Your Nervous System Isn’t Broken — It’s Heroically Protective
Does it ever feel like your body is working against you?
“My hands go numb for no reason.”
“I get panicky when a bill arrives.”
“Why am I so exhausted when nothing even happened today?”
Pause. Take a breath. Because chances are… your nervous system isn’t the enemy. It’s the hero — it’s just had its safety compass confused.
What Your Nervous System Is — And What It Isn’t
The nervous system is way more than “messages from the brain.” It's the infrastructure that:
Regulates everything — from movement, memory, and emotions to digestion, immunity, and temperature
Monitors your environment, your internal body state, and even social cues
Makes 1,000s of safety decisions per day — even before you consciously notice
This is survival intelligence. It’s hardwired to say “danger” if there’s even a whisper of threat. That’s a good thing — until it becomes stuck in all-clear mode.
The Three States: Not Just Theory — They’re Daily Realities
Rest + Digest (Ventral Vagal)
Safe. Grounded. Curious. Connected.
Think: digestion, creativity, calm conversations — when things feel right.
Fight or Flight (Sympathetic)
Fired up. Adrenaline rushing. Urgent thoughts.
Your body decides: fight the danger or flee. Heart pounds. Digestion shuts down.
Freeze / Collapse (Dorsal Vagal)
Exhausted. Numbed. Collapsed.
When fight or flight isn’t enough, the system shuts down. You might feel flat, disconnected, overwhelmed.
Sometimes the system toggles between them so fast… it feels chaotic: hot, cold, wired, exhausted — all at once.
Why It Happens: Your Brain’s Predictive Nature
Your brain never “waits” to register danger — it predicts it.
The amygdala reacts in ~20 ms to threats, well before conscious awareness
The prefrontal cortex works slower — in ~300 ms — to say “false alarm”
If your amygdala is overworking (maybe due to past trauma, chronic stress, or perfectionism), it can hardwire false alarms into your default settings. Those alarms can show up as pain, anxiety, fatigue, gut issues, migraines — you name it.
Chronic Symptoms: Not Proof of Failure. Proof of Protection.
When your system gets stuck in fight/flight or freeze:
Hormones regulate wrong
Digestion stalls
Sleep gets interrupted
Heart rate stays elevated
Pain sensitivity increases
This doesn’t mean you're diseased. It suggests your body is protecting you — in need of a new definition of safety.
What We Can Do About It (Hint: It’s Kind, Not Forcing)
Here’s the beauty: the brain is plastic. It can learn new safety pathways. And the nervous system can learn new cues of calm. All it takes is:
Understanding your states — how does each one feel in YOUR body?
Tracking your state gently — noticing when you're fighting, freezing, or resting
Meeting each state with compassion — even for a second: “Thanks for protecting me.”
Offering small safety signals — warmth, breath, movement, stillness, connection
Repetition over time — because neuroplasticity happens in tiny, consistent steps
Turning Insight into Action
✨ Here’s a mini-practice you can try right now:
Close your eyes. Breathe slowly for two minutes.
Notice: are you in fight/flight? Freeze? Or rest/digest?
Gently acknowledge it, without judgment: “There you are, friend.”
Offer something safe: a warm hand over your heart, a long exhale, a moment of grounding
Repeat daily — love what your body is doing, even if you’d prefer it didn’t
Why This Matters If You’re in Chronic Pain or Stress
Because your symptoms may not be the problem — they may be the alarm.
You’re not failing to fix them; your system is trying to protect you.
When you listen instead of fight, and respond with curiosity instead of force, everything can shift. Pain can back off. The fog can lift. Sleep can settle in.
And something deeper begins to grow: nervous system resilience — the capacity to wobble, reset, and come back home.
Curious to Explore Further?
🎥 Dive into the full Webinar Two: Understanding Your Nervous System → Watch here
📘 Download the reflective Workbook + Tracker → Grab it here
🌀 Join the conversation & start building your map of states
This isn’t about fixing — it’s about tuning in.
One breath, one insight, one compassionate step at a time.
You’re not broken. You’re protective. You’re learning. And you are already healing.
© 2025 Sonia Welch