Building Capacity: When Your Nervous System Can’t Absorb One More Thing
Mon Feb 02 2026
Share Your Tips and Take-aways with me!
Lately, many of us are feeling it more—the anxiety, the tension, the emotional weight of the world. And for nurses, this isn’t abstract. We hold stress, fear, urgency, and responsibility every single day.
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3 (NIV)
In this episode, we are continuing a conversation where I share honestly about navigating my own anxiety for the first time in a new way during perimenopause—and how a prolonged power outage became an unexpected nervous system check-in. What I noticed wasn’t weakness. It was capacity.
We explore:
Why anxiety can increase during perimenopauseHow co-regulation causes us to absorb the stress of othersWhat happens to your health when stress is absorbed or ignoredWhy nervous system regulation isn’t a one-time toolThe difference between calm and capacityHow building nervous system capacity protects long-term healthA grounding practice using geranium and the feet to support regulationThis episode is an invitation to stop pushing through and start building the internal capacity to feel, regulate, and recover—without burning out or breaking down.
This is not about doing more.
It’s about doing differently.
Support the show
When you are ready, there are a few ways we can connect—each designed to meet you where you are:
CLICK HERE and get The Default to Yes newsletter, where I share weekly mindset shifts, simple nervous-system rituals, scripture-anchored reflections, practical tools for regulated living as a nurse. No overwhelm. No pressure. Just steady encouragement to keep moving forward - aligned and grounded. If you’re looking for a steady place to land between episodes, you’re welcome to join our free Facebook community, The Regulated Nurse.
-a private space for nurses and health care professionals focused on nervous system regulation, inner clarity, and sustainable practices that help you trust yourself again—one steady step at a time. If this episode stirred something in you and you’d like a quiet space to talk it through, you’re welcome to schedule a short 20 minute clarity call.
It’s a conversation by phone or Zoom—no pressure, no fixing—just space for what is coming up, and what you want more (or less) of. NO REGRETS Discovery Call Let me know what it looks like when you default to YES! VOICE MESSAGE.
More
Share Your Tips and Take-aways with me! Lately, many of us are feeling it more—the anxiety, the tension, the emotional weight of the world. And for nurses, this isn’t abstract. We hold stress, fear, urgency, and responsibility every single day. “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” Isaiah 26:3 (NIV) In this episode, we are continuing a conversation where I share honestly about navigating my own anxiety for the first time in a new way during perimenopause—and how a prolonged power outage became an unexpected nervous system check-in. What I noticed wasn’t weakness. It was capacity. We explore: Why anxiety can increase during perimenopauseHow co-regulation causes us to absorb the stress of othersWhat happens to your health when stress is absorbed or ignoredWhy nervous system regulation isn’t a one-time toolThe difference between calm and capacityHow building nervous system capacity protects long-term healthA grounding practice using geranium and the feet to support regulationThis episode is an invitation to stop pushing through and start building the internal capacity to feel, regulate, and recover—without burning out or breaking down. This is not about doing more. It’s about doing differently. Support the show When you are ready, there are a few ways we can connect—each designed to meet you where you are: CLICK HERE and get The Default to Yes newsletter, where I share weekly mindset shifts, simple nervous-system rituals, scripture-anchored reflections, practical tools for regulated living as a nurse. No overwhelm. No pressure. Just steady encouragement to keep moving forward - aligned and grounded. If you’re looking for a steady place to land between episodes, you’re welcome to join our free Facebook community, The Regulated Nurse. -a private space for nurses and health care professionals focused on nervous system regulation, inner clarity, and sustainable practices that help you trust yourself again—one steady step at a time. If this episode stirred something in you and you’d like a quiet space to talk it through, you’re welcome to schedule a short 20 minute clarity call. It’s a conversation by phone or Zoom—no pressure, no fixing—just space for what is coming up, and what you want more (or less) of. NO REGRETS Discovery Call Let me know what it looks like when you default to YES! VOICE MESSAGE.