Why Your Thoughts Spiral When Your Nervous System is Stressed
I have some cheat codes for you.
Actually… a cheat code for life and your nervous system.
So, let me tell you about it.
Have you ever noticed that when your thoughts are spiralling, they feel completely true?
Like the urgency feels real. The hopelessness feels real. The anger feels so justified.
And then maybe you go out with friends… or wake up the next morning… and suddenly you feel completely different about the situation?
Same situation. Very different story.
So here is what is happening.
Story follows state.
When your nervous system is in a fight or flight state, your thoughts will match that state. They’ll feel urgent, critical, maybe even angry. Everything feels pressing.
When your system is in shutdown, what we call a dorsal state, the thoughts shift too. They sound more like, “Nothing’s going to change.” “What’s the point?” “I don’t care.”
Your mind is reflecting the state of your body.
And what you might not know is that 80% of your nervous system’s messages are going body to brain (afferent neurons) and 20% are brain to body (efferent neurons).
Which means the body has a huge influence on what the mind experiences.
When overthinking, rumination, and negative thinking hit, we don’t need to debate the thoughts. Instead, we can work with the body. We do this through sensing, following small impulses, gentle movement, and maybe a few tools that give the nervous system feedback that right now, we are safe here in this moment.
And quickly, the mind begins to slooooow down. You drop out of your head and into the room.
You might say something like, “Oh, I feel different”. Nothing external has changed but your state has.
Another example is someone who struggles to accept goodness.
Maybe at some point in their life, when they were supposed to feel happy or safe, something painful happened instead. So their body learned to brace. To stay on alert. To not fully relax.
That’s so common.
I worked with someone who would physically tense every time they tried to get comfortable. Through slow, gentle somatic work, we helped her body feel that the old event was over. By the end of the session, they could actually relax. They could access warmth and receive the love from the people in her life.
Very little talking. Mostly sensing and small adjustments. All through the body.
It’s the nervous system realizing, “I’m safe enough right now. I can relax and receive.”
So the cheat code is this: Work with the body.
If this resonated with you, start my free 7-Day Somatic Regulation Course.
Here is a short video practice you could use when overthinking hits.
And of course, if you want more support through 1:1 work book a consult here.
