Your Stress Type is Shutdown

Stress Types

Overwhelm and stress reactions exist on a spectrum with the Activation or fight/flight on one end and the Shut Down or freeze/faint on the other.

Activation is when our nervous system perceives a threat (in our environment or in our mind) that activates our body to respond.

Back in the day, those “threats” were tigers and people from other groups, but a ‘threat’ in this day and age can be anything from your partner not doing the dishes again, or getting a negative comment on your social media feed.

Possums are cute...

Shut-down happens when the activation (fight/flight) response is ineffective or the threat is too overwhelming, the nervous system shuts down. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase ‘playing possum’ and it refers to this innate defense mechanism of shut-down that this cute marsupial does to protect itself. Unfortunately, it’s not too cute when our body reacts this way and makes us shut-down.

When the “freeze or faint” reaction kicks in, it feels like decreased heart rate, decreased blood pressure, and limp or stiff muscle tone with a paralyzed or dissociated feeling.

Nervous System Restoration

Under most circumstances, once the threat has passed, the body balances itself out again. This brings about a return to the calm and safe state allowing for social engagement, connection, and communication with others again.

However, when women experience chronic overwhelm our bodies can stay stuck in one end of the stress reaction spectrum or a mix of both even after the threat has passed for several days, weeks or months. This happens as instinct responses are naturally triggered by cues in the environmental or internal reminders of what happened.

Coping with Shut Down:

When we experience overwhelm as shut-down or “freeze or faint” response, our bodies need to be anchored to reset and start moving again. These coping strategies shift the nervous system from tense and detached feelings to relaxed and grounded in the present moment awareness.

Soothing with the Five Senses

Why it works: Engaging the 5-senses helps your nervous system to detect cues of safety in your surroundings. It brings you back to this present moment in time.

How to do it: The 5-4-3-2-1 technique.

Identify 5 things you can see like colors or objects
4 things you can hear
3 things you can touch: notice the texture
2 things you can smell and
1 thing you can taste

Try building a kit of items you can bring with you wherever you go that bring feelings of calm and ease (e.g., peppermint gum, a fidget toy, or scented lotion)

When to do it: Anytime you start to feel overwhelmed, stressed, or those pesky body sensations start bothering you.

Hi, I'm Marlinda

I'm so glad you joined me today on the first step to reclaiming your mental clarity and calm. I am a psychologist and nothing makes me happier than to know that you are one step closer to having less stress and more joy in your life.

I've been working in the mental health field for over 10 years and this overwhelm type and stress-response information has been crucial in helping my clients, women just like you towards dramatic changes in their lives.

I hope knowing this information and coping strategy can help propel your life in a direction that you have always wanted to go.

Now You're in the Know!

Look in your email over the next week for a few more strategies and tips from me to help on your journey from beyond overwhelm to calm and connection.