Episode 77: Regulate Your Nervous System & Stop Overthinking with a Mental Health Occupational Therapist
Notes de l’épisode
In this episode, Belinda sits down with Karlye Williamson, a Mental Health Occupational Therapist who helps people better understand what is happening in their body when they feel anxious, overwhelmed, tense, disconnected or caught in patterns of overthinking.
Karlye shares how her own experience with chronic back pain after having her first child led her to discover Stretch Therapy, a turning point that completely changed the way she understood pain, movement, mental health and the nervous system.
Together, Belinda and Karlye break down nervous system regulation in a simple, practical and easy-to-understand way. They explore why regulation isn’t about being calm all the time, how to recognise when your body is in fight, flight or shutdown, and the small everyday tools that can help you feel safer, more connected and better equipped to handle life’s challenges.
They also discuss why talk therapy alone is not always enough, the growing understanding of body-based approaches to healing, and practical strategies for managing overthinking, stress and nervous system dysregulation.
What we cover:
- What nervous system regulation actually means and why it’s not about being calm all the time
- How to recognise when you’re in fight, flight or shutdown
- Why awareness is often the first step before any tool can be effective
- The connection between chronic pain, stress and the nervous system
- Why the body needs to feel safe before the mind can fully process and heal
- Practical strategies for overthinking, including interrupting the loop, naming the circuit and giving your brain a job
- How Stretch Therapy, breathwork, movement and sensory awareness can support regulation
- What safety anchors are and how to identify your own
- The powerful influence our environment has on our nervous system
- Why healing isn’t always about thinking differently, but also about what needs to happen in the body
Whether you’re struggling with anxiety, stress, overwhelm, overthinking or simply want a better understanding of how your nervous system works, this episode is packed with practical tools and insights you can start using immediately.
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Connect with Belinda:
Website: www.belindaanderson.com.au
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Connect with Karlye:
Website: https://regulatemindandbody.com.au/