Ever feel like your body forgot how to relax? Like, you finally sit down after a long day, and instead of unwinding, your mind keeps spinning. Your shoulders stay tight. Your heart’s still racing a bit. If you’re nodding along right now, there’s a good chance your nervous system is stuck in overdrive.
Your Nervous System Has Two Settings (And One Might Be Broken)
Picture your nervous system like a car. There’s a gas pedal (your sympathetic nervous system) that gets you going when you need energy, focus, or quick reactions. Then there’s the brake pedal (your parasympathetic nervous system) that helps you actually rest and recover.
Ideally, your body switches between these throughout the day. Gas when you need it, brakes when you don’t. Pretty simple, right?
Except modern life keeps your foot slammed on that gas pedal way longer than it should be. And after a while, your body kind of forgets how to brake. You end up stuck in this constant state of go, go, go, even when there’s nowhere you actually need to go.
What Overdrive Actually Feels Like
Here’s the thing about being stuck in this activated state: your body will tell you, but the signals aren’t always obvious at first.
Maybe you’ve got tension headaches that won’t quit. Or your chest feels tight, and you catch yourself taking these short, shallow breaths without realizing it. Digestive issues pop up out of nowhere. You feel exhausted but also somehow wired at the same time. It’s confusing, honestly.
Sleep becomes this whole frustrating thing. You’re lying there, bone tired, but your brain won’t shut off. Or you finally fall asleep, only to wake up at 2 AM feeling weirdly alert. And mornings? You wake up already feeling behind, like you never really rested at all.
Emotionally, everything feels… bigger. Small annoyances that normally wouldn’t bother you suddenly feel like major problems. You snap at people you care about. There’s this low hum of anxiety running in the background, even on days when nothing’s actually wrong.
Sound familiar?
Why Your Body Gets Stuck This Way
Our nervous systems were designed to handle short bursts of stress. Think: running from danger, then calming down once you’re safe. The problem is, modern stress doesn’t work that way.
Work emails at 9 PM. Money worries. That thing someone said three days ago that you’re still thinking about. Your phone buzzing with notifications. None of these are life-threatening, but they keep triggering that same stress response over and over, without giving your body a real chance to recover.
And if you’ve been dealing with ongoing stress for months or years, your nervous system starts treating “activated” as the new normal. It’s like it forgot there’s another option.
The really tricky part? You might not even realize how tense you’ve been until you finally experience a genuinely calm moment and think, “Oh. This is what relaxed actually feels like.”
How to Help Your Body Remember How to Rest
Okay, so your nervous system is stuck. What now?
First, just start noticing. Really. That’s step one. Pay attention to when your jaw is clenched, when your shoulders are up by your ears, when you’re breathing like you just ran up a flight of stairs even though you’re sitting still. Awareness matters more than you’d think.
Breathing helps, but not in the way people usually talk about. Forget the “just take a deep breath” advice. Instead, try breathing in slowly for four counts, then breathing out even more slowly for six or eight counts. That longer exhale is what tells your body it’s actually okay to relax.
Movement can help too, but we’re not talking about pushing through an intense workout. More like gentle stretching, taking a walk, or even just shaking out your hands and arms. Anything that helps your body release some of that stored-up tension.
And honestly? Sometimes the simplest things make the biggest difference. Wrapping up in a cozy blanket. Holding something warm. Spending time with your pet. These tiny moments of comfort add up, reminding your nervous system that not everything is urgent.
Give Yourself Time
If your nervous system has been running hot for a long time, it’s not going to shift overnight. That’s okay. This isn’t about being perfect or never feeling stressed again.
You’re just helping your body remember that it doesn’t have to stay in emergency mode all the time. That it’s safe to rest. That the brake pedal still works, even if it’s been a while since you used it.
Be patient with yourself. Some days will feel easier than others. But as you practice noticing and gently soothing your nervous system, things will start to shift. Sleep gets a little easier. You feel a bit calmer. Life stops feeling quite so overwhelming.
Your body already knows how to find balance. Sometimes it just needs a gentle reminder.
Leave a Reply