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July 16, 2025 16 mins

Your body often knows something’s off before your mind does. That racing heart? Tight shoulders? Stomach in knots? In this episode, we unpack the neuroscience behind those automatic reactions—and show you how to decode them.

Still dismissing your body’s signals as “overreacting” or “too sensitive”? Using Dr. Stephen Porges’ groundbreaking polyvagal theory, I break down your internal traffic light system—Green, Yellow, and Red Zones—and how they shape your mood, energy, and relationships.

🎧 Press play to learn how to stop spiraling and start working with your nervous system, not against it.

🔥 What Your Nervous System Is Really Trying to Tell You

✨ Shoulders tense before you realize you're stressed
 ✨ Stomach clenches mid-conversation
 ✨ Heart races before a presentation—even if you feel prepared
 ✨ These are biological survival responses, not personal failings

🎯 The Traffic Light Model (Green, Yellow, Red Zones)

🟢 Green: Calm, clear, open-hearted
 🟡 Yellow: Fight/Flight—anxious, overwhelmed, hyper-alert
 🔴 Red: Freeze/Shutdown—numb, withdrawn, burnt out

💡 Powerful Quotes

"These aren’t personality traits. They’re nervous system responses based on how safe or threatened you feel."

“Your nervous system is not broken. It’s responding to your environment, your stress levels, your past experiences, and your current capacity.”

“You’re not forcing yourself to calm down or pushing through when your system is saying it needs something different.”

🛠 2 Simple Tools to Work with Your Nervous System

  • Window of Tolerance Mapping: A daily self-check-in
  • Nervous System State Check-In: A Body–Mind–Heart awareness practice

🎁 This Week’s Invitation: Just notice what zone you're in throughout the day—no fixing, no forcing. The more skilled you become at recognizing your state, the better you can regulate your emotions, respond from your values, and stop being at the mercy of your triggers.

Next Week: The Courage to Disappoint—how fear of letting others down keeps us stuck in survival states.

💛 Share this episode with someone who needs to hear: You’re not broken—you’re beautifully wired for survival, and you can learn to feel safe again.

#neuroscience #nervoussystem #mentalfitness #emotionalregulation #polyvagaltheory #selfawareness

This is an inside job. Share this episode with those you love. 💛

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Thank you for being here. You are enough. ✨

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