Emotional Overwhelm: Somatic Tools to Calm Your Nervous System
When emotions feel too big, too fast, or too intense, our bodies sometimes respond by shutting down. This isn’t a character flaw or a lack of motivation—it’s your nervous system doing its best to protect you.
I remember sitting on the edge of my bed, fully aware of the dishes in the sink, texts waiting for a reply, and a full day ahead of me—and still, I couldn’t move. Thoughts like, “What is wrong with me? Why can’t I do these simple tasks?” ran through my head.
But I wasn’t lazy. I wasn’t unmotivated. I was overwhelmed. My system was overloaded, so my body hit the brakes.
These days, things feel different. My body feels safer. I’ve learned how to listen to my nervous system, how to pause and support myself instead of spiraling. I still have moments of freeze, but now I know what to do—I meet myself with compassion and let my system catch up to the moment. That shift has made all the difference.
Understanding Emotional Overwhelm
When we experience overwhelming emotions, our nervous system can enter a freeze state—a protective response that often results in numbness, exhaustion, or disconnection. This once helped us stay safe, but over time it can make emotional processing feel impossible.
Gentle Steps to Regulate When You Feel Shut Down
If you tend to shut down when overwhelmed, here are a few somatic tools to try:
Shift Your Environment: Step outside, change rooms, or look around your space. Noticing your surroundings can remind your system that you’re safe.
Engage Your Senses: Hold a warm drink, listen to calming music, or name three things you can see, touch, or hear. These sensory experiences help bring you back to the present.
Move in Small Ways: Gentle movement like swaying, stretching, or tapping your chest can signal to your nervous system that you’re okay.
Learning to Hold Space for Your Emotions
You don’t have to feel everything at once. Healing happens in small, steady steps. Instead of trying to push through emotional overwhelm, we can support ourselves through it—with curiosity, compassion, and care.
This is the heart of the work I do with clients: helping them feel empowered to set boundaries, speak up for themselves, and process emotions without getting stuck in shutdown or survival mode.
You are not broken. With the right tools and support, you can learn to feel more present, more regulated, and more like yourself again.
About the Author
Shai Maxine is a trained somatic practitioner specializing in helping people navigate stress, chronic pain, and emotional overwhelm. With years of experience guiding clients toward greater ease and connection, Shai offers practical tools rooted in somatic awareness and mindfulness. When not working, Shai enjoys hiking, cooking, creating art, and petting as many dogs as she can. Follow along on instagram @shai.maxine
