Description:

What is a personalised self-regulation concept? Self-observation, targeted stimulus selection, anchors and recurring micro-routines help to regulate the vagus and the autonomic nervous system in the long term – without hype, rigid plans or excessive demands.

Introduction to the series

The regulation of our autonomic nervous system is at the centre of many modern health debates – but there is often a huge gap between viral biohacks and sound science. This new blog series is dedicated to closing that gap. Step by step, chapter by chapter, we will show you how the nervous system, self-regulation and neuromodulation really work together – based on evidence-based research, not marketing promises.

These articles pave the way for a larger project to be published at the end of the year: a practical guide for people with post-viral syndromes, chronic fatigue, attention problems or psychosomatic complaints – and for anyone who wants to learn to trust their nervous system.

What you can expect:

Each article in this series focuses on a chapter of the upcoming book. We shed light on the basics of the autonomic nervous system, debunk common myths, introduce scientifically proven methods for neuromodulation, and show how to implement practical strategies in everyday life. Whether you are new to the topic or already have experience with topics such as vagus nerve stimulation, HRV measurement or polyvagal theory, this series offers guidance, clarification and concrete steps for action.

The following chapters await you:

1. Changing the nervous system? A critical introduction to the topic of self-regulation.

2. How your nervous system really works.

3. Why many theories are more hypothesis than help.

4. What scientifically validated neuromodulation can achieve today.

5. Misconceptions about HRV, the vagus nerve and biohacking revealed.

6. Practical strategies for better regulation in everyday life.

7. How to develop your own individual self-regulation concept.

Future special chapters:

• The science of neuromodulation – A deeper insight into taVNS and related methods.

• Exercise as therapy – How targeted training strengthens the brain.

• Syndrome-specific strategies – Long COVID, ADHD, CPTSD, chronic pain & cognitive decline.

Stay tuned – because knowledge is the best foundation for trust in your own body. And trust is the first step towards healing.

What works – and for whom?

Do you feel chronically overstimulated even though you meditate? Exhausted even though you 'sleep well'? Or lacking in energy even though your values are 'normal'? Then the problem may not be your lifestyle, but the way your nervous system processes stimuli. Self-regulation is not a universal recipe – it is an individual response to a basic biological principle: security comes from recognition, not discipline.

What it's all about:

why an individualised approach to self-regulation is more effective than general tips,

how to identify your personal activation profile,

which physical stimuli really regulate your system,

why routines are helpful – and perfection is a hindrance, and

how to develop a flexible, reliable concept for everyday life.

You can find all the basics on how the nervous system works in chapter 02 of the series. Chapter 03 – The polyvagal theory and its critics – explains why many methods don't work.

What a "self-regulation concept" really means

A self-regulation concept is not a weekly plan with fixed exercises, but a living system of signals that your body recognises, accepts and translates into regulation. It is not a random collection of techniques to be applied haphazardly or strictly and independently of your daily state. Rather, an effective concept consists of selecting from a variety of possible inputs those that correspond to your current inner state – both physical and emotional – and applying them regularly.

A functioning self-regulation concept safely integrates physiological feedback, situational adaptation and repetition. It creates the physical basis for thinking, feeling and acting to become coherent again. While classic training plans are often linear, performance-oriented and uniform, a neuromodulatory concept is repetitive, adapted and individual.

The focus is on your own perception. You don't have to "push through" anything. No hype, no miracle cures, no self-optimisation, no iron will, just learning to listen to what your body needs – and then incorporating that regularly. One day that might be a deep exhalation before going to sleep, the next a walk with rhythmic movement, and the next ten minutes of taVNS while reading. The effectiveness does not come from the technique, but from the alignment between stimulus, need and repeatability.

A good concept is not set in stone. It grows with you, changes with your circumstances, responds to your daily form, the season, your hormonal situation or emotional stress. It allows you to remain capable of acting without overtaxing yourself. It does not convey: "I have to get better," but rather: "I can influence things – without pressure." In this sense, a self-regulation concept is a companion – an internal navigation system that you build, understand and adjust yourself.

Recognise your biological patterns

Before you start selecting and applying specific techniques, the first step is to systematically observe your body and your everyday experiences. This observation forms the basis for selecting appropriate stimuli and developing a concept that really suits you.

You want to explore patterns in your nervous system. What triggers you? When does your mood change? In which situations does tension rise? What happens in your body when you feel restless, exhausted or withdrawn? How does your body react to stimuli such as noise, light, other people or physical closeness? How quickly or slowly do you return to a state of calm after tension or even a breakdown?

Keep a short log for a few days – ideally seven. You will find a template at the end of this post. Note down at what time of day symptoms occur, in what context, with what physical sensations, thoughts or external triggers. The aim is to identify recurring patterns. If, for example, you discover that certain social situations drain your energy, while short periods outdoors stabilise you, this already provides valuable information for your later stimulus selection.

Also pay attention to triggers and the nature of your stress response and your 4F patterns: Do you react with inner tension, motor restlessness or flight impulses? Or do you experience emptiness, withdrawal, drowsiness, brain fog or physical heaviness? This distinction – sympathetic overarousal versus "parasympathetic-dorsal" withdrawal (hypoarousal) – is crucial in determining which input is useful and effective.

