You might know that life used to be completely different. When the human brain was created, its function was adapted and suited to that old way of life. Today, almost nothing remains from that world.
Living in small social groups, walking for miles, and experiencing natural daylight and moonlight—all of this automatically regulated our body’s circadian rhythm. The amount of information our senses took in was also very limited, which naturally protected the brain from unnecessary overload.
Let’s fast-forward to 2025, where the day begins with the jarring sound of an alarm clock.
The first thing you see is a flood of notifications on your mobile phone screen: messages about work, comments on your status from yesterday, and an alert for a discount that supposedly expires at 3 PM today. You wanted to buy a new air fryer, but maybe you should try to fix the old one? But where would you even find an air fryer repair person in Tbilisi? You haven’t even gotten out of bed, yet you already know how the U.S. president shocked the world this time, if more people showed up to the big protest yesterday after you left, and how many casualties there were in the “Air India” plane crash.
Are you still surprised that you’re exhausted?
The pace of modern life is simply so fast that our brains can’t keep up.
Why does it feel like stress never leaves us?
In this informational chaos, our nervous system still has one single purpose: to protect our physical safety. To perform this function best, our intelligent body has divided the nervous system into two main branches, and it switches between them as needed.
The Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS), or “fight or flight” mode, activates when it senses a potential threat. It prepares our body for action, for a fight, or for escape. During this time, our heart rate speeds up, our breathing becomes faster, and our concentration improves. In the past, this would have helped us escape a lion, which would not have been an unusual event during our time living in the jungle.
In the modern world, thanks to the sympathetic nervous system, we manage to finish a report exactly one hour before the deadline, or the night before an exam, we manage the impossible and are surprised by our own brain’s potential. For example, the day you jumped onto the sidewalk with lightning speed when a cyclist was speeding toward you—you have the sympathetic nervous system to thank for that, too. It told your body to release adrenaline and act immediately.
The Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS), or “rest and digest,” is responsible for rest and recovery. During this time, our heart rate slows, and we feel a sense of calm and balance. It helps us digest food better, get deep and high-quality sleep, heal our wounds, and regulate our emotions. It tells our body, “You are safe now, you can relax.”
These systems complement each other. In a healthy environment, our body switches from one system to the other several times a day. The problem is that the modern world traps us in the sympathetic nervous system for longer than is healthy for us, meaning there’s no longer any room for rest and recovery.
Micro-Stressors: The Invisible Burden We Carry
It’s easy to associate stress with major events. We all know that an exam, a divorce, or a job interview won’t bring us peace and emotional stability. However, we often overlook small, micro-stressors, or the minor irritants we experience throughout the day that our brain bravely handles and processes, often without us even realizing it. For example:
- The sound of notifications chiming – which, in turn, gradually increases cortisol levels in the body.
- Prolonged scrolling – which over-stimulates the visual cortex and causes us to lose a connection with our body.
- Cold lighting – an unrelenting enemy of our circadian rhythm.
- Breathing problems – we often don’t notice insufficient oxygen in the body.
- Background noise – for example, the sound of traffic, loud conversations around us, or unpleasant music in cafes.
- Frequent changes in content – quickly switching between emails, phone apps, and messages burdens our prefrontal cortex.
They seem like small things, right? In reality, our brain has a hard time distinguishing between a physical threat and, say, an Instagram notification. The only question it “asks” is, “Am I safe?” And when the brain accumulates dozens or hundreds of similar questions throughout the day, it’s much more exhausted by the end of the day than you expected.
What Happens in the Brain?
Micro-stressors activate the amygdala, the brain’s fear and threat center. If it is over-activated for a long time, it starts to suppress the prefrontal cortex as well. The prefrontal cortex is the area of the brain that helps us make decisions, concentrate, plan, and regulate emotions. So now you know why you forget what you wanted when you enter a room, or why you are late when you thought you left the house on time.
Numerous studies confirm today that our brain perceives constant stimulation as a threat. These studies tell us that, in the long term, this lifestyle changes the structure of the brain, causes memory problems, and increases the risk of mental exhaustion.
How Can We Help Ourselves?
You don’t need a 10-day vacation to rest your nervous system (though that wouldn’t hurt, and you should go as soon as you can). Just remembering a few times a day to switch your mind to the parasympathetic nervous system is enough to help your brain work better.
To start, you can try these 3 simple techniques:
1. 4-6 Breathing
Breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds, and breathe out through your nose for 6 seconds, extending the exhalation. Repeat 5-10 times. Prolonged exhalation sends a signal to your mind that you are safe, there is no threat, and you can relax.
2. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Look around the room. Notice 5 different things. Try not to judge or select them; just notice them. Feel 4 different sensations of touch (e.g., your clothes on your skin, your body with your palms, points of contact with your chair or the ground). Listen for 3 different sounds. Slowly shift your attention from one sound to another. Smell 2 different smells (you can smell your own skin). Recall 1 taste (for example, a peach). This technique will help you “ground” yourself and return to the present moment.
3. Hand on Your Heart
Place one hand on your heart and the other on your stomach. Take 3 deep breaths, noticing the warmth of your own hand and your heartbeat. This gentle touch activates the vagus nerve.
Finally, know that stress is not a weakness. It is a normal biological process, and often very necessary and useful. With practice and conscious living, we can easily make sure it doesn’t harm us. We just need to remind our brains often that we are safe and everything is okay.
