Self-Sufficiency & Nervous System Healing: The Connection No One Talks About

Introduction: The Unexpected Connection Between Laundry Detergent and Nervous System Healing

I used to think healing my nervous system was all about managing my thoughts, processing emotions, and working through relationships. But I'm learning it's also about laundry detergent, food, and life skills. Let me explain.

I'm Brooke, a life coach who helps people show up fully to the people and projects they care about most. If you've been following my work, you know I share a lot about nervous system regulation, mind-body connection, and learning to trust your intuition, all the internal healing work that changed my life.

But for the last few years, I've had a parallel journey that I now realize is supporting my nervous system too. I learned how to make my own laundry detergent, bake my own bread, and create my own cleaning products. I've been learning about homesteading and self-sufficiency.

At first, I wasn't sure how these two paths connected. But then I realized: this IS part of my healing journey. And if you're healing from trauma, overwhelm, or burnout too, this might resonate more than you'd think.

Why I Needed Control: Growing Up in Chaos

Let me give you some context about why self-sufficiency became essential to my nervous system healing.

I grew up in chaos. My mom was mentally ill, and what came with that was a lot of erratic decisions, abuse, and instability, a childhood where I had absolutely no control over my environment or what happened to me.

So when I got out, I spent years doing the internal work:

• Nervous system regulation

• Somatic practices

• Therapy

• Learning to feel safe in my own body

And that work was crucial. It changed my life.

But in 2020, COVID hit. And I realized: I still don't feel safe.

Because even though I'd done all this internal healing work, everything could still be taken away in a moment. Supply chains broke down. Stores ran out of basics. The systems I was depending on felt incredibly fragile.

And I realized: I have no real life-sustaining skills. I can't grow food. I can't make what my family needs. I'm completely dependent on external systems that could collapse at any time.

For someone who grew up in chaos where everything WAS taken away repeatedly...that didn't feel good.

The Physical Connection: How Chemicals Stress Your Nervous System

So I started exploring self-sufficiency. But not just because I wanted practical skills, but because chemicals and products that are normal in Western culture were making me sick.

My Chronic Migraines and the Chemical Connection

I've suffered from chronic migraines for years. And I started noticing a pattern: my migraines were always aggerated around strong scents and cleaning products.

I started researching, and I learned that the fragrances and chemicals in conventional products aren't just unpleasant, they're poisoning my body and stressing my nervous system. They're triggering inflammation. They're adding an extra load to my body that my body has to work to process and detoxify.

Here's what most people don't realize: our nervous systems don't distinguish between mental stress, emotional stress, stress from illness, or stress from toxins. It just responds with cortisol when it sees a threat.

I had no idea the chemicals in my laundry detergent and cleaning products were impacting my mental health.

Going on an Anti-Inflammation Diet

So I went on an anti-inflammation diet, basically cutting out anything that isn't whole foods. And guess what? My migraines went away.

Later, my son was born, and he started breaking out in rashes. We couldn't figure out what was causing them. I tried different lotions, different soaps. Nothing worked.

Finally, I realized: it's the laundry detergent (and likely gut health.)

Natural brands are 2-3x as expensive, which did not agree with our budget. So I started making my own.

I'm not going to lie, it took me a whole year to find a recipe that actually cleaned as well as store-bought. (And yes, I still use OxyClean on tough stains).

But my son's rashes cleared up.

And I realized: our bodies are always talking to us. It wasn't just about "being sensitive." My body was telling me through psoriasis and migraines, my son's body through rashes: "These products are causing me pain."

The Gut-Brain Connection: Why What You Eat Affects Your Mental Health

Around the same time (2021), I was learning about the gut-brain connection, the idea that the microbiome in the gut seriously impacts our brain chemistry and therefore our mental health.

The Rat Study That Changed Everything

There was a study on rats that blew my mind. Researchers injected the microbiome of a human with paranoid schizophrenia into a group of rats, and the microbiome with no presenting mental illness into another group of rats.

Within 24 hours of the injection, rats who received the schizophrenic microbiome showed observable erratic and harmful behaviors while the other group did not.

The implication? Mental health also lives in the gut.

The Colombia Bread Experiment

I remembered back in 2017, I went to Colombia. My friends who were gluten-free in the US—who would get really sick if they ate breads, flours, croissants, etc. did an experiment and discovered they could eat bakery items in South America without any problems.

I knew it had to be something about how we process food in the US.

The Connection Between Inflammation and Mental Health

After all the reading and learning and researching, here was my big takeaway:

Inflammation in the gut equals inflammation in the body equals inflammation in the brain.

So our mental health, physical health, and gut health are all interconnected.

Processed foods, chemicals, pesticides, all the things we put in and on our bodies in the West, it impacts your brain. Inflammation means the stress response is active. Which means you have less access to your thinking brain and are more likely to default to survival responses.

Your nervous system is already working overtime just to process what you're eating.

So I started cleaning up our pantry:

• Baking our own bread

• Buying meat from a farm

• Focusing on whole foods in our diet

• Using simple, clean ingredients

I'm learning that what I put IN my body is just as important for nervous system health as the somatic practices I'm doing to heal it.

