Feeling Stressed? Understanding the Body’s Stress Response Might Help

Our Nervous System Does What it Wants, Whenever it Wants…And Here’s Why

Our nervous system is automatic. We are not consciously choosing most of what it does. It is always working in the background, watching for signs of safety or danger.

We do not decide to tense our muscles, hold our breath, or feel our heart speed up. Our nervous system does that for us. It was designed this way to protect us without us having to think about it.

When our brain senses a threat, whether it is physical or emotional, it turns on the stress response.

This is known as the fight or flight response.

Very quickly, our body releases stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, speeds up our heart rate and raises blood pressure, sends more blood to our muscles, sharpens our focus, and slows down digestion and other non-essential functions.

Our body is getting ready to react and protect us.

This response is helpful when there is real danger. The issue is that our nervous system reacts the same way to modern stress, like work pressure, difficult conversations, financial worries, or constant mental load.

To our body, stress is stress.

Once the threat is over, our nervous system is meant to shift into a calmer state called the parasympathetic response, sometimes called rest and digest (or rest and repair).

This is when our heart rate slows, our breathing becomes deeper, digestion resumes, our muscles relax, and the body focuses on healing and recovery.

This is where real healing happens.

The challenge today is that many stressors never feel fully resolved. Thoughts continue, responsibilities pile up, and our body does not get a clear signal that it is safe to relax.

Over time, this can leave our nervous system in a constant low level state of stress.

We might notice muscle tension, shallow breathing, poor sleep, digestive discomfort, feeling tired but unable to relax, anxiety or irritability, and difficulty concentrating.

This is not a flaw. It is our nervous system doing its job in a world that keeps it activated.

You cannot force yourself to relax by thinking differently. The nervous system responds best to physical signals of safety.

Slow breathing, gentle movement, stretching, yoga, time outside, humming, and rest all help because they communicate to the body that the threat has passed.

When the body feels safe, the mind begins to settle.

This is how our body responds to stress. It prepares us for danger first, and only shifts into healing when it senses that we are safe.

I have used yoga, mindfulness, and spending time in nature to regulate my nervous system for years. Once I understood just how impactful these simple modalities can be, it was a game changer for my mental health!

My next workshop is coming soon.

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