When your nervous system starts to break down, it doesn’t politely tap you on the shoulder and whisper that you should maybe take a breath and calm down. It hijacks your body, scrambles your brain, and leaves you disoriented, in pain, and afraid. While doctors run labs that come back “normal.”
But your reality is far from normal.
This is for those who know what it’s like to:
Here’s what I’ve learned. Here’s what I wish I had been told.
Your nervous system doesn’t “just malfunction.” It breaks down under pressure: chronic, unrelenting, under-the-surface pressure. Here are the most common root causes:
1. Chronic Stress & Trauma
Years of pushing through grief, abandonment, emotional suppression, or performance pressure build like steam in a sealed pot. Eventually, it explodes.
2. Gut Damage & Microbial Imbalance
Antibiotics, poor diet, infections, and trauma can wreck the gut—where over 80% of the nervous system’s messenger (serotonin) is produced. If your microbiome is off, your mood, memory, and sleep will be too.
3. Nutrient Deficiency
When digestion is compromised or stress is prolonged, your body drains key minerals and vitamins it needs to function.
4. Inflammation & Malabsorption
Chronic gut inflammation can lead to pancreatic strain, nutrient loss, and systemic breakdown. What you eat matters—but what you absorb matters more.
5. Overstimulation & Burnout
Never slowing down, always “on,” screen exposure, constant alerts, and high-pressure lifestyles fry the brain’s ability to rest. Eventually, your body forces the shutdown.
This isn’t just “in your head.” When the nervous system crashes, everything is affected:
Nutrients That Get Wiped Out During a Breakdown
When your nervous system is in fight-or-flight 24/7, your body uses up essential nutrients faster than it can replenish them:
| Nutrient | Why it matters |
| Magnesium | Calms the nerves, regulates muscle function, and aids sleep |
| B12 + Folate | Vital for brain health, memory, and mood |
| Zinc | Immune & gut lining repair, neurotransmitter support |
| Omega-3s | Anti-inflammatory, crucial for brain + nerve function |
| Potassium & Sodium | Regulate blood pressure, prevent dizziness/fainting |
| Vitamin D | Mood regulation, gut immune support |
| L-Glutamine | Repairs gut lining, feeds enteric nervous system |
| Taurine + Glycine | Amino acids that soothe the brain & stabilize heart rhythm |
You can eat well and still be deficient if your gut can’t absorb these.
How to Reset the Nervous System:
You won’t “think” your way out of this. It requires a full-body approach, starting with safety and nourishment. Healing begins when your body believes it’s “safe again.”
1. Simplify What You Eat
Your gut is inflamed. Start gently.
2. Hydrate with Electrolytes
If you’ve had diarrhea or fainting:
3. Morning Light & Movement
Expose your eyes and skin to sunlight within an hour of waking. Go for a slow walk in nature. This regulates cortisol and resets your circadian rhythm.
4. Breathe Deeply into the Gut
Try:
This activates the vagus nerve, which is like your body’s internal peacekeeper.
5. Rebuild with the Right Supplements (personalize with help, not guesswork)
6. Create Conditions for Deep Rest
This isn’t weakness. It’s what happens when your nervous system has carried too much for too long without relief. It doesn’t need shame, it needs support.
Start where you are. One glass of water. One deep breath. One nutrient. One walk. One meal your gut doesn’t have to fight.
Your body hasn’t given up on you. It’s begging you to come home to it.
You can heal.
Sources for further reading:
Protective and damaging effects of stress mediators. New England Journal of Medicine, 338(3), 171–179.
https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199801153380307 Chronic stress dysregulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, leading to harmful effects on brain structure, immune function, and metabolic health.
The Impact of Early Life Trauma on Health and Disease: The Hidden Epidemic. Cambridge University Press. Describes how unresolved trauma and ongoing stress can cause autonomic nervous system dysfunction, including dissociation, chronic fatigue, and emotional shutdown.
The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-regulation. W. W. Norton & Company. Introduces the idea that a chronically stressed nervous system becomes stuck in survival mode (fight/flight/freeze), affecting digestion, mood, and cognitive function.
A model of neurovisceral integration in emotion regulation and dysregulation. Journal of Affective Disorders, 61(3), 201–216.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0165-0327(00)00338-4 Links heart rate variability (HRV) and nervous system adaptability to stress resilience and mental health.
The effects of acute stress on episodic memory: A meta-analysis and integrative review. Psychological Bulletin, 142(6), 636–667.
https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000040 Shows how ongoing stress impacts memory, processing speed, and emotional regulation.
Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers: The Acclaimed Guide to Stress, Stress-Related Diseases, and Coping. Explains how chronic activation of the stress response damages the nervous system, gut, and endocrine balance, leading to breakdown symptoms.
