PHYSICAL WELLNESS
THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
the body’s command center
like your internal smartphone operating system.
Your nervous system works like a powerful smartphone app that never closes — always scanning your environment, tracking what’s happening inside your body, and sending messages to keep you safe, alert, calm, or ready to heal.
It’s made up of your brain, spinal cord, and nerves, which act like the hardware and software of your internal device — constantly syncing data and managing updates without you even realizing it.
When your body is stressed, tired, triggered, or healing, this system decides:
📲 Do we need to send an alert and activate safety mode?
📲 Or is it safe to power down into rest-and-repair mode?
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![The Brain]()
The Brain
The control center — like the processor and home screen that decides what app (response) to open
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The Spinal Cord
The main charging cable — connecting your brain to your entire body to send and receive messages
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![Nerves]()
Nerves
The wires and touch signals — helping your body talk to itself in real time
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The Vagus Nerve
The "calm down" app — sending soothing updates between your brain, gut, heart, and lungs
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The Sympathetic System
The emergency notification system — sends alerts, launches survival mode (like Low Battery or Do Not Disturb)
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The Parasympathetic System
The sleep-and-repair settings — activates updates, rest, and healing mode
⚠️ Foggy or overwhelmed? That’s okay. Just like an app, your brain doesn’t need to run every feature at once. Bookmark this page and return when you’re ready — no pressure, no rush.
WHEN THE APP KEEPS CRASHING
how trauma affects the nervous system
Even if a traumatic experience is long behind us, our nervous system might still be acting like it’s happening right now.
Think of it this way:
Your nervous system is like the software running in the background of your body. Trauma is like a system overload — it causes the app to freeze, glitch, or force restart. This can leave your body stuck in survival mode, even when you’re technically safe.
You might experience:
A racing heart or shallow breath even when you’re “resting”
Feeling jumpy, frozen, or spaced out during emotional moments
Chronic tension, fatigue, or digestive trouble
Trouble sleeping or staying present
It’s not "just in your head" — it’s in your body.
These responses are part of a protective loop your brain and body created during stress or threat.
