When You Feel Flooded or Numb: Understanding Your Stress Response and Finding Your Calm Again

Have you ever noticed how some days, even small things feel like too much, your heart races, your patience disappears, and you just want to escape? Other days, it’s the opposite; you feel flat, checked out, or like you’re moving through life underwater. These reactions aren’t “overreactions” or “weakness.” They are signs that your nervous system is doing exactly what it’s designed to do: protect you. The key is learning to understand what’s happening inside your body so you can find your way back to calm again.

Your Nervous System Is Like a River

Imagine your nervous system as a river. When the water is flowing smoothly, you’re within your window of tolerance. The range where your body and mind can handle life’s challenges without getting swept away. Inside this “window,” you can think clearly, feel your emotions, and stay connected to yourself and others. But when stress or past trauma pushes you beyond what feels manageable, that river can either overflow or freeze:

• Flooded River (Hyperarousal): Your body kicks into overdrive. You might feel anxious, restless, irritable, panicky, or on edge, like you need to do something right now to feel safe. Your heart races, muscles tighten, and your thoughts may spin. This is your body’s fight or flight system trying to protect you.

• Frozen River (Hypoarousal): When stress becomes too overwhelming for too long, your body can shut down instead. You might feel numb, disconnected, exhausted, or spaced out, like you’re watching life happen from a distance. This is the freeze or shutdown response, another form of protection.

  
  

  

Neither of these states means something is “wrong” with you. They’re survival patterns your nervous system learned long ago. Therapy and self-awareness can help you gently widen your window, so the river flows more freely, even when life feels turbulent.

Why This Awareness Matters

Understanding your stress response gives you choice. Instead of blaming yourself for being “too sensitive” or “emotionally distant,” you start to notice, “Oh, my body’s flooded right now” or “I think I’m shutting down. That awareness alone creates space for change. You can begin to pause, breathe, and use tools to bring yourself back into your window of tolerance, where you can respond instead of react.

A Quick Grounding Exercise: “Come Back to the Present”

Here’s a simple practice to help when you feel flooded or numb:

1. Pause and Notice. Ask yourself: What’s happening in my body right now? Are you tense, jittery, or numb? Just name it, no judgment.

2. Look Around. Gently turn your head and name five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. This activates your senses and tells your brain you’re safe in this moment.

3. Breathe Low and Slow. Try inhaling through your nose for a count of four, holding for two, and exhaling through your mouth for a count of six. Longer exhales calms your nervous system and lowers stress hormones.

4. Offer Yourself Kind Words. Try something simple like: “My body’s just trying to protect me.” This compassionate self-talk can soften your inner response and help you come back into balance.

How Therapy Helps You Widen Your Window of Tolerance

Therapy can help you recognize your body’s cues and expand your capacity to handle life’s ups and downs. Over time, your “window” widens, meaning you can stay grounded even in situations that used to feel overwhelming.

As therapists, we often use approaches like:

• EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing): Helps your brain and body reprocess past experiences that still trigger survival responses, so they no longer flood or shut down your system.

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Builds awareness of the thoughts that fuel anxiety or numbness and helps you replace them with balanced, realistic ones.

• Mindfulness and Somatic Techniques: Teach you to tune into your body’s signals and gently bring yourself back to the present moment.

• Solution-Focused and Strengths-Based Approaches: Help you build on what’s already working, so you feel more capable and empowered.

Through therapy, you learn not to eliminate stress, but to stay steady through it. You begin to notice earlier when your river’s about to overflow or freeze, and you know how to guide it back into flow.

Small Steps to Start Widening Your Window

You don’t have to overhaul your life to regulate your nervous system. Try small, consistent practices:

• Prioritize rest and nourishment; your body needs fuel to stay balanced.

• Spend a few minutes outside each day to reset your senses.

• Limit constant input (scrolling, noise, multitasking).

• Reach out to someone who helps you feel calm and grounded.

• Practice one simple grounding exercise daily, even when you’re not stressed.

Over time, these small habits train your body to trust that safety and calm are possible.

You’re Not Broken. You’re Human

Everyone moves outside their window of tolerance sometimes. What matters is learning how to notice it, care for yourself, and return home to your body. With awareness, compassion, and support, that window can widen, making space for more peace, connection, and resilience.

Ready to Reconnect with Yourself?

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, shut down, or unsure how to regulate your emotions, you’re not alone. Therapy can help you understand your body’s signals, process past stress, and build tools to navigate life with more balance and ease. I specialize in trauma-informed, compassionate therapy to help you find that flow again.