Sometimes ordinary stress hits me like an old threat is back. A tense message or a change in plans can make my body react before I even know what I’m thinking. My heart speeds up, I get watchful, and everything suddenly feels unsafe.
The frustrating part is knowing the situation isn’t actually dangerous, while still feeling stuck in that alarm state. I’m trying to pause and remind myself what’s happening right now, not what happened before. It helps a little, but some days the reaction is faster than my reasoning.