From Overstimulated to Peaceful: How Lifestyle Choices Shape Your Emotions

Rachel Rauch • January 16, 2025

Caffeine and I do not get along. Consuming a caffeinated beverage