Your Nervous System Needs a Break! How chronic stress affects the body - and simple tools to restore balance.

Isn't it amazing how stress shows up before we even realize it’s there?

You know those moments when your heart suddenly starts racing - maybe from an unexpected email, a text that carries bad news, you can't find your phone, or when you remember something you forgot to do yesterday?

Yeah. That.

That’s your body reacting as if you’re in danger, even when you’re not.

Your nervous system is simply doing what it was built to do: protect you.

When your brain senses a threat - real or imagined - it activates the sympathetic nervous system, better known as fight-or-flight mode.

This response is ancient.

It once helped our ancestors outrun predators, survive harsh environments, and stay alive in genuinely dangerous situations.

Back then, survival depended on it.

Their bodies would shift into high alert - heart rate up, blood pressure elevated, muscles ready to fire.

Hormones like adrenaline and cortisol would flood the system, giving a burst of energy while slowing down things like digestion to conserve fuel.

And once the danger passed, the body would return to balance.

Today, we’re not typically running from wild animals. Instead, we’re battling traffic, deadlines, financial stress, overflowing inboxes, and a constant stream of notifications.

The catch?

Our body responds the exact same way.

It sees urgency. Pressure. Uncertainty.

And it flips that same survival switch.

That’s why your shoulders tense during a stressful conversation.

Why your gut tightens before a difficult call.

Why your sleep is light and restless even when you’re exhausted.

This isn’t “just how life is”.

It’s your nervous system stuck in survival mode.

And here’s the real issue:

Our ancestors had stress - but they also had long stretches of rest, nature, movement, and connection in between.

We don’t.

For many of us, the stress response isn’t just occasional - it’s chronic.

Constant.

Familiar.

Over and over.

Day after day.

And when fight-or-flight stays activated too long, it takes a toll.

It increases the risk of:

• Anxiety

• Headaches

• Weight gain

• Depression

• Sleep problems

• Digestive issues

• Muscle pain and tension

• Memory and focus challenges

• Heart disease, high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke

The good news?

Your body isn’t broken.

It knows how to return to balance - you just have to help it switch gears.

That happens through the parasympathetic nervous system - your body’s natural calming system.

It slows the heart rate, supports digestion, repairs tissues, and brings you back to a state of safety.

The challenge is, it doesn’t turn on by accident.

You have to cue it intentionally.

Simple practices help - mindful breathing, meditation, yoga, walking, time in nature, slow mornings, quiet evenings.

For me, it’s also the purr of a cat on my lap (much to their delight), watching my dogs play, sound baths, and teaching yoga.

These moments aren’t extras - they’re medicine for the nervous system.

They whisper to the body: You’re safe. You can rest.

This week, I created a 10-minute guided meditation called Nervous System Reset to help you do exactly that.

It’s short, simple, and designed for real life - no background in meditation needed.

If your mind has been busy, if your body feels tense, or if you’ve been running on survival mode - I made this for you.

👉 Listen to this week’s Mindful Moments Guided Meditation: Nervous System Reset