Understanding Your Nervous System: Why You Feel Overwhelmed (And How to Regain Calm)
Feeling overwhelmed has become the norm for many of us. Whether it’s work stress, parenting demands, or constant news updates, our nervous system is in overdrive. If you’ve been feeling exhausted, restless, or emotionally drained, there’s a scientific reason behind it—and a way to regain balance.
In this post, we’ll break down:
What the nervous system is and how it impacts stress and burnout
Common signs of an overwhelmed nervous system
Simple, science-backed practices to reset and find relief
By understanding your body’s responses, you can develop more self-compassion and practical ways to navigate stress in real time.
Your Nervous System 101: Why Stress Feels Overwhelming
Your autonomic nervous system (ANS) is like your internal safety scanner. It constantly assesses your surroundings, deciding whether you’re safe or in danger. This system is regulated by the vagus nerve, which connects your brainstem to your body, influencing heart rate, breathing, digestion, and emotional responses.
Your nervous system has three main modes:
1. Fight or Flight (Sympathetic Response)
When your brain detects a threat, your body prepares to fight or escape. You might notice:
Increased heart rate
Shallow breathing
Sweating
Restlessness or panic
2. Freeze (Dorsal Vagal Response – Parasympathetic)
If the threat feels too overwhelming, your body may shut down, leading to:
Numbness or disconnection
Fatigue and exhaustion
Difficulty concentrating
3. Connection & Calm (Ventral Vagal Response – Parasympathetic)
This is your connected state—when you feel safe, connected, and present. Signs of this state include:
A steady heart rate
Deep, slow breathing
A sense of ease in your body and mind
Your Window of Tolerance
Everyone has a window of tolerance, or the amount of stress they can handle before becoming overwhelmed. Life experiences, trauma, and daily stressors all impact this window. The good news? With regular nervous system practices, you can expand your window and build resilience.
Signs Your Nervous System is Overwhelmed
If you’ve been stuck in fight, flight, or freeze mode, you might notice:
Physical Symptoms
Shortness of breath
Chest tightness
Racing heart
Sweating
Mind racing
Feeling disconnected or numb
Emotional Indicators
Anxiety or panic
Irritability or anger
Feeling emotionally drained
Difficulty concentrating
A sense of helplessness
Behavioral Patterns
Snapping at loved ones
Restlessness or difficulty relaxing
Constant worry or doomscrolling
Feeling disengaged or numb
Recognizing these signs is the first step toward finding relief.
Burnout & the Nervous System: Why You Feel Stuck
When we live in fight-or-flight mode, our body never fully relaxes. Over time, this cycle of activation and shutdown leads to burnout—a state of chronic exhaustion, emotional depletion, and disconnection.
To break the cycle, your nervous system needs signals of safety. The goal isn’t to eliminate stress completely (that’s impossible), but to increase your capacity to handle it.
3 Simple Nervous System Resets to Find Calm
These evidence-based techniques help shift your body from stress to a more regulated state. Try one now and notice how your body responds.
1. The 3-2-1 Exercise
This technique engages your senses to bring you into the present moment.
Look around and name 3 things you see
Listen for 2 things you hear
Notice 1 thing you feel (e.g., the texture of your clothing, your feet on the ground)
Repeat this exercise twice, describing objects in simple terms (e.g., “blue chair,” “soft sweater”).
2. Feet on the Ground (Grounding Practice)
If possible, do this outside, but it also works indoors.
Place both feet on the floor and press down gently
Imagine roots growing from your feet into the earth
Wiggle your toes, feel the ground, and take three deep breaths
Visualize breathing in stability and exhaling stress
3. The 5-Minute Color Walk
Movement helps regulate your nervous system, and this exercise makes it mindful.
Set a 5-minute timer and go for a short walk
Pick a color and look for objects in that shade
Mentally list everything you find in that color
After each of these exercises, do a quick body check-in:
How’s your heart rate?
Is your breathing slower?
Has your mind quieted down?
Over time, these small practices create big shifts in your nervous system’s ability to handle stress.
Making It Work in Real Life
Even 30 seconds of nervous system regulation helps. The more you practice getting into ventral vagal (calm & connected) mode, the easier it becomes to bounce back from stress.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, start small. Every moment of slowing down counts. Even if it doesn’t feel like much at first, these moments add up and help rewire your nervous system over time.
Next Steps: Get My Free Nervous System Reset
If you’re ready to break the cycle of burnout and build more resilience, grab my free 1-Minute Reset—a quick, powerful tool to help your nervous system feel safe in just 60 seconds.
