– Regular exercise,
– Sufficient sleep,
– Supportive social connection,
– Controlled, patterned breathing, ie box breathing, butterfly breathing,
– A hug from someone you love,
– Naming the feelings you’re experiencing
– Evaluating your body for tension and relaxing all the areas of your body,
– Going on a walk,
– Shutting off external noise and experiencing nature,
– Memorizing scripture,
– Meditating,
– Talking to someone you love,
– Smelling familiar scents,
All of the above practices can strengthen the health of the limbic system by “influencing the release of neurotransmitters and hormones, improving resilience and emotional stability over time.” (7)
Let’s consider familiar scents a little more
“Unlike your other senses, smell has a direct line to the brain’s limbic system — the area that governs memory, emotion, and the body’s stress response. When you inhale a scent, odor molecules travel through your nasal cavity and trigger the olfactory bulb, which sends rapid signals to the amygdala (emotions) and hippocampus (memory). When a familiar calming scent reaches the olfactory system, it acts as a neural shortcut — triggering your parasympathetic response almost instantly. Over time, this becomes a learned association: your body recognizes the scent as a cue for rest.” (8)
At Dandelion Naturals we offer a huge variety of essential oil scented, natural skincare products. We are proud to offer holistic nervous system support that is non-toxic and functional for your daily life.
Products we recommend you try are:
Any of the scented bar soaps! We have floral scents, men’s scents, women’s scents, citrus scents, and more! You can find our scented bar soaps at: https://dandelionnaturals.com/product-category/soap-bars/scented/ (linked)
We have formulated beautiful travel friendly lotion bars with 13 scents available. To try one, you may purchase our lotions bars at: https://dandelionnaturals.com/product-category/lotion-bars/ (linked)
We all have arm pits but let’s make sure they aren’t a source of unpleasant odors, by stopping the stink before it starts with natural and effective deodorant. You can find a variety of scents and a few brands on our website at: https://dandelionnaturals.com/product-category/deodorant/ (linked)
If you’re near Minnesota — or planning a visit — we’d love to welcome you to our brick-and-mortar store in Hayfield, MN, affectionately known as “The Dande.”
Inside, you’ll find essential oil–scented magnesium cream, bath bombs, natural roll-on fragrances, comforting herbal teas, and thoughtfully crafted goods designed to support rest and well-being.
It’s a space created to be experienced — calm, inviting, and intentional. We truly believe you’ll love it, and we would be honored to have you stop by.
Disclaimer: Regulations set forth by the FDA prohibit bath and body companies from making health-related claims about beauty products. I am not a medical or healthcare professional and do not claim that using these products may positively affect pre-existing physical and/or mental health conditions. The information in these listings pertains to the properties of specific ingredients used in listed products. Please consult a medical professional for treatment of serious skin conditions. As always, it is recommended to speak with your health care provider before using any skin care product while pregnant or nursing.
Resources:
https://sciencenotes.org/nervous-system/ (1)
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/21202-nervous-system (2)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279390/ (3)
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/limbic-system (4)
https://www.sciencenewstoday.org/the-limbic-system-your-brains-emotional-engine (5) (6) (7)
https://getlunette.com/blogs/news/science-of-scent-and-sleep (8)
