A nervous system-informed approach to managing overwhelm and cultivating resilience
Time-honored, evidence-based practices to help you live more fully
“I didn’t know what I needed. I just wanted things to feel better.”
When things feel like “too much, too fast, too soon,” that’s called nervous system overwhelm.
Right now, your nervous system is quietly monitoring thousands of inputs - what you’re thinking, feeling, and sensing - in an effort to move away from threats and toward rewards.
And with as many inputs as we’re dealing with, it’s no wonder things can feel like too much right now. It’s not you.
Nervous system overwhelm is a physical experience.
When things feel like too much, too fast, too soon, some people experience a flood of energy – like a rocket ship blasting off. Others shut down, like a turtle retreating into its shell.
These are responses that have developed over millennia to help us survive as a species. But they haven’t updated themselves for the stimuli of our modern lives.
The good news? You can learn practices for managing nervous system overwhelm so things don’t feel so on-fire.
Our overwhelmed nervous systems have a hard time recognizing when they’re safe.
So a nervous system-informed approach to wellbeing and resilience helps the system find perspective - to distinguish between when our systems are responding to past or future danger (which can be very real), and when there is an immediate physical threat in the current moment.
Managing overwhelm starts with practicing awareness.
Establishing a sense of relative safety in schools.
When you practice mindfulness of present-moment sensations, it helps your system orient to what is pleasant - or even neutral - in your body and in the environment. This helps your nervous system feel safer.
Cultivating a new perspective of discomfort
Reminding yourself that most discomfort is not fixed, permanent, or all-encompassing can help your nervous system find perspective. This inclines your system to work with rather than against its underlying functioning.
Try this: daily practices for reducing overwhelm
Nervous system-informed teaching recognizes that attention regulation, emotion regulation, engagement, memory, and a whole host of other important skills are all impacted by the felt sense of safety in the body.
Pause for a moment and notice what you feel in your body when you ask yourself one of the following questions:
"I have a degree in the neurosciences, and I was so grateful to find someone who understood the physiology and functioning of the nervous system and could help break down the actual biology of why we respond and react the way we do cognitively. And then what impact that has on our biology and the science of leadership, the science of engagement with people, the science of actual engagement with self.”
“Alan started me off with practices to help me notice my senses, and at first I thought, Oh, man - this is going to be horrible! But the mindfulness Alan teaches is really important - and weirdly foundational. The way he talks about it, and the way he integrates that with the management advice - it's magic. And behind that is also this really strong assessment process and a strong analytical ability to help you dig into a big problem.”
“But how can I nurture a greater sense of resilience?”
Resilience isn’t about “pushing through” - being tougher, grittier, or unmoved in the face of overwhelming circumstances. And it’s not about removing all sources of stress.
Instead, it’s about resourcing ourselves with the capacity to meet difficult circumstances. To stay connected to our sense of perspective and our sources of support. And to learn how to meet reasonable challenges today so our system is prepared to face new ones in the future.
Learn simple daily practices for cultivating resilience.
Research in the fields of both human flourishing and post-traumatic growth highlight a handful of qualities that closely influence our ability to be resilient. These are known as “protective factors” for our mental health.
Rediscover a sense of meaning and purpose
Savoring positive emotions and experiences, paying mindful attention to the present moment, and fostering a sense of accomplishment and engagement in daily activities are all ways to cultivate resilience in your daily routines.
Feel connected and supported
You can foster protective factors in interpersonal relationships with routines that help you feel connected and present with others. Enjoying supportive relationships with colleagues, friends, and family is another way to cultivate resilience.
Try this: daily practices for cultivating resilience
You can nurture resilience within yourself and within your team or community by incorporating manageable, brief practices into your daily life and your organization’s routines.
Pause for a moment and notice what you feel in your body when you ask yourself one of the following questions:
"Alan breaks everything down in such a digestible, practical way, that I think some people are like, ‘Oh. That's what wellbeing is.’ I've been to workshops where you're like, Okay, we get it. We get your buzzword. But with Alan, it's really digestible. He doesn't dumb things down, but he’s very engaging, and it’s something you actually want to hear.”
"Because Alan was able to present the science behind his approach, and what we were all experiencing - the science of stress, etc. - your nervous system - his work spoke for itself, and the exercises that he had us engage in were designed with the science in mind, so people experienced it, and then saw those benefits.”
With all that’s going on in today’s world, it’s normal if things feel like too much.
But whether you are an educator, agency leader, busy professional, or doing-your-best human, you already have everything you need to make lasting changes that support wellbeing - for you, in your relationships, and in your community.
I’d love to show you how.
Find deeper ease with daily practices that work.
Managing overwhelm shouldn’t be overwhelming. Get in touch and let’s talk about what you need.