Self-observation remains important even after your programme is in place – it remains a permanent part of your self-regulation process. The better you perceive your own patterns, the more targeted and flexible you can be in dealing with them.

Understand your triggers and activation patterns

A fundamental element of self-regulation is understanding your own level of activation. Your autonomic nervous system does not respond to stress in just one way – it has different, sometimes contradictory, ways of reacting. Sometimes it activates you strongly, causing your heart rate and breathing to increase, your muscles to tense and your attention to heighten. Other times, it withdraws, curbs your energy, switches to protection mode – and often your awareness, sensitivity and ability to connect with others along with it.

These two states – hyperarousal and hypoarousal – are both part of biological survival. One mobilises you to fight or flee, the other protects you from being overwhelmed and, in extreme cases, even averts danger by playing dead. The trick is to recognise these states for what they are. Many people confuse hyperarousal with concentration or alertness, and hypoarousal with exhaustion or laziness. In reality, they simply show how your system is currently regulating itself – or not regulating itself.

Ask yourself: Do I tend to react with inner pressure, irritability, a racing heart or the urge to "get out"? Or am I more familiar with states of numbness, listlessness, withdrawal and inner emptiness, even brain fog? Do I get "going" quickly and have trouble calming down – or is it the other way around? This difference is crucial because it determines which inputs bring your system into balance and which ones put further strain on it.

An individual self-regulation concept therefore always begins with understanding your own activation patterns. It is about the real, tangible dynamics of your nervous system. Recognise your own states, name them and acknowledge them. Then you can work on them in a targeted manner.

Choose the right input

Not every stimulus is good for your nervous system – and not every state can be regulated with the same means. This is one of the most important findings of modern neuromodulation research. What has a calming effect on one person can increase restlessness in another. And what helps today may be overwhelming tomorrow. The decisive factor is therefore the fit between the input and the state of your autonomic nervous system at that moment.

Stimuli that affect the autonomic nervous system can be sensory, motor, social or cognitive. They range from slow breathing, humming, light, cold, touch, movement, sounds, internal images, conversation or certain body postures to technically supported procedures such as taVNS. The quality of these stimuli lies less in their intensity than in their recognisability: the nervous system does not respond to performance, but to signals of safety, rhythm and predictability.

For example, if you are in a state of overexcitement, with a rapid pulse, muscle tension, racing thoughts or inner pressure, slow, rhythmic stimuli usually have a stabilising effect. These include long exhalations, monotonous sounds, butterfly hugs (bilateral stimulation), gentle stimulation of the balance organ such as rocking or swaying, or – for some – electrical vagus nerve stimulation via the ear. If, on the other hand, you are in a state of hypoarousal, activating stimuli will help: movement, an upright posture, contrast showers, light, tone building through voice, pressure or rhythmic walking movements.

Using the same technique for a specific problem is a common mistake. For example, meditating or forcing yourself to observe your breathing when you are in a hypoactive state will hardly help you regulate yourself – instead, it will reinforce your withdrawal. Taking a cold shower when you are nervous will increase your arousal even further. A self-regulation concept that ignores these differences is ineffective at best and harmful at worst.

The better you know your activation profile, the easier it is to choose the right stimuli – and the faster you will achieve genuine regulation. Do the right thing at the right time.

Put together a toolbox

An effective self-regulation concept uses different regulatory stimuli that can be flexibly tailored to your current state. These tools must be versatile, suitable for everyday use and biologically appropriate. Start small and focus on repetition and reliability.

Stimuli can be roughly divided into four functional areas: biological, movement-based, social and cognitive inputs. Biological stimuli act directly on the autonomic nervous system – for example, through breathing, temperature, hormone levels, nutrition or targeted stimulation such as taVNS. Movement-based stimuli use rhythmic or tonic activity to stimulate or calm the system – for example, walking, light jumping, stretching or rocking. Social stimuli arise through contact: through voice, facial expressions, touch or simply through presence (co-regulation). Cognitive stimuli, in turn, work through orientation, structure or language – for example, through inner sentences, journaling or imagination exercises.

A sustainable programme draws on at least one stimulus from each area. The most effective are simple things that you can repeat regularly and that are associated with positive, neutral or at least non-threatening experiences. Your autonomic nervous system gradually classifies them as familiar and safe.

Let's take the example of starting the day feeling tense. Perhaps a three-minute humming exercise combined with a warm cup of tea while sitting down would help you here. If, on the other hand, you experience a drop in performance in the afternoon, a short, mindful exercise session, an invigorating scent or a conversation with a trusted person may be helpful. In the evening, when you feel yourself withdrawing or brooding, a stable ritual of reducing light, rhythmic breathing and taVNS can help you switch to rest mode.

These examples show that you decide what your collection of tried-and-tested, repeatable stimuli with high signal value will be. Your body will show you how.

Micro-routines instead of mega-plans

A common misconception in self-regulation practice is that it requires iron discipline and a lot of time for large, complex programmes, because this is the only way to achieve real change. However, the nervous system responds most strongly to things that are small, repeated and predictable: anchors – short, regular stimuli with a clear beginning and end.

