How do I know if my nervous system is actually dysregulated or just stressed?

There's a real difference, and Patanjali would say it comes down to your capacity to respond versus react. Stress is usually situational—a deadline, a conflict, traffic. Your body mobilizes, then recovers. Dysregulation is when that recovery doesn't happen smoothly. Your nervous system gets stuck in a pattern: maybe you're always braced for threat, or you collapse into numbness, or you oscillate between the two without warning. The polyvagal framework shows us that dysregulation lives in your vagus nerve's ability to shift between states. Watch for patterns: Do you startle easily? Does your breath stay shallow for hours? Do you feel disconnected from your body? Can you calm down once you notice you're activated? These aren't character flaws—they're signals. The practice begins with honest observation. Spend a few days simply noticing: when do you feel resourced, grounded, present? When do you feel defensive or withdrawn? That contrast teaches you more than any diagnosis. Start there, without judgment.