Being overstimulated feels like your senses are under siege, with every noise, light, and touch magnified to an unbearable degree. Your mind races, struggling to process the overload of information, leaving you mentally exhausted and emotionally frazzled. In this state, even simple tasks become monumental challenges, and you crave solitude and quiet to regain your equilibrium.

Being stuck in fight or flight feels like living in a constant state of high alert, where your body and mind are perpetually primed for danger. Your heart races, muscles tense, and thoughts become consumed with finding an escape or facing a threat, leaving little room for rational thinking or calm. This heightened state of anxiety is exhausting, making it difficult to relax, sleep, or find peace, as you’re always anticipating the next crisis.

Being sensitive to sound feels like every noise is amplified, making even the quietest sounds seem intrusive and overwhelming. Everyday environments become challenging as ordinary sounds like ticking clocks, footsteps, or distant conversations can feel jarring and unbearable. This heightened auditory sensitivity can lead to constant distraction, irritation, and a desperate need for silence or escape to find relief.

Being stuck in therapy due to dissociation or a well-protected psychological system feels like you're fighting yourself in your sessions, leaving you unable to fully engage or connect with the therapeutic process. Despite the therapist's guidance, you find it difficult to access or express your true emotions and experiences, as if a barrier is preventing you from truly participating. This disconnection can be frustrating and disheartening, making each session feel unproductive and leaving you longing for a way to break through the protective walls your mind has built.

Nervous system dysregulation can lead to a persistent state of irritability, where you find yourself on edge without a clear cause. This chronic irritability stems from an overactive stress response, making it difficult to relax and react calmly to everyday situations. As a result, minor inconveniences or stimuli can trigger disproportionate frustration, leaving you feeling agitated and unsettled throughout the day, interfering with your work, relationships and your ability to feel good about yourself.

Chronic stress continuously activates the body's stress response, overwhelming the nervous system and preventing it from returning to a balanced state. This prolonged state of alertness disrupts the regulation of stress hormones, leading to an overactive fight or flight response. Over time, this dysregulation makes it difficult for the body to relax and recover, resulting in heightened anxiety, irritability, and a reduced ability to cope with everyday stressors.