Regulate & Rewire: An Anxiety & Depression Podcast

Amanda Armstrong
  • 4.9 (413)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Weekly

Millions of people struggle with anxiety & depression every single day. Regulate & Rewire is where Amanda, a nervous system focused and trauma-informed practitioner, teaches you the lessons she learned on her healing journey and the tangible research-based tools she uses with clients everyday to help them regulate their nervous system & rewire their mind – in hopes of helping you do the same. Each episode features specific takeaways for you to apply to your healing journey today. Website: www.regulatedliving.com

  1. 1d ago

    Sleep Anxiety: What To Actually Do About It (Part 2)

    In Part 2 of this sleep anxiety series, Amanda gets practical. She breaks down exactly what to do when you can't fall asleep, what to do when you wake up in the middle of the night, and offers a full toolkit of cognitive, environmental, and somatic practices that shift the conditions for sleep over time. If Part 1 was the understanding, this is the application. Click here to preorder at $50 off (or learn more about) the Ohm Breathing Lamp. ps. this is *not* an affiliate link, I just genuinely love this product 3 Takeaways: You can't force sleep, but you can build better conditions for it. The middle-of-the-night wake-up needs a different response than lying there fighting it. Sit up, name the state, meet the sensation, reach for breathwork over your phone, and get up if you're still activated after 20-30 minutes. Every regulated response starts to undo the old pattern.Your daytime is the preparation for your nighttime. Morning sunlight, consistent wake time, movement, processing stress before it accumulates — none of this feels like sleep hygiene but all of it is.CLICK HERE for the full show notes, resources, and 3 tangible takeaways! — Looking for more personalized support?  1:1 Coaching (RESTORE):  Learn more or book a free discovery call (HSA/FSA eligible & includes comprehensive bloodwork) Regulated Living Membership:  A mental health membership and nervous system healing space (sliding scale pricing available). Join here.Order my book: Healing Through the Vagus Nerve*Want me to talk about something specific on the podcast? Let me know HERE. — Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Website: https://www.regulatedliving.com/podcast Email: amanda@regulatedliving.com Instagram: @amandaontherise TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amandaontherise

    36 min

  2. May 26

    Sleep Anxiety: Why Your Nervous System Won't Let You Sleep (Part 1)

    Sleep anxiety is one of the most common experiences for people living with chronic stress, anxiety, and dysregulation. In Part 1 of this three-part series, Amanda breaks down why the nervous system is at the center of sleep disruption, the difference between not being able to fall asleep and middle-of-the-night wake-ups, and the primary drivers behind nighttime anxiety. This is the understanding episode — Part 2 brings the tools, and Part 3 is a guided wind-down practice. 3 Takeaways: Sleep requires safety, not effort. Your nervous system won't let you go offline until it believes the coast is clear. Sleep disruption during chronic stress isn't a flaw — it's your system doing its job. The path forward is building safety, not trying harder.There are two distinct flavors of sleep anxiety and they feed each other. Not being able to fall asleep and waking in the night share the same root — a nervous system that hasn't received the signal that it's safe to rest.If the middle-of-the-night wake-up is consistent, it's not random. Four primary drivers are worth understanding: dysregulated cortisol, unprocessed stress, conditioned arousal, and blood sugar instability. Knowing which applies to you is where the work starts.CLICK HERE for the full show notes, resources, and 3 tangible takeaways! — Looking for more personalized support?  1:1 Coaching (RESTORE):  Learn more or book a free discovery call (HSA/FSA eligible & includes comprehensive bloodwork) Regulated Living Membership:  A mental health membership and nervous system healing space (sliding scale pricing available). Join here.Order my book: Healing Through the Vagus Nerve*Want me to talk about something specific on the podcast? Let me know HERE. — Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Website: https://www.regulatedliving.com/podcast Email: amanda@regulatedliving.com Instagram: @amandaontherise TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amandaontherise Website: https://www.regulatedliving.com/podcast Email: amanda@regulatedliving.com Instagram: @amandaontherise TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amandaontherise

