Saturday Morning Mindset: Healing From Trauma and the Window of Tolerance

It’s very difficult to heal from trauma when you don’t understand what it’s doing to your brain and body.

For nearly 20 years, I lived with:

• Anxiety and panic

• Anger and irritability

• Racing thoughts and restlessness

• Feeling overwhelmed, numb, or empty

• Disconnection and dissociation

• Depression

• Difficulty thinking or responding

If you’re feeling many of these symptoms, you may wonder if healing is even possible. I’m here to tell you, it is. But first, you need to understand what’s happening.

The Window of Tolerance

The Window of Tolerance is the range of emotional arousal where you’re able to:

• Function effectively

• Stay regulated

• Respond flexibly to stress

• Think clearly and manage emotions

• Engage in relationships

• Problem-solve and learn

• Heal and grow

This is the “sweet spot” where healing happens.

But as survivors of trauma, we often spend most of our time outside this window.

Outside the Window

• Above the Window (Hyperarousal – Fight or Flight)

  • Anxiety, panic, anger, irritability

  • Racing thoughts, restlessness

  • Always on guard

  • Difficulty relaxing or sleeping

• Below the Window (Hypoarousal – Freeze or Collapse)

  • Overwhelmed, numb, or empty

  • Disconnected or dissociated (“zoned out,” feeling unreal)

  • Depressed, low energy, lack of motivation

  • Difficulty thinking or responding

It’s extremely important to understand there’s nothing wrong with you.
Your nervous system is simply responding in a normal way to trauma.

But healing is intentional, it doesn’t happen by accident.

The first step is admitting we have unresolved trauma. We must recognize that we’re not okay, and we must choose to deal with it. Denying it only keeps us stuck in survival mode.

Getting Back Into the Window of Tolerance

Here are some tools and techniques that can help regulate your nervous system:

• Breathwork (e.g., breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, breathe out for 8 seconds)

• Grounding practices

• Mindfulness

• Journaling

• Daily check-ins

• Self-soothing strategies

• Body-based tools

These practices help shift your nervous system back inside the Window of Tolerance, where healing is possible.

When you understand what’s happening in your body and mind, and learn tools to regulate yourself, you stop being so hard on yourself.

I realized my symptoms weren’t signs of weakness. They were normal responses to trauma I experienced at 15.

Trauma doesn’t just go away on its own, and we can’t erase the past. But we can choose to heal, one step at a time. Healing is a lifelong journey, and every step forward matters.

Stay positive and take action!

Thank you for your support!

For resources, my programs, or to schedule a 30-minute discovery call, visit my website by clicking here.