Feeling overwhelmed, overloaded, or completely tapped out is more common than you might think, but it doesn’t have to be your norm. This blog explores how your nervous system reacts in moments of stress using the Polyvagal Ladder framework. Learn to recognize signs of dorsal vagal shutdown, sympathetic fight-or-flight activation, and how to gently guide yourself back to a state of calm and connection (ventral vagal). With practical tools and relatable examples, this post provides simple strategies to help you move through stress and create more moments of balance and self-compassion in your daily life.

Our sympathetic nervous system (SNS) helps us engage in fight or flight so that we can protect ourselves from danger. The brain is not able to discern perceived vs real threat, it simply sees a threat as a threat.