Is Your Nervous System Stuck on "High Alert"? Why You’ve Stopped Noticing Your Own Stress (And How to Reset)

How constant, invisible stress rewires the nervous system—and the simple "Release Process" to fix it.

The day is finally here and you're ready for a weekend of freedom.

With nothing but a wide open road ahead you're ready to let loose. Jamming out to music is the best way to do that. The perfect road trip song comes on the radio, the volume goes up, and now you have all the momentum needed to get through hours of driving. A quick glance in the rearview mirror shows the city getting further and further away. Excitement fills your body. And that's when, the interference starts.

It's just a thin layer of radio static at first. You try to lean in and hear the tune through the noise. But it's getting worse. The more you fight to "jam out," the more the static steals the joy of the moment. Before you know it, the excitement has been replaced with irritation.

Eventually, the truth becomes clear, the noise is costing you more than the music is giving you. It is better to sit in the silence than to keep fighting the static.

This is exactly what low-level anxiety feels like.

It's the "internal static" to the music of life. It keeps you from being present because fighting the static takes all your energy.

For most, it ends up feeling like their life is left on hold. Decisions become difficult to make, worry and doubt fills our minds, something feels "off" for no reason. It's like we are waiting for something but it's not clear what that is.

So your brain does what it always does when faced with constant noise: it stops registering it as urgent. The static becomes baseline. You adapt. You function. Meanwhile, your body is still braced for impact, shoulders tensed, jaw clenched, chest tight, waiting for a threat that never quite arrives and never quite leaves.

This is the Stress Loop.

You may not notice the static anymore, but you are noticing the symptoms. The body and mind react and the pressure of life builds into irritation. Little thoughts keep you from making a decision. Like "background loops" of questions in your mind: Is he going to call? Am I doing the right thing? What if this symptom is serious?

Each of these feels small. Manageable. Not worth making a big deal about. And that's exactly why they accumulate into something that steals your sleep and hijacks your attention.

The way out isn't a life overhaul. It's a series of small, quiet closures.

Low-level anxiety thrives on "Open Loops", the unfinished business, the unmade decisions, and the regret that keep your brain spinning in the background.

Most people spend years trying to "manage" the static with breathing exercises or positive thinking. That's like turning up the radio louder to drown out the interference. What actually works is finding the source of the signal disruption and fixing it. You don't have to guess where the noise is coming from. Your body is already pointing to it. All we have to do is listen and start taking action to close the stress loops of low-level anxiety.

Closing the Loops Exercise

An open loop keeps your nervous system scanning for threats. It's why you can't relax even when you're tired. To find relief, you have to move the worry out of your head and into the real world where you can actually address it.

Here's how:

Step 1: The 2-Minute Brain Dump

Find a quiet spot. Set a timer for 5 minutes. Write down everything on your mind.

Include everything:

• That argument you keep replaying

• The person you need to text back

• The choice you're putting off

• The appointment you're dreading

• Those "what if" thoughts that won't shut up

• The regrets that keep you up at night

Write until the timer stops. Even when you think you're done, keep writing. Usually, the static isn't one big crisis, it's ten small things piling up. Don't try to make it neat. Just get it out of your brain and onto the page.

Step 2: Finding Where You Store the Stress

Now review your list slowly, one item at a time. As you read each one, notice what happens in your mind and body. One or two items will cause an immediate physical reaction, tension, feeling heavy, or foggy, etc.

Do a body scan to see where you notice the stress in your body.

Check your:

• jaw

• hands

• shoulders

• chest

• breath

• keep going, follow where your body leads you and you'll know where the stress is living

This is your nervous system showing you exactly what's keeping it on high alert. Circle the items that created the strongest reaction. This isn't just a to-do list anymore; this is your nervous system’s map. We are going to follow the tension to find your path out.

Step 3: Ask One Question

Look at the item creating the most tension and ask yourself: Can this be changed?

Not "Will it be easy?" Not "Will it be comfortable?" Just: Can it be changed?

Most of the time, the answer is yes. And relief usually comes from one of these actions:

• Closure: Having the conversation

• Clarity: Making a decision

• Separation: Setting a boundary

• Delegation: Asking for help

Step 4: Take One Small Action This Week

Pick the ONE thing creating the most physical tension. Ask yourself: "Does addressing this make me feel lighter?" If yes, that's your starting point.

Now make it specific and small:

• Not "fix my relationship" , "Have a 20-minute conversation on Tuesday about household responsibilities"

• Not "get healthy" , "Take a 10-minute walk after lunch today"

• Not "deal with work stress" , "Send that email I've been drafting in my head for three days"

You aren't just crossing an item off a list; you're telling your nervous system that the threat is being handled and it's okay to let go. The loop can finally close.

Feeling the Relief

You don’t have to solve the whole problem to feel better. Relief shows up the moment you stop avoiding.

You send the text. You schedule the conversation. You make the decision. And suddenly, sometimes within minutes, the static clears just enough that you can hear the music again.

It's not dramatic. You won't feel like you've been healed. But you might notice you've been sitting at your desk for twenty minutes without checking your phone. Or that you finished dinner without your mind spinning to tomorrow's problems. Or that your jaw finally unclenched for the first time in weeks.

The song you couldn't hear through the interference? It's been playing the whole time. You just needed to fix the signal.

But what if you don't feel relief?

Then go deeper. Low-level anxiety often works in layers. Work stress might be masking relationship tension. Relationship tension might be masking boundary issues. Boundary issues might be masking a fear of letting people down.

Keep going back to your list. Find the next source of tension. Take action on that. Keep peeling back the layers until you find the core issue, the one that, when you address it, makes everything else feel more manageable. The more layers you move, the lighter you will feel.

The Static Doesn't Have to Be Permanent

Low-level anxiety isn't something you just live with. It's not the price of being a responsible adult. It's a signal that something specific needs your attention.

The beautiful thing is that your nervous system wants to regulate. It wants to feel safe. It just needs you to close the loops keeping it on high alert.

You don't need to overhaul your entire life. You just need to be honest about what's creating the static and brave enough to take one small action at a time.

Ready for the complete process? I've created a workbook that walks you through each step with space to track your progress, identify patterns, and build a sustainable practice of closing your stress loops.

Download the Free Low-Level Anxiety Release Workbook →

Need more support with nervous system regulation? Visit us at aabioenergetics.com or follow along on Instagram @aabioenergetics.