Nervous System Blog | Laura Larios, San Francisco

Split-scene editorial illustration of the same wooden mannequin woman in two contrasting settings. On the left, she sits cross-legged in a softly lit room with her eyes closed and one hand resting on her chest, conveying grounded, embodied nervous system regulation. On the right, she films a short-form social media video in a cozy home studio using a smartphone and ring light, illustrating the contrast between evidence-informed practice and curated wellness content. Warm natural tones on the left transition to brighter screen-lit hues on the right.

Vagus Nerve Exercises: What Actually Works (and What’s TikTok Hype)

Body Based Tools & Practices | Laura Larios

Reading Time: 7 minutesIf your For You Page has been invaded by people humming at their collarbone, massaging their necks, and calling it “nervous system regulation,” you’re not alone. Vagus nerve exercises have become TikTok’s favorite wellness topic, which means they’ve also become a dumping ground for pseudoscience. Here’s the thing: the vagus nerve is genuinely fascinating, and […]

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A woman sitting peacefully with one hand on her chest, with a soft illustration of the vagus nerve pathway glowing through her body, representing polyvagal theory and nervous system regulation.

Polyvagal Theory Explained Simply And Why It Changes Everything.

Nervous system fundamentals | Laura Larios

Reading Time: 9 minutesPolyvagal theory explains why your body reacts the way it does under stress, and how understanding it can transform your relationships, your emotions, and your healing. Here’s a simple, jargon-free guide. Have you ever frozen mid-conversation, unable to speak, even though you had so much to say? Or felt your heart race before a meeting […]

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Conceptual illustration of woman staring into distance at desk

Nervous System Dysregulation: 12 Signs You’re Living in It

Nervous system fundamentals | Laura Larios

Reading Time: 8 minutesYou’ve been functioning. Keeping up with work, showing up for people, getting through the days. But something feels off. You’re tired even when you’ve slept. You can’t unwind even when nothing is technically wrong. You snap at people you love and then feel terrible about it. You live in a low-grade state of brace. Here’s […]

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Conceptual illustration of a woman sitting quietly at a desk, looking down, appearing exhausted despite a calm and composed exterior.

Why High-Achieving Women Burn Out More and Recover Slower

High-Performance Without Burnout | Laura Larios

Reading Time: 8 minutesBurnout in high-achieving women has a particular texture that does not show up on a blood panel. You are sleeping. You are eating. You are technically doing everything right. And yet you wake up already depleted, push through a full day on adrenaline, and collapse at night wondering why you feel like something is slowly […]

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Conceptual illustration of a woman sitting quietly by a window in soft natural light, eyes closed, hands relaxed, in a moment of stillness and rest.

Burnout Recovery for High-Achieving Women: A Body-Based Guide to Healing

Burnout & Stress Recovery | Laura Larios

Reading Time: 8 minutesYou did everything right. You worked hard, delivered results, held it together through the hard seasons. And somewhere along the way, your body started sending signals you didn’t have time to hear. Now you’re here: exhausted but wired, running on fumes but unable to slow down, wondering if you’ll ever feel like yourself again. Burnout […]

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Conceptual illustration of tired but wired pattern showing nervous system activation during exhaustion

Tired but Wired: Can’t Sleep Even When Exhausted? Here’s Why

Burnout & Stress Recovery | Laura Larios

Reading Time: 9 minutesYou are tired but wired and you cannot sleep, even though your body is completely exhausted. Your eyes are burning, you have been running on empty for days, and yet the moment your head hits the pillow, your mind turns on like a fluorescent light. Thoughts race. Your chest feels tight. Sleep will not come […]

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