Understanding what throws us off helps us know how to get back on track.
Chronic Stress
- When your body stays in a fight-or-flight state for too long, it stops knowing how to relax.
- This constant state of “on alert” drains your energy, disrupts sleep, digestion, hormones, and keeps your nervous system on edge.
Processed Foods + Blood Sugar Spikes
- Highly processed foods and sugary snacks cause quick blood sugar highs and crashes.
- This creates a rollercoaster of energy, mood swings, and stress signals that make it harder for your nervous system to feel balanced.
Dehydration + Mineral Loss
- Your nervous system needs water and key minerals like magnesium, sodium, and potassium to function properly.
- When you’re dehydrated or lacking these minerals (often from too much coffee, stress, or poor diet), your body can feel anxious, jittery, or foggy.
Lack of Safety in Routine/Environment
- Your nervous system is always scanning for safety.
- If your daily life feels unpredictable, overwhelming, or emotionally unsafe — even in subtle ways — it can keep you in a constant low-grade state of stress.
Emotional Trauma
- Unprocessed emotional pain, even from years ago, can live in the body and impact how your nervous system reacts to everyday situations.
- This can lead to overreactions, shutdowns, or feeling stuck in patterns that don’t serve you.
Journaling exercise for later… Think about each of the three states we mentioned earlier.
- What does it look like for you to be in calm, safe ventral energy? What does it feel like emotionally? Physically?
- What about frantic, heightened sympathetic? Shut down dorsal? Write these things down. This will help you identify the state of your nervous system and your triggers for activation.