25/07/2026
🤯 What if you’re not overthinking, anxious, or stressed. What if everything is in perfect order & you are safe.
Has your nervous system learned from childhood that the world isn’t always safe?
Hyper-vigilance feels like being on 🔋all the time. It’s exhausting & causes cycles of burnout 🪫& can hit hard in midlife perimenopause women when hormones decline & life becomes more demanding in different ways.
As humans we are programmed instinctively stay safe to protect ourselves from the proverbial 🦕 but for some it’s all consuming & for highly sensitive ppl / neurodivergents are constantly looking for danger. Which as we know by now - the brain 🧠 will locate what you choose to focus on, this is science but in self help world coined “Law of attraction” & “Manifesting”. Using the area of the brain called the (RAS) reticular activating system.
Clinical observations suggest that the RAS shows altered or heightened baseline activation in highly vigilant neurodivergent individuals. The RAS acts as the brain’s primary sensory gatekeeper and arousal regulator, determining which external stimuli break through to conscious awareness. In neurodivergent profiles like autism and ADHD, differences in this filtering mechanism can lead to persistent hyper-arousal.
Do you -watch people’s faces - replay conversations afterwards - notice every change in someone’s tone & even when everything seems fine, you still can’t fully relax.
Being on high alert helps you cope & feel safe, & in control … but leaves you exhausted all the time.
The question isn’t, “How do I stop being like this?”
The Question is, “What would help me feel a little safer?”
Hyper vigilant ppl are pro maskers & live in perpetual overwhelm.
Understanding that you may have been in this state for the best part of your life is a good start to healing your nervous system.
Better Questions. Better Thinking. Real Change.
Emily Dawson
