I didn’t know the jets would be practicing for the Mira Mar airshow, and I had no idea they would be flying right over our home. The first one roared over the house without warning, and fear shot straight through me. My body went into high alert before my mind could even figure out what was happening. My heart pounded in my chest, my body braced, the story in my head was an airplane was going to crash into my home. Unable to think straight, I ran around the house like a chicken with it's head cut off. I mean where do you go when it sounds like a plane is about to crash into your house?
After that, every time I heard the sound of a jet, my body went right back into high alert, even when nothing was wrong. I'd feel my shoulders tighten, my heart quicken, my stomach would do flip flops. It was a stressful six days and a huge relief once the airshow was over.
That’s the PTSD effect a scare like this can leave behind, and if you’re highly sensitive, you may know it well, even without jets overhead. A door slams, someone’s voice gets sharp, the phone buzzes, and your body reacts before you’ve had a chance to think.
Maybe you call yourself jumpy, or too sensitive, or too much.
You’re not too much. Your nervous system is doing its job.
Why your body stays on high alert
Your nervous system learns from experience. After a sudden scare, it can link a sound to danger, so even a jet far off in the distance can set off the same alarm. When that alarm goes off over and over, your body can start living on high alert without you realizing it. You feel tired and wired, you startle easily, and it’s hard to settle down even when everything around you is calm.
Your nervous system learns from experience. After a sudden scare, it can link a sound to danger, so even a jet far off in the distance can set off the same alarm. When that alarm goes off over and over, your body can start living on high alert without you realizing it. You feel tired and wired, you startle easily, and it’s hard to settle down even when everything around you is calm.
Your body can learn safety too, and your breath is one of the quickest ways to teach it.
What to do when a sound sends your body into high alert
1. Look around the room
Slowly turn your head and let your eyes land on what’s around you: the walls, a window, the sky. This tells your body where you are and that you’re safe right now.
Slowly turn your head and let your eyes land on what’s around you: the walls, a window, the sky. This tells your body where you are and that you’re safe right now.
2. Make your exhale longer than your inhale (my go to)
Breathe in through your nose for a count of 4, then breathe out slowly through your mouth for a count of 6 or 8. A long, slow exhale tells your body it’s safe to come down. Stay with it for a minute or two.
Breathe in through your nose for a count of 4, then breathe out slowly through your mouth for a count of 6 or 8. A long, slow exhale tells your body it’s safe to come down. Stay with it for a minute or two.
3. Put a hand on your heart and the other on your belly
Feel the warmth of your hand and the rise and fall of your breath. Simple touch can help your body feel held.
Feel the warmth of your hand and the rise and fall of your breath. Simple touch can help your body feel held.
4. Be gentle with yourself afterward
Once the alarm passes, you might feel shaky, teary, or tired. That’s the stress moving out of your body. Rest if you can, and let it be okay that it took something out of you.
Once the alarm passes, you might feel shaky, teary, or tired. That’s the stress moving out of your body. Rest if you can, and let it be okay that it took something out of you.
If loud sounds, surprises, or a heavy day leave your body stuck on high alert, you don’t have to wait for it to wear off on its own. Let the power of your breath work magic. My free HSP Emergency Reset is a gentle way to calm your system when life feels heavy. Get it here: GEt your Free REset Here
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