Understanding Your Nervous System
For a long time, I felt like my body was working against me. I’d feel this intense anxiety or stress and then find myself reaching for food, and it felt totally out of my control.
What I didn’t realize is that my nervous system was just trying to keep me safe. It has different “gears” it shifts into to handle what life throws at us. Understanding this has been a complete game-changer.
The Three Gears of Your Nervous System
You’re not broken; your nervous system is just doing its job. It’s a survival mechanism, and it’s always scanning for cues of safety or danger.
It has three main states, or gears, and by understanding them, you can start to work with your body instead of against it.
- 1st Gear: Safe & Social (Ventral Vagal): This is our happy place. When we’re in this gear, we feel calm, connected, and safe.
- We can make mindful choices, enjoy our surroundings, and connect with people. It’s a state of rest and digest, where we feel grounded and at ease.
- 2nd Gear: Fight or Flight (Sympathetic): This gear kicks in when we feel a sense of threat, stress, or anxiety. It’s a high-alert state meant to help us escape danger.
- When you’re in this gear, your body is amped up, and a craving for junk food can feel like a desperate need to escape those uncomfortable feelings. It’s a way to soothe yourself when your nervous system is screaming, “GO! RUN!”
- 3rd Gear: Freeze (Dorsal Vagal): This is the body’s emergency brake. If a situation feels too overwhelming to fight or flee, the body can shut down.
- When you’re in this gear, you might feel numb, disconnected, or completely shut down.
- In this state, junk food can become a way to “check out” from difficult feelings, a way to numb the overwhelming sensations.
Shifting Gears: Finding a Different Way
Many of us get stuck in the stress and freeze states, constantly turning to food for a temporary fix that never actually solves the problem.
But when you learn to recognize which gear you’re in, you can start to have compassion for yourself.
You can say, “Oh, I’m not a bad person for wanting to eat this whole bag of chips; my nervous system just feels stressed and is trying to get into the safe gear.”
This awareness is the first step toward creating a new path. It gives you a moment of pause where you can choose a different way of getting back to safety.
Maybe it’s taking a few deep breaths, talking to a friend, or even just putting your feet on the ground. By learning to identify your nervous system’s state, you can begin to shift back into the Safe & Social gear and create new, healthier patterns.
It’s about bringing a sense of kindness and understanding to your own body and giving it what it truly needs. Sources