How to Handle “A Lot”: Nervous System Strategies for Stress, Urgency & Overload
Episode 79: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube
View transcript on Buzzsprout
This episode is a real-time reflection from Amanda on what it looks like to apply nervous system regulation tools during a season of life that’s simply… a lot. From school transitions and travel to building a cabin and IVF prep, she shares candidly about urgency patterns, inherited stress, and what it means to navigate activation with awareness and agency.
What We Cover in This Episode
- What it means to be in a season of “a lot” and why that matters for your nervous system
- How urgency and “just get it done” mindsets show up in sneaky ways
- Real-time examples of parenting, reading, and regulating under stress
- Why regulation isn’t about constant calm—but about resilience and flexibility
- How stress tolerance is a skill we can build strategically
Living With “A Lot”
Amanda opens this episode with an honest look at what’s currently happening in her life: family transitions, packed schedules, disrupted routines, and big decisions. She names the privilege of many of her stressors, but also the very real nervous system activation they create.
She explores how urgency patterns—moving fast, finishing tasks just to be done, pushing leisure into performance—still surface, even after years of healing. And how she now meets those patterns differently: with awareness, nervous system tools, and intentional choices to slow down.
Real-Life Reframes & Nervous System Nudges
From catching herself telling her son to “hurry up” when there’s no rush, to compulsively speeding through a fiction book, Amanda shares examples of how urgency can creep into our every day.
She reflects on moments where she paused, breathed, and responded with intention—helping her body (and her child’s) feel safe to slow down. This isn’t about perfection. It’s about pattern interruption and practicing a different pace.
She also names how often we label what’s hard as a personal failure when it’s actually a natural response to cumulative stress. Many of the thoughts we try to mindset our way out of—catastrophizing, overthinking, dread—are downstream of an activated body. This is why bottom-up work matters.
Regulation Is Not Calm—It’s Capacity
One of the most important reminders in this episode: nervous system regulation isn’t about being calm all the time. It’s about having the flexibility to stretch when life asks that of you, and the capacity to come back to center.
Amanda expands on how she built that capacity over time—not through one tool or magic fix, but through layered support: somatic work, strategic blood work, coaching, community, and lifestyle changes.
A Whole Human, Whole Life Approach
She also previews an exciting new labs program for those interested in a more functional, comprehensive path to healing. Whether you’ve been dismissed by your doctor or handed meds without answers, this new offer aims to meet that gap—with better labs, smarter guidance, and more personalized care.
If life feels like a lot right now, this episode offers both validation and direction. You’ll walk away with a deeper understanding of what urgency really is, how to relate to it differently, and why your stress response makes perfect sense in context.
Three Tangible Takeaways
- Intentionally slow down: Practice reading, walking, eating, and speaking at a slower pace to show your body it’s safe to soften urgency.
- Use deep breaths strategically: Diaphragmatic breathing activates your vagus nerve, helping shift your body into a more regulated state.
- Try “Even If” thinking: Counter catastrophizing with the phrase “even if…” to build psychological flexibility and interrupt spirals.
Looking for more personalized support?
- Book a FREE discovery call for RESTORE, our 1:1 anxiety & depression coaching program (HSA/FSA eligible & includes comprehensive bloodwork)
- Join me inside the Regulated Living Membership, a mental health membership and nervous system healing space (sliding scale pricing available)
- Join my Release Class – Monthly guided nervous system regulation class
- Order my book, Healing Through the Vagus Nerve today!
- Download free resources here
*Want me to talk about something specific on the podcast? Let me know HERE.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or qualified mental health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
