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Anxiety, Trauma & The Nervous System

A Gentle Guide for Moms

Anxiety doesn’t just live in your mind. It lives in your body, your breath, your sleep, and sometimes even in the way your shoulders stay slightly raised all day. If you’ve walked through hard things, chronic illness, motherhood, or trauma, your nervous system has been carrying more than it was ever meant to carry alone.

This guide is here to help you understand what’s happening in your body, how trauma and anxiety affect your nervous system, and how you can gently support it—with science, with simple tools, and with the hope we have in Christ.

“He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul.”
(Psalm 23:2–3)

What This Guide Covers

In this guide, you’ll find:

  • what the nervous system actually does (in bite-sized, non-textbook language)

  • how trauma and chronic stress keep your body “stuck on” or “stuck off”

  • common signs your nervous system is overloaded

  • how faith and the body are deeply connected

  • gentle, practical ways to support your nervous system

  • when to reach out for more help

  • links to Becoming Natural episodes that go deeper

This is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment—just a mom, a therapist, and a believer sharing what she’s learned so you can ask better questions and feel less alone.

How Anxiety and Trauma Affect Your Nervous System

Your nervous system is your body’s communication network. It helps you:

  • notice danger

  • make decisions

  • digest food

  • sleep

  • heal

  • connect with people you love

When you’ve walked through trauma, chronic stress, or long seasons of illness, your nervous system can start living in survival mode. That might look like:

  • your heart racing out of nowhere

  • feeling “on edge” even when everything is quiet

  • feeling numb, shut down, or like you’re watching life from the outside

  • having a hard time remembering things

  • trouble sleeping, even when you’re exhausted

Your body isn’t broken—it’s protective. It’s trying to keep you alive with the tools it knows. Nobody ever taught you how to tell it, “You’re safe now.”

That’s what we’re doing here.

Signs Your Nervous System Is Overloaded

Every mom shows stress differently, but common signs of a taxed nervous system include:

  • difficulty taking deep breaths or feeling like you “can’t catch your breath”

  • tight jaw, shoulders, neck, or chest most of the time

  • trouble falling or staying asleep

  • feeling jumpy, easily startled, or constantly braced for “the next thing”

  • feeling detached, numb, or checked out

  • digestive issues (constipation, diarrhea, bloating) that flare with stress

  • sensitivity to noise, light, or clutter

  • going from “fine” to “snapping” in 0.2 seconds

None of this means you’re crazy, dramatic, or weak. It means your nervous system is overloaded and asking for support.

How Faith Connects to Your Nervous System

God did not separate your spirit from your body. He wove them together.

  • Your vagus nerve calms your heart and gut.

  • Your breath can change your heart rate.

  • Your thoughts and prayers can shift your brain’s activity.

  • Your body holds memories and experiences—even the ones you’d rather forget.

When you pray, breathe, sing, or cry before the Lord, you are not “just being spiritual.” You are also regulating your nervous system in real time.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
(Matthew 11:28)

Rest is not just a spiritual concept. It’s a physiological state. Your nervous system feels it.

Gentle Ways to Support Your Nervous System

These are not quick fixes or prescriptions. They’re gentle invitations you can try, one at a time, as you feel ready.

1. Support Through the Body

Breathwork
Try a simple 4–6 breathing pattern: inhale for 4, exhale for 6. Longer exhales help activate the calming side of your nervous system.

Grounding
Put your bare feet on the floor. Notice: 5 things you can see, 4 you can touch, 3 you can hear, 2 you can smell, 1 you can taste.

Movement
Gentle walking, stretching, or rocking can help tell your body it’s safe to move again.

Lymphatic + vagus support
Light neck stretches, humming, gentle gargling, or singing worship softly can help tone the vagus nerve.

Always listen to your body. If something feels too intense, back off. Slow is still progress.

2. Support Through Mind & Emotions

Name what you’re feeling
“I feel scared.” “I feel overwhelmed.” “I feel numb.”
Naming emotions begins to soften their intensity.

Compassionate self-talk
Trade “What’s wrong with me?” for “My body is trying to protect me.”

EMDR and trauma-informed therapy
Tools like EMDR don’t erase your story, but they can help your nervous system file it differently so it doesn’t feel like it’s happening right now every time you’re triggered.

Journaling with God
Write your fears, then write what you sense Him saying back through His Word.

3. Support Through Environment & Rhythm

Reduce sensory overload where you can
One less noise, one less screen, one less pile can calm your system more than you think.

Create small anchors in your day

  • Morning: one verse and one slow breath.

  • Afternoon: step outside for 2 minutes.

  • Night: no scrolling for the last 15 minutes before bed.

You don’t have to control everything to support your nervous system. Tiny, consistent shifts matter.

When to Reach Out for More Help

Please talk with a licensed medical or mental health professional if you notice:

  • panic attacks that interfere with daily life

  • thoughts of harming yourself or others

  • nightmares, flashbacks, or reliving traumatic moments

  • depression that makes it hard to get out of bed or care for yourself

  • new or worsening physical symptoms that worry you

This page can’t replace personalized care, but it can give you language to bring into the room when you ask for help.

Becoming Natural Episodes on Anxiety, Trauma & The Nervous System

FAQ: Anxiety, Trauma & The Nervous System

Q: Is anxiety “all in my head,” or is it really in my body?
Anxiety is both. Your thoughts, past experiences, and environment shape how your body responds. Your nervous system uses physical symptoms—like a racing heart or tight chest—to signal “I don’t feel safe.” You are not imagining it. Your body is speaking.

Q: Can the nervous system heal from trauma?
The nervous system is adaptable. With time, safety, support, and sometimes therapy or tools like EMDR, your brain and body can create new patterns. The memories don’t disappear, but they don’t have to run the show.

Q: Is it a lack of faith if I still feel anxious?
No. Having a nervous system and living in a broken world means you will feel fear, stress, and sadness. Faith is not the absence of symptoms—it’s bringing your whole self (body, mind, and story) to Jesus and letting Him walk with you in it.

Q: Where should I start if I feel completely overwhelmed?
Start small. One breath, one verse, one honest conversation with someone safe. You don’t have to fix your whole nervous system this week. Take the next gentle step.

Want More Support?

If this page helped you feel seen, you’re not alone. Many moms are quietly carrying trauma, anxiety, chronic stress, and intense nervous systems while trying to hold their families together.

You don’t have to figure it out by yourself.

Consider:

  • listening to the Becoming Natural episodes linked above

  • bookmarking this guide to revisit on hard days

  • joining my email list for gentle, science-backed, faith-rooted encouragement for your body and your home

God is in this story—
even the shaky, heart-racing, can’t-catch-your-breath parts.