How Your Nervous System Reacts to Stress (And What to Do About It)

 Stress isn’t just something you feel—it’s something your body experiences on a physiological level. The moment you sense a threat—whether it’s a looming deadline, a difficult conversation, or an unexpected challenge—your nervous system kicks into action.

For professional women, stress responses often become so normalized that it’s hard to recognize when the body is actually in a constant state of high alert. 

Understanding how your nervous system reacts to stress is the first step in regaining emotional balance and resilience.

The Nervous System & Stress: What’s Actually Happening? 

 Your nervous system is your body’s communication highway, regulating everything from your heartbeat to your emotional responses. When stress hits, the autonomic nervous system (ANS) takes over, activating either the:

1️⃣ Sympathetic Nervous System (Fight or Flight) 

 This is your high-alert system—it prepares you to deal with danger, whether that danger is real or just perceived.

🔹 Heart rate increases (preparing you for action)

🔹 Cortisol & adrenaline spike (fueling your response)

🔹 Breathing speeds up (to deliver more oxygen)

🔹 Digestive & immune functions slow down (because survival takes priority)

This system is designed for short bursts of stress—but when activated too often or for too long, it leads to burnout, anxiety, and emotional exhaustion. 

2️⃣ Parasympathetic Nervous System (Rest & Restore) 

 This is your calm and recovery system—it helps the body return to a balanced state once the perceived threat has passed.

🔹 Heart rate slows down (returning to baseline)

🔹 Cortisol decreases (allowing stress levels to stabilize)

🔹 Muscles relax (reducing tension)

🔹 Digestive & immune functions resume (restoring internal balance)

 The key to emotional resilience is knowing how to move from a stress response (sympathetic) back into a calm state (parasympathetic).

How Chronic Stress Keeps the Nervous System Stuck 

 When stress becomes chronic, the body doesn’t fully return to a regulated state, leading to:

🚨 Anxiety & hypervigilance – Feeling constantly “on edge”

🚨 Cortisol overproduction – Disrupting sleep, focus, and emotional stability

🚨 Digestive issues – The gut-brain connection means stress affects digestion

🚨 Adrenal fatigue – Overuse of the stress response drains energy levels

Over time, this creates a cycle of emotional exhaustion, making it harder to process emotions and respond effectively to challenges.

How to Reset Your Nervous System & Shift Out of Stress Mode 

The good news? You can train your nervous system to return to a state of balance faster. These science-backed strategies help you shift out of stress mode and into calm and clarity. 

1️⃣ Use the 5-Second Breath Reset 

One of the fastest ways to regulate your nervous system is through breathwork.

Try This: 

 • Inhale for 5 seconds 

 • Hold for 5 seconds 

 • Exhale for 5 seconds 

 • Repeat for 1–2 minutes 

 Breathing this way activates the vagus nerve, which signals to your body that it’s safe to relax.

2️⃣ Ground Yourself Physically 

If your nervous system is stuck in high alert, grounding techniques bring it back to the present.

Try This: 

 • Press your feet firmly into the ground and notice the sensation.

 • Run cold water over your hands to signal a state shift.

 • Name 5 things you can see, 4 you can touch, 3 you can hear, 2 you can smell, 1 you can taste. 

These actions send safety signals to the brain, helping deactivate the stress response.

3️⃣ Move the Stress Out of Your Body 

When stress lingers, your body needs physical movement to release it.

Try This: 

 • Shake out your hands and arms to discharge nervous tension.

 • Take a 5-minute walk to reset your mental state.

 • Do progressive muscle relaxation, tensing then relaxing different muscle groups.

 This prevents stress energy from getting trapped in the body, reducing long-term exhaustion.

Your Nervous System is Always Listening—Teach It Safety, Not Just Stress 

You can’t always control what happens around you, but you can train your body to handle stress without staying stuck in survival mode. 

Each time you:

✅ Pause before reacting 

✅ Use breathwork or grounding techniques 

✅ Move stress out of your body intentionally 

…you teach your nervous system that it’s safe to shift from stress to stability. 

💡 Next Up in This Series: Fight, Flight, Freeze & Fawn – What Happens When You Feel Unsafe.