Dear Iza, If slowing down feels uncomfortable… If rest makes you anxious… If your body only feels okay when you’re moving, you might be living in a chronic state of Flight. This isn’t a mindset issue to overcome. It’s a nervous system pattern. Many women live in this quiet, chronic state of flight without realizing it. Not the dramatic kind of flight, but the socially rewarded kind: staying busy, capable, productive, one step ahead. For a long time, this works. Until it doesn’t. Midlife is often when the body speaks more clearly. The strategies that carried you for decades—pushing, managing, overriding—suddenly stop working. Not because you’re broken, but because your nervous system is asking for something different. This can show up as restlessness when you try to slow down, a tight jaw or shallow breath, disrupted sleep or digestion, hormonal symptoms, or a constant sense that you need to DO something constantly. What if none of this is something to fix? What if it’s information? A nervous system in chronic flight learned—often very early—that movement equals safety. That staying alert, forward-facing, and capable was protective. Over time, the system forgets how to fully arrive. And when the body never truly lands, rest can feel unfamiliar… even unsafe. Midlife isn’t asking you to try harder. It’s asking you to listen more closely. If you'd like a simple nervous system resetting tool, you can try this powerful essential oil and Acupoint combo. This is one of my favourites for nervous system regulation when the system is stuck in flight.
Bergamot on point Shen Men on the ear supports regulation between the right and left hemispheres of the brain and helps balance the sympathetic (doing) and parasympathetic (resting) branches of the nervous system.
This pairing can gently support: settling internal agitation improving emotional regulation helping the system shift out of constant alertness restoring a felt sense of safety and coherence
You can watch a video explaining it here This isn’t about forcing relaxation. It’s about creating conditions where safety can return. Free Workshop If this resonates, and you’d like to understand your nervous system more deeply—especially through a female, body-led lens—I’m offering a free talk for women on Monday January 19th at 2pm ET:
In this talk, I'll be sharing a deeper exploration of why women’s nervous systems respond the way they do, and how to work with your body rather than override it. Join the FREE Talk Here If your body has lived in flight, slowing down may feel unfamiliar at first. That doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. It means your nervous system is learning something new. For today, let this be enough: A pause, A breath, Gentle Curiosity A softening. With Love, Angela |
