Your Nervous System at Work

What That Looks Like at Work

While we’re no longer running from predators, our nervous system still reacts to modern-day stressors, like deadlines or difficult conversations, as if they could be threats and our bodies respond automatically, even if the danger isn’t life-threatening.

Let’s look at a few examples:

• You open your inbox on a Monday morning to dozens of unread emails → your heart rate picks up, jaw clenches, and you feel a strong urge to avoid or shut down completely.
• You receive vague or critical feedback with no clear next steps → your mind races to make sense of it, your stomach drops, and you replay the conversation over and over.
• You’re asked to present at short notice in front of senior leadership → your hands sweat, heart pounds, and your brain struggles to find the right words, even if you know your stuff.
• You’re juggling multiple high-priority tasks with tight deadlines → your brain struggles to process what to do first, you feel mentally foggy or frozen, and even simple decisions feel overwhelming.

These are nervous system responses. They’re not about overreacting or being too sensitive. They’re about your body trying to interpret whether you’re safe.

The problem is, when our workplace culture constantly triggers our threat system, we can find ourselves stuck in high-alert or shut-down states which can be referred to as hyperarousal (anxious, agitated, overactive) or hypoarousal (disconnected, withdrawn, numb).

Neither state is wrong. They’re survival strategies. But staying stuck in them over time can take a toll on our health, relationships, and ability to work effectively.