I used to think this was weakness—me feeling into the wobbliness, the dizziness, the sluggishness. It was nervous system overwhelm.
This is not being lazy.
This is part of honoring my body’s process as it’s moving and understanding what true regulation is.
I went through something yesterday that needed my attention, and after the process, I feel a little bit sleepy. I feel that like it’s now at the rest state. Earlier today I was shaky and I didn’t know how to process the shakiness other than me having to shake it out involuntarily.
What Led to the Nervous System Overwhelm
To paint this picture for you of what went on:
- Around 5am, cortisol spiked. I wanted to move but slept another two hours.
- 36mg iron + 1000mg vitamin C—I was born iron deficit
- Extra sunlight exposure
- Natural morning cortisol spike
- Result: Unknowingly that I may have given my system too much, I recognize my system reached capacity and needed to discharge
The Complete Cycle: From Activation to Resolution
The Buildup Phase
Energy began building in my system. I felt it accumulating, and there was a moment where I recognized this might be too much input. My nervous system was approaching its threshold.
Peak Activation
- Sensation of falling forward, near-fainting feeling
- Light sensitivity became intense—I had to stay indoors
- My body couldn’t process any additional stimulation
- Walking outside wasn’t possible due to the sunlight overwhelm
One may think this is a clear panic or anxiety attack, however I was aware and present of what was happening—my body responding to more input than it could regulate.
The Discharge Process
For about an hour, my body shook involuntarily.
Complete tremors with no conscious control, similar to how the body moves during peak like drinking too much coffee—automatic and beyond my direction. My nervous system was discharging the excess energy because it knows how to regulate when I allow the process.
Because of the nervous system education I’ve been watching and reading, I followed my impulse to stay horizontal and let the shaking happen. Though again this was a scary experience again, my body was doing what it needed to do.
Resolution and Safety
The shaking stopped when I found authentic safety—rereading the comments from a LinkedIn post I had rewritten recently about my recovery felt real and connected.
The tremors ceased immediately.
Then came the natural impulse to curl up, hold myself, and nourish my body with gentle food. It was now in the true low-tow dorsal state of the parasympathetic state.
What Supported the Process
Helpful responses:
- Cancelled all activities immediately to reduce further stimulation
- Stayed lying down throughout the discharge
- Allowed the shaking without resistance or attempts to control it
- Sought authentic connection to complete the regulation cycle
- MORE IMPORTANTLY, listening to your impulse and body
What would have interfered:
- Trying to stand or move during the discharge
- Fighting against the tremors
- Continuing with planned activities instead of honoring what was happening
Understanding What Occurred
Often, people would say this was dysfunction or to calm. This was my nervous system completing a healthy regulation cycle.
Like animals that shake after escaping danger (see video of the example) , this is biology working correctly. My system became overloaded, discharged the excess activation, and returned to baseline naturally.
My mind stayed calm because this was physiological, not psychological. My body was managing the process while my awareness simply witnessed.
Learning About Capacity
The morning cortisol spike combined with increased baseline energy and supplements created more input than my current system could integrate smoothly.
I’m learning to test one variable at a time—skipping supplements the next morning to understand my natural cortisol response and current nervous system capacity.
What This Process Taught Me
My body communicates its limits clearly when I listen. The discharge process is wisdom, not weakness.
True regulation sometimes looks like shaking, sometimes like stillness, sometimes like the need for gentle nourishment afterward.
Moving forward, I’m honoring my system’s current capacity rather than pushing it beyond what it can integrate. This means adjusting supplement timing, monitoring stimulation levels, and stopping immediately when my body signals it’s had enough.
This experience showed me my nervous system working exactly as it should—recognizing overwhelm, processing it completely, and returning to regulation so I’m able to function. This means to be gentle, slow while it rests and repairs itself. My body knows how to take care of itself when I create the conditions for that to happen.