The Real Work with Maggie Sterling

Most nervous system advice is missing something critical — and it kept me stuck for years. If you've tried everything (the breathing exercises, the tapping, the vagus nerve resets, the meditation) and nothing seems to work… you're not broken. You might just be using the wrong tools for where your system actually is. In this episode, I'm breaking down the difference between a dysregulated nervous system and a sensitized nervous system — and why that distinction changes everything about how you heal. Take the quiz to find out if your nervous system is sensitized or dysregulated Join the waitlist for my new program, Soft Regulation for Sensitized Nervous Systems

Discover why some popular nervous system healing practices might be keeping you stuck. Learn to stop viewing regulation as a project and hyper-monitoring yourself, which only heightens anxiety. Maggie emphasizes the importance of recognizing the difference between listening to your needs and fear-driven self-checking. By redirecting your attention and living fully despite your symptoms, you can begin to retrain your brain and build resilience. Embrace uncertainty to lower pressure and invite a sense of safety into your life!

Acceptance isn’t about affirmations or feeling calm—it's letting go of the urge to fix your symptoms. Addressing nervous system dysregulation takes precedence over symptom-chasing. Real acceptance allows for living life even amidst discomfort, reducing the instinct to constantly monitor or control. Subtracting compulsive behaviors and urgency creates space for recalibration. Maggie offers a checklist to help you discern true acceptance from mere intellectualization. It’s all about softening resistance and embracing the now.

Discover how a simple shift in perspective can change your relationship with anxiety. Learn about the difference between being 'anxiety-free' and 'free from anxiety.' Explore how resisting anxious thoughts can lead to suffering, and uncover the powerful concept of second fear. Hear a personal story on noticing scary thoughts and letting them pass in seconds instead of spiraling into panic. Finally, gain insights on treating anxiety as part of life without letting it dictate your actions.

Therapy can explain your past, but what happens when it doesn’t fix the panic? Discover the limits of talking through issues and how it often leaves bodily symptoms unchanged. Dive into the concept of nervous system sensitization, comparing it to a car alarm going off unnecessarily. Maggie shares her transformative experience in body-led healing, revealing how calming the nervous system can lead to significant shifts. Hope is offered: recovery is possible, and strategies for desensitizing symptoms are discussed.

Are you tired but feel lazy? You're not lazy; your nervous system might be overstimulated. Discover how chronic overstimulation drains your energy without you realizing it. Internal stress, hypervigilance, and constant stimulation can deplete your capacity, leaving you exhausted. Learn to differentiate between functional freeze and full freeze, and understand why compassion for your history is crucial. Maggie offers practical advice to reduce input and rebuild your energy, inviting you to stop fighting against yourself.

Struggling with insomnia? A personal journey reveals how a Reddit post reshaped the understanding of sleep issues as anxiety-driven. After decades of sleepless nights, insights emerge about the limits of sleep aids and the importance of allowing oneself to simply be awake. Learn to drop the fear of sleeplessness and embrace rest as a restorative practice. Maggie shares transformative strategies to break free from micromanaging sleep, emphasizing that true recovery starts with changing your reactions and mindset.

Explore how childhood conditioning can set your nervous system to overdrive, leading to constant stress and fatigue.Delve into the concept of urgency addiction and how it distorts our perception of productivity. Discover why slowing down initially feels more stressful, and uncover methods to signal safety to your body. Learn about the extremes of living in 'full throttle' versus complete collapse, and find practical tools to interrupt these patterns. Gain insights on unlearning and reshaping your nervous system for greater resilience and joy.

Discover how radical acceptance transformed one person's 20-year struggle with chronic anxiety. Learn why acceptance must precede therapies like CBT or EMDR to prevent resistance. The discussion illuminates the difference between acceptance and mere allowing while addressing mental resistance's role in sustaining anxiety. Uncover how acceptance can free up energy for change, reframing dysregulation as a supported state rather than a broken system. Ultimately, acceptance opens pathways to create the life you desire, rather than resigning to the current reality.

Feeling stuck in your thinking patterns? Discover how neuroplasticity allows your brain to change and rewire itself. Learn the difference between reacting and responding, and why awareness is key to breaking old habits. Get tips on starting small with low-stakes changes and the power of mental rehearsal to visualize new outcomes. Maggie emphasizes the importance of calming your nervous system and setting daily intentions to choose who you are. Embrace the journey of transformation and creativity!