When the News Moves Through Your Nervous System

Mar 20 / Kelly Marshall
Against my better judgment, here I am again—scrolling.

I had deleted the apps. Again. But the part of me that wants to stay informed, the part that feels responsible for knowing what’s happening in the world, re-downloads them.

I sigh as the feed loads.

Before I even start reading, I check in with my body.

What am I looking for here?

Connection.
A sense of staying in the loop.
Vigilance.
A flicker of hope.
Proof that other people are seeing what I’m seeing.

The headlines arrive quickly.

Within minutes I feel it: The familiar numbness creeping in. 

The sense that none of this is real.
Dissociation.
Grief.
That hollow feeling in the chest that comes from witnessing too much and being able to change too little.

Ten minutes is all I have in me.

I close the apps. Delete them again. Step outside.

The spring air is damp and cool. I let my vision widen—panoramic, peripheral. I watch birds moving through the trees. I look up at a cerulean sky streaked with bright white clouds.

I inhale slowly through my nose. Exhale through my mouth.

And then the tears come.

Not dramatic tears, just the quiet welling up that happens when your nervous system starts to thaw.

Then the next wave hits.

Activation.

The rage.
The urgency.
The sense that I need to do something—anything—to stop the chaos unfolding around us.
My stomach tightens.
My chest clenches.
My brain starts making plans.

What actions can I take?
How can I help?
How can I make more money?
Should I be preparing to leave the country?

From ten minutes of reading headlines, my nervous system has moved through the full sequence:

Freeze. Fight. Flight.

If you’ve been paying attention to the world lately, this pattern might feel familiar.

For many thoughtful, engaged people—especially those who care deeply about their communities—this cycle is happening every single day.

Moving Stress Through the Body

So I head to the gym. But what I’m doing there isn’t really a workout.

I start on the mat, lying on my back. To anyone passing by, it probably looks like core work.

But what I’m actually doing is meeting my freeze response—the curled, protective shape my body takes when it wants to duck and cover.I let my spine curl and uncurl slowly.

Then I start working with the energy of flight. My legs kick outward in controlled bursts, like bicycle movements. The impulse to run away from everything finally has somewhere to go.

After a minute or two, my core is shaking.

But something else is happening too.

My spine lengthens. My breath deepens. I can feel my ribs again.

Relief moves through my chest like warm water.

And with the deeper breath comes something else:

Vitality.
Strength.
A readiness to move.

Now I’m ready to lift.

Pull-ups. Twisting movements. Cable pulls. Rows for my back. Kettlebell woodchoppers. Bench presses.

My shoulders slowly open. My chest expands. The rigidity that had locked my upper body begins to release.

By the end of the session, my body feels open, strong, and grounded.

I realize I haven’t thought about the news for almost an hour.

What Changes When the Nervous System Moves

When the thought returns, I check it the way you might gently press your tongue against a small cut in your mouth.

Is it still sharp?

Not as much.Instead of panic, I feel something else rising.

The urge to connect, to collaborate, to make plans.

I text my partner and a few friends. We make plans to spend time together.

The sky is still electric blue.

The birds are still chirping.

Nothing about the world has changed, but my nervous system has, and that changes everything.

Because when your nervous system has the capacity to move through stress instead of getting stuck inside it, you regain access to clarity, connection, and agency.

This Is the Work I Teach

If you’re someone who stays informed, cares deeply about the state of the world, and you find yourself overwhelmed, numb, or constantly bracing, you’re not broken.

Your nervous system is responding exactly the way human nervous systems do under sustained stress.

In a Viasomatic session, I’ll help you understand the patterns your body moves through—freeze, fight, and flight—and teach you practical ways to work with them so you can stay engaged with the world without burning out your body in the process.

Supporting the Nervous System as It Moves

If you notice your system moving through this sequence—freeze, activation, urgency—these are simple ways to support it as it shifts, without forcing it to settle too quickly.

Visual Orienting

As you step out of the scroll and back into your environment, letting your vision widen can help your nervous system register present-moment safety. This supports the transition out of dissociation and back into the body.

Seated Twist with Peripheral Vision

This gentle movement brings together orientation and physical rotation, helping your system come out of bracing and reconnect with your surroundings. It can be especially supportive as activation begins to rise.

Seated Cross-Body Press

When energy is high or scattered, cross-body pressure can provide containment and grounding. This helps the nervous system organize activation so it can move through rather than stay stuck or overwhelming.
You don’t need to do all of these.

Even a few moments of orienting or gentle cross-body movement can help your system shift out of overwhelm and back toward steadiness.

Connect with Kelly

If you’re ready to feel more steady, resourced, and clear in the midst of everything we’re living through, you can schedule a Viasomatic consult.