Nervous System Regulation: Self-Care or Social Control?

Send us Fan MailThis week on Rage on the Rocks, Sarah and Lauren tackle nervous system regulation — yes, it's important, but has it become the latest wellness-speak for "fix yourself and stay pleasant"?We acknowledge the science is real and regulation matters, but we're calling out how it's been co-opted into another way to tell women their feelings are too much, their anger is "dysregulation," and their perfectly reasonable responses to unreasonable circumstances need fixing.We unpack the commercialization of regulation (magnesium, acupressure mats, ice baths — we've got them all), the gendered expectation for women to stay calm while men's anger is called "leadership," and why sometimes dysregulation is the most appropriate response to a genuinely fucked situation.From the danger of pathologizing rage to the difference between actual self-care and performative regulation that keeps you just functional enough to keep producing — this one gets deep, gets real, and yes, we still love our Shakti mats.Key takeaway: Regulate to act, not to disappear.Warning: Contains strong language, feminist rage, and permission to feel your feelings.