Sovereignty & Safety: Self-Sufficiency as Nervous System Regulation

And here's where it all comes together.

When I make my own laundry detergent, my own bread, my own cleaning products, I'm not just avoiding toxins. I'm taking back agency over my environment.

I grew up completely powerless. I couldn't control what happened to me. I couldn't make myself safe. And even after all the healing work I've done, part of me still feels that powerlessness when I'm dependent on authorities that don't have my best interest.

But when I create what my family needs, when I know I have the skills to feed us, clean our home, take care of our bodies with things I've made, I'm telling my nervous system something really important:

"You're not at the mercy of external chaos anymore. We can create what we need. We have agency. We're building safety."

Self-sufficiency isn't just practical. It's nervous system healing. It's learning that I can create the conditions for my body to feel safe, not just internally through regulation practices, but externally through the environment I build.

The Realization: Healing Is Holistic

So when I talk about resilience being holistic, this is what I mean.

Healing isn't just about nervous system regulation. It's not just about mind-body connection or somatic practices or therapy.

It's also about:

• What you eat

• What you put on your body

• What products are in your home

• The environment you're creating

• Whether you feel dependent or capable

• Whether your body has to work harder just to process the things you're consuming

When I started making these connections, everything shifted.

I realized: the internal work I've been doing is crucial. But it's only part of the picture.

My body is responding to my WHOLE environment. To sunlight, to fresh air, to screens, to food, to chemicals.

And learning to create an environment that supports my healing, that removes stressors from my system so my body has the opportunity to heal itself, that's part of the work too.

Your Invitation to Wholistic Healing

So that's why I'm sharing more about this journey. Not because I'm suddenly a homesteading expert or a DIY guru, I'm not.

But because I'm learning that creating a life where I feel truly safe and nourished means more than just regulating my nervous system.

It means:

• Paying attention to what I'm consuming

• What I'm putting on my body

• What my gut is telling me

• What my environment is doing to my stress levels

• Learning self-sufficiency as a form of sovereignty

  
  

Start Where You Are

I want to invite you into self-sufficiency practices that feel manageable. Maybe you'll start noticing what your body is reacting to. Maybe you'll start questioning what you're consuming and whether it's supporting or stressing your system.

I'm still figuring this out. I'm still learning. But I wanted to share it with you because it's part of my journey.

Take the Next Step: Understand Your Nervous System Patterns

If you want to understand YOUR specific nervous system patterns and how your body responds to stress, I have a free Skills for Resilience Assessment.

It helps you identify where your nervous system gets stuck and gives you practices to start shifting it.

Take the free Skills for Resilience Assessment here

Let's keep learning together.

Frequently Asked Questions About Nervous System Healing and Self-Sufficiency

How does self-sufficiency help with trauma recovery?

Self-sufficiency supports trauma recovery by giving you agency and control over your environment. For trauma survivors who grew up in chaos, learning to create what you need (food, cleaning products, etc.) sends a powerful message to your nervous system: "We're safe. We can take care of ourselves." This reduces the feeling of helplessness that often accompanies trauma.

Can chemicals in cleaning products really affect mental health?

Yes. Chemicals in conventional cleaning products and laundry detergents can trigger inflammation in the body. Since your nervous system doesn't distinguish between different types of stress, these toxins activate your stress response just like emotional or mental stress would. This can contribute to anxiety, brain fog, and other mental health symptoms.

What is the gut-brain connection?

The gut-brain connection refers to the bidirectional communication between your gut microbiome and your brain. Research shows that the bacteria in your gut can directly impact your brain chemistry, mood, and mental health. An unhealthy gut microbiome—often caused by processed foods, chemicals, and pesticides—can contribute to inflammation, anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges.

Do I need to become a homesteader to heal my nervous system?

Not at all! You don't need to go all-in on homesteading. Start small with changes that feel manageable: switching to natural cleaning products, reducing processed foods, or making one homemade item. The goal is to reduce the toxic load on your body and increase your sense of agency, not to achieve perfection.

How long does it take to see changes from reducing toxins?

This varies for everyone. Some people notice improvements in energy, sleep, or symptoms within days or weeks of reducing chemicals and processed foods. For deeper nervous system healing, it can take several months of consistent changes. Remember, healing is a journey, not a destination.

What are some beginner-friendly self-sufficiency practices?

Start with:

• Making your own all-purpose cleaner (vinegar, water, essential oils)

• Baking simple bread or sourdough

• Buying from local farms or farmers markets

• Switching to fragrance-free laundry detergent

• Growing herbs on a windowsill

• Reading ingredient labels and choosing products with fewer chemicals

Is nervous system regulation only about internal practices?

No. While internal practices like breathwork, meditation, and somatic exercises are crucial, your external environment also significantly impacts your nervous system. What you eat, what touches your skin, the air quality in your home, and even your sense of capability all affect how safe your nervous system feels.

About the Author: Brooke is a life coach specializing in nervous system regulation and trauma recovery. She helps people show up fully to the people and projects they care about most through a holistic approach that integrates somatic practices, self-sufficiency, and whole-person healing.