You’re not lazy. You’re not cold. You’re maxed out—and your nervous system hit pause.

In this episode of My Brain’s a Mess (And That’s Okay), we talk about emotional numbness—the foggy, flat, disconnected feeling that shows up when your system is overloaded. You might not be panicking. You might not even be sad. You might just feel... nothing.

This episode unpacks how overwhelm triggers dorsal vagal shutdown, why your brain checks out when emotions pile up, and how to re-engage gently, without pushing yourself to “snap out of it.”

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why numbness is actually a survival response to emotional overload

• How the nervous system decides to shut down when it’s overwhelmed

• Gentle practices to reconnect with your body and shift out of the fog

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for mental health treatment. Listening to this show does not create a therapist-client relationship. I’m a licensed therapist, but I’m not your therapist. If you’re looking for personalized support, I encourage you to connect with a qualified mental health provider in your area.

It’s not just being “nice”—it’s a survival strategy your nervous system learned a long time ago.

In this episode of My Brain’s a Mess (And That’s Okay), we dive deep into the fawn response: the lesser-known trauma response that looks like people-pleasing, over-accommodating, and smoothing everything over—even when you’re hurting.

If you’ve ever said yes when you meant no, apologized for having needs, or kept the peace at the expense of your own well-being, this episode is for you. We’ll explore why fawning shows up, how it protects us, and what it looks like to start reclaiming your “no” with nervous-system-informed boundaries.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• What fawning is and how it differs from freeze, flight, and fight responses

• How people-pleasing can be a trauma response, not a personality trait

• How to begin setting boundaries without triggering guilt or shutdown

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for mental health treatment. Listening to this show does not create a therapist-client relationship. I’m a licensed therapist, but I’m not your therapist. If you’re looking for personalized support, I encourage you to connect with a qualified mental health provider in your area.

You’re productive, punctual, and praised—and also panicking inside. Let’s talk about it.

In this episode of My Brain’s a Mess (And That’s Okay), we’re calling out high-functioning anxiety for what it really is: a coping mechanism dressed up as achievement. You’re managing your life like a pro on the outside—color-coded calendars, perfect emails, a reputation for being dependable—but inside, it’s chaos.

We break down how high-functioning anxiety shows up, why it’s often misread (or rewarded), and how to start regulating instead of overfunctioning. Because “doing it all” isn’t the same as being well—and you deserve more than survival mode in a nice outfit.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• What high-functioning anxiety looks like behind the scenes

• Why perfectionism, overpreparing, and people-pleasing feel protective

• Nervous system-based strategies for moving from panic-fueled action to calm, connected living

This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for mental health treatment. Listening to this show does not create a therapist-client relationship. I’m a licensed therapist, but I’m not your therapist. If you’re looking for personalized support, I encourage you to connect with a qualified mental health provider in your area.