Before I cleaned up my health, I was doing what a lot of people do: trying every diet, trying to “push harder,” thinking discipline was the answer. But no matter what I did, I still felt tired, inflamed, and off.
It took me a while to realize I was living in something I now call the stress loop.
What Is the Stress Loop?
It’s when your body stays in survival mode, even when nothing is “wrong.” Your nervous system never gets the message that it’s safe. For me, this showed up as:
-
feeling wired but exhausted
cravings I couldn’t explain
-
poor sleep
-
bloating and gut issues
-
short fuse and low patience
-
feeling “on edge” for no reason
The problem wasn’t my food or exercise — it was my biology being stuck in stress mode.
How I Broke Out of It
It didn’t happen overnight. It started when a friend at work shared The Model Health Show podcast (Shawn Stevenson). That podcast literally cracked my world open. It helped me understand how stress wrecks digestion, hormones, sleep, energy, and weight.
From there, I began slowly incorporating nervous-system-friendly habits:
-
breathing before meals
-
slowing down my mornings
-
walking more
-
reducing inflammatory foods
-
supporting my gut
-
creating an environment of safety
Once my body finally stopped living in “fight or flight,” healing finally began to happen.