A short sigh with a prolonged exhalation before the first appointment of the day, a moment of silence or humming after a challenging task, taVNS while brushing your teeth or waiting for the kettle to boil – these seemingly insignificant signals are imprinted on the body's memory as recurring cues: you are capable of action.

Elaborate self-care plans fail to be implemented as soon as stress or exhaustion sets in. Suitable micro-routines, on the other hand, fit well into everyday life. They require no additional effort. They are consistent and therefore effective.

Like muscles, the autonomic nervous system rewards repetition. It registers the security of predictable and controllable stimuli. So if you create small rituals – at the same time of day, in the same context, with as much consistency as possible – your body will begin to align itself with them. You don't regulate the autonomic nervous system through insight, but through rhythmic pattern repetition.

A good self-regulation concept therefore contains reliable anchor points. These anchors help you to maintain access to regulation even when you are tired, exhausted or overwhelmed by stimuli. Such inputs make you feel capable of acting again.

Check and adjust your programme

Your nervous system changes. That's why your concept needs to be able to "breathe". Do you feel better or more stressed after using it? Are there any new symptoms or warning signs? Which inputs are no longer effective? Are you experiencing new situations that require more balance? Keep a short weekly log: What helped? What was irritating? What am I missing right now?

You need a programme that you will actually use in everyday life, that does not place additional demands on you but rather relieves you, that is tailored to your real life.

Reliable self-regulation comes from experience. When certain signals – such as light, sound, movement or touch – appear in a familiar form, the nervous system begins to read them as safety markers. This recognition creates room for manoeuvre. And with it comes something that many people have long missed: a feeling of inner control.

Flexibility means having an inner toolbox that you can access intuitively – depending on your state, situation and capacity. This can mean consciously breathing for just one minute during a stressful day at work or incorporating the taVNS application into your usual coffee break. It can also mean temporarily omitting a type of stimulus because the body is in withdrawal mode.

Conclusion: What is supposed to work must first fit.

An individual self-regulation concept does not eliminate stress – but it changes how your body responds to it. It does not give you a plan to follow, but a system that is tailored to your condition. And it does not require discipline, but attention.

Whether it's humming in the morning, a walk at dusk, taVNS, journaling or simply light in the right place at the right time: if your autonomic nervous system responds, it's right for you.

Your self-regulation programme grows from experience, failed attempts, days when nothing helps, and days when a small input suddenly changes everything. Over time, this develops into a new familiarity with your body's reactions.

You will recognise what helps you in moments when your breathing deepens, your thoughts slow down, or you feel that things are moving forward without you having to force yourself.

What matters is knowing how to recover from a breakdown or dysregulation and trusting that knowledge.

Curious to learn more? You will soon find information on specific applications for ADHD, Long COVID or CFS/ME in our special chapters.

Template: Self-observation diary (7-day log)

Goal: To recognise states of activation, stimulus reactions and patterns.
Recommended duration: 7 consecutive days, 2–3 entries per day (morning/noon/evening or as needed).

Date:

Additional questions (to be completed in the evening):

·         Which moments today were noticeably overwhelming or underwhelming?

·         Did I notice any changes through conscious self-regulation?

·         Are there any indications of recurring patterns (e.g. after social contact, screen time, certain times of day)?

Template: Individual self-regulation programme

Goal: To develop a flexible repertoire system of regulating stimuli that can be used in everyday life.
Note: Programme items may vary depending on how the day is going – the aim is not to create a rigid routine, but rather reliable anchors.

Personal activation profile

Typical stress reactions:

☐ Hyperarousal (e.g. racing heart, racing thoughts, muscle tension)

☐ Hypoarousal (e.g. listlessness, emptiness, exhaustion)

☐ Fluctuating/mixed

Frühwarnzeichen: _____________________________________________

Physical signs of a dysregulated state: ________________________

Toolbox

For hyperarousal (calming): e.g. humming, taVNS, 6-second exhalation, rocking, warmth

For hypoarousal (activating): e.g. cold water on the face, rhythmic walking, light, voice

For uncertainty or emotional imbalance (stabilising): e.g. small rituals, physical contact, structuring activities

Weekly anchor plan (micro routines)

Review/adjustment (every 1–2 weeks)

What worked well?

What has changed?

What would I like to add or reduce?

Related

1.      Understanding Neuromodulation – An Evidence‑Based Path to Self‑Regulation 01: Changing the Nervous System

2.      Understanding Neuromodulation – An Evidence‑Based Path to Self‑Regulation 02: Understanding How Your Nervous System Works

3.      Understanding Neuromodulation – An Evidence‑Based Path to Self‑Regulation 03: The Polyvagal Theory and Its Critics

4.      Understanding Neuromodulation – An Evidence‑Based Path to Self‑Regulation 04: Evidence‑Based Neuromodulation

5.      Understanding neuromodulation - An evidence-based path to self-regulation 05 - Vagus nerve stimulation and neuromodulation

6. Understanding Neuromodulation – An Evidence-Based Pathway to Self-Regulation 06 – Practical Strategies for the Autonomic Nervous System in Everyday Life