Your Nervous System is Stuck In Alert Mode?

You haven’t stopped showing up for life... You work, handle responsibilities, and push through. But inside, it feels like your body could betray you at any moment.

You’re hyper-aware of every flutter in your chest, every tight breath, every warm flush. You check in constantly...

 “Am I okay?”, “What was that feeling?”, “Is this the start of it?”

You try to stay one step ahead of panic. You brace yourself, manage, distract, before anything even happens. Just in case.

And even in ordinary places like a traffic light, a queue at the store, or a meeting at work, you feel that creeping tension rise. Not because of the place itself, but because your body suddenly doesn’t feel right, and you don’t know what to do with that.

From the outside, you look composed. But internally, it’s exhausting.

You live in a constant loop of scanning, interpreting, fearing. And the worst part?

No one really sees it.

You might also feel ashamed that you can’t “just relax,” no matter how many techniques you’ve tried.

You feel disconnected from your body, like it’s something you’re constantly managing or guarding against.

You’ve done everything you’re supposed to: therapy, meditation, meds, breathwork... And yet you’re still living with the fear that panic might hit out of nowhere.

Underneath it all, you might wonder if this means something about you.... like you’re weak, broken, or just destined to live like this forever.

You’re not.

Your nervous system is simply doing what it was trained to do - protect you.

Here's What Happened:

At some point, a panic episode (or even just intense anxiety) felt so overwhelming that your brain decided: “That was dangerous. We have to make sure that never happens again.”

Now, even subtle changes in your internal state, a slightly elevated heartbeat, a shift in breath, are treated like warning signs.

Your brain sees them, sounds the alarm, and your body responds with more fear… which then creates more sensations… which confirms the fear.

And so the loop continues.

This isn’t just anxiety — it’s fear of anxiety.

Fear of panic.

Fear of what your body might do next.

The good news is: you can break this loop.

You don’t need to manage symptoms harder, avoid more situations, or live in constant self-surveillance.

What you need is to:

Here’s What’s Really Going On:

At some point, your nervous system experienced panic — or intense fear — as overwhelming.

Since then, it’s learned to treat even minor internal sensations as potential threats.

It’s not the panic that’s running the show anymore...

it’s the fear of panic.

And that fear is what’s keeping your nervous system stuck in high alert.

The more you monitor your body, the more your brain stays convinced that something bad is coming.

And that very act of monitoring creates more symptoms… which only fuels more fear. It’s a loop... and it’s not your fault.

Here’s The Shift You Need:

The way out isn’t to fight the sensations or calm them faster. It’s to teach your nervous system that those sensations aren’t dangerous in the first place.

When your body stops feeling like a threat, the fear begins to fade.
 

And when the fear fades, the loop starts to unravel.
 

You stop checking.

You stop bracing.

And calm starts to happen on its own

Created by Clinical Psychologist