If thinking about the future makes you feel afraid, you’re normal. And, your nervous system needs support. Chronic fear and the resulting hypervigilance are the biggest disruptors to nervous system health, self-regulation, homeostasis, and overall well-being. Our nervous systems scan for threats four times per second. So, when we’re focused on distressing news, turmoil, or potential dangers, our nervous system gets constant signals of threat. This effect is even stronger if we grew up in hostile environments where being on Red Alert was a way of life.
But threats don’t just come from outside. We can unintentionally create cues of danger through our thoughts, behaviors, movements, and postures. Understanding how our nervous system works gives us powerful tools to shift toward well-being and away from things that trigger threat responses.
When we focus on threats, our nervous system becomes more attuned to them. While it’s essential to stay aware of potential dangers, we also need to focus on what we can do to support our sense of safety and agency. To face what’s ahead, we must be able to live in the present moment.
When we’re embodied and present, we can assess the situation and decide on the next right step. But if we’re dysregulated from too many cues of danger, we can’t be present. Instead, we engage with old bad memories, trying to prevent their recurrence. This prevents us from seeing the reality of what’s happening and making the best choices.
Calm brains make calm decisions. They produce regulated emotions, thoughts, behaviors, relationships, and bodily functions. Brains that are overloaded with danger cues can’t turn off hypervigilance and become stuck in threat detection and protection mode. This drains resources from everything else, including our ability to enjoy life, function well, and maintain relationships. Fatigue sets in, and we fall behind, adding to our allostatic load—the stress on our nervous system.
When the brain doesn’t get enough safety cues, it can’t manage complex bodily systems effectively, leading to issues like autoimmune conditions, chronic pain syndromes, Complex PTSD, irritable bowel syndrome, and various mental health conditions. The key is to reduce allostatic load by minimizing stress on the nervous system, especially from our psychosocial environments, including media.
We need to recognize when our nervous system is overwhelmed and learn how to support it. Without a healthy nervous system, nothing runs smoothly. Life becomes increasingly difficult.
Nervous systems need not only the absence of threats but also the presence of safe connections. The quality of our relationships largely shapes the quality of our lives. Our nervous systems evolved for safe connection; we use the same neural pathways to connect with others as we do to regulate our bodily systems. (Mind-blowing, right?)
So, if you’re feeling afraid, acknowledge it, feel it, and express it in healthy ways. Then, when you’re ready, take one small step toward safety and connection—and then another. One of the most powerful things you can do is connect with people who help you feel safe. Spend time with them, tell them you love them, and express your appreciation. Even a silly text can strengthen the bond.
At the same time, turn away from what overloads your nervous system. If watching the news makes you anxious, turn it off. If toxic people test your patience, set boundaries and stick to them. Focus more on what brings you a sense of goodness and less on what disrupts it. Your nervous system knows far more than your thinking brain likes to imagine. Stay safe out there!