    30 min

  3. May 19

    Understanding Self-Harm from a Nervous System Perspective

    Understanding self-harm through a nervous system lens changes everything — and in this episode, Amanda breaks down what's actually happening in the brain and body when this behavior shows up, why it works as a short-term regulation strategy even when it comes at a high cost, and what genuinely helps address the root of the pattern rather than just the behavior itself. 3 Takeaways: Self-harm is a nervous system regulation attempt. Understanding this is not permission to continue it — it's the foundation for approaching it without shame.The nervous system underneath self-harm is physiologically dysregulated, not just psychologically. Healing has to target the nervous system itself, not just thoughts or behaviors in isolation.Effective alternatives work when they do the same jobs as self-harm — building discharge pathways and widening the window of tolerance. That takes time and often professional support, and healing is genuinely possible.CLICK HERE for the full show notes, resources, and 3 tangible takeaways! — Resources: 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741— Research referenced in this episode: Cornell Research Program on Self-Injury and Recovery — The Neurobiology of NSSIPMC/NIH — Self-harm and emotional regulation researchMedlinePlus — Self-harm overviewNature Mental Health (2025) — Electrodermal activity and self-harm— Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Website: https://www.regulatedliving.com/podcast Email: amanda@regulatedliving.com Instagram: @amandaontherise TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amandaontherise

    38 min

  4. May 12

    Why Walking Is Actually a Nervous System Practice

    Walking for mental health goes deeper than most people realize — and in this episode, Amanda breaks down exactly why increasing your daily step count is one of the highest-return nervous system practices you're probably underutilizing. From bilateral movement and cortisol metabolism to blood sugar stability and sleep, the science behind a simple daily walk is more connected to your emotional wellbeing than you might think. 3 Takeaways: Walking touches many of the underlying physiological systems that drive how we feel: bilateral movement, cortisol metabolism, blood sugar stabilization, and sleep regulation.The right goal is a stretch from where you actually are, not where you think you should be. If you're already moving consistently and still struggling, something else needs your attention. CLICK HERE for the full show notes, resources, and 3 tangible takeaways! — Looking for more personalized support?  1:1 Coaching (RESTORE):  Learn more or book a free discovery call (HSA/FSA eligible & includes comprehensive bloodwork) Regulated Living Membership:  A mental health membership and nervous system healing space (sliding scale pricing available). Join here.Order my book: Healing Through the Vagus Nerve*Want me to talk about something specific on the podcast? Let me know HERE. — Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Website: https://www.regulatedliving.com/podcast Email: amanda@regulatedliving.com Instagram: @amandaontherise TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amandaontherise

    29 min

  5. Apr 28

    Listener Q&A — Your Questions from the Stress Management Series

    In this listener response episode, Amanda answers three thoughtful follow-up questions from the five-part stress management series. She digs deepest into a question about reorienting to a baseline mindset stressor — using the trigger vs overwhelm distinction to help listeners diagnose what's actually happening before deciding what to do about it. She also honors a listener's real-life editing win in the middle of profound grief, and offers a few grounding thoughts on going it alone, the impulse to flush everything and start over, and what chronic consumption does to your inner knowing. 3 Takeaways: When something you love starts to feel overwhelming, ask first: is this thing itself the trigger, or is it just the final drop in an already full bucket? Those two scenarios need different responses.Your nervous system learned the associations it's operating from — which means it can unlearn them. But rewiring requires capacity first. Regulation before rewiring, every time.That immediate felt sense of relief when you make the right edit is data. Your nervous system giving you real time feedback that you made a good call. Trust that signal.CLICK HERE for the full show notes, resources, and 3 tangible takeaways! — Looking for more personalized support?  1:1 Coaching (RESTORE):  Learn more or book a free discovery call (HSA/FSA eligible & includes comprehensive bloodwork)Regulated Living Membership:  A mental health membership and nervous system healing space (sliding scale pricing available). Join here.Order my book: Healing Through the Vagus Nerve*Want me to talk about something specific on the podcast? Let me know HERE. — Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Website: https://www.regulatedliving.com/podcast Email: amanda@regulatedliving.com Instagram: @amandaontherise TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amandaontherise

    33 min

  6. Apr 21

    From Knowing Different to Living Different (Part 5)

    In the final episode of this stress management series, Amanda steps back from frameworks and talks about the gap between understanding what needs to change and actually changing it. She revisits the nervous system ladder as a way to help listeners locate themselves after five episodes of honest reflection, reads from her book Healing Through the Vagus Nerve on the four-phase healing process and her strategic healing philosophy, and closes with a direct look at what personalized, whole-human support actually looks like inside RESTORE. 3 Takeaways: Know the phase or season of healing you’re in and try to match you expectations and support to your actual capacity.Healing has a general sequence. Education & awareness, regulation, rewiring, and resourcing. Jumping ahead of the foundation, trying to do deep rewiring work before your nervous system has the capacity to hold it, is where people get stuck or sometimes get worse.Knowing different is not the same as living different. The gap between understanding what needs to change and actually changing it is real — and it's not a willpower problem. It's a capacity and support problem. Strategic, personalized, whole-human support is what bridges that gap. And if you’re looking for that kind of support, we’re here.CLICK HERE for the full show notes, resources, and 3 tangible takeaways! — Looking for more personalized support?  1:1 Coaching (RESTORE):  Learn more or book a free discovery call (HSA/FSA eligible & includes comprehensive bloodwork) Regulated Living Membership:  A mental health membership and nervous system healing space (sliding scale pricing available). Join here.Order my book: Healing Through the Vagus Nerve*Want me to talk about something specific on the podcast? Let me know HERE. — Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Website: https://www.regulatedliving.com/podcast Email: amanda@regulatedliving.com Instagram: @amandaontherise TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amandaontherise

    30 min

  7. Apr 14

    Editing Your Stress Bucket (Part 4)

    In part four of this stress series, Amanda moves from filtering into action — introducing the 3 D's framework for actually editing your stress bucket. She opens by distinguishing between poking holes (reactive regulation) and real editing, then walks through Delete, Delegate, and Do Differently with honest personal examples from her own life. She also introduces Add as the fourth move on the supporter side of the see-saw, and closes with an important reminder that editing isn't just a thinking exercise — letting things go has a felt sense, and that response is normal. 3 Takeaways: Poking holes — reactive regulation tools — matters, but it's not the same as editing. Editing is about changing what goes in your bucket, not just managing the overflow. That's a fundamentally different kind of work.The 3 D's — delete, delegate, do differently — plus add on the supporter side give you a concrete framework for acting on what your filter revealed. They apply most directly to your daily stressors. Editing baseline stressors often requires deeper, more sustained support.Move slow. Editing is a continuous pruning, not a one-time overhaul. Choose one thing, do it until it's your new normal, then choose one more. And when grief, guilt, or discomfort shows up in the process — that's not a sign you're doing it wrong. It means you're doing something real.— Looking for more personalized support?  1:1 Coaching (RESTORE):  Learn more or book a free discovery call (HSA/FSA eligible & includes comprehensive bloodwork) Regulated Living Membership:  A mental health membership and nervous system healing space (sliding scale pricing available). Join here.Order my book: Healing Through the Vagus Nerve*Want me to talk about something specific on the podcast? Let me know HERE. Website: https://www.regulatedliving.com/podcast Email: amanda@regulatedliving.com Instagram: @amandaontherise TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amandaontherise

    34 min

  8. Apr 8

    Filter Your Stress Bucket: How to Know What Actually Belongs (Part 3)

    In part three of this stress series, Amanda introduces the important step that comes before editing your stress bucket — filtering it. She shares two practical filters to help you get clear on what actually belongs in your life: the rubber vs glass ball distinction and your personal core values. This episode is honest about the fact that this process is often countercultural and sometimes relational, and Amanda shares her own experience of what it cost — and ultimately gave — when she first started doing things differently. 3 Takeaways: Before you edit your stress bucket you need a filter. Random subtraction — just throwing things out — leads to dropping what matters while holding onto what doesn't. Clarity about what belongs comes first.The rubber vs glass filter asks: what in your bucket actually shatters if dropped, and what bounces? Most of us are treating everything like glass — which means your nervous system never gets to rest, even when rest is available.Your core values are the deeper filter underneath rubber vs glass. They reveal what's actually worth carrying and what's been in your bucket out of habit, obligation, or an unconscious contract you never agreed to. Get clear on your values first — the editing gets so much easier from there.Resources mentioned: Brené Brown Core Values Exercise CLICK HERE for the full show notes, resources, and 3 tangible takeaways! — Looking for more personalized support?  1:1 Coaching (RESTORE):  Learn more or book a free discovery call (HSA/FSA eligible & includes comprehensive bloodwork)Regulated Living Membership:  A mental health membership and nervous system healing space (sliding scale pricing available). Join here.Order my book: Healing Through the Vagus Nerve*Want me to talk about something specific on the podcast? Let me know HERE. — Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Website: https://www.regulatedliving.com/podcast Email: amanda@regulatedliving.com Instagram: @amandaontherise TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amandaontherise

    30 min
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4.9
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Millions of people struggle with anxiety & depression every single day. Regulate & Rewire is where Amanda, a nervous system focused and trauma-informed practitioner, teaches you the lessons she learned on her healing journey and the tangible research-based tools she uses with clients everyday to help them regulate their nervous system & rewire their mind – in hopes of helping you do the same. Each episode features specific takeaways for you to apply to your healing journey today. Website: www.regulatedliving.com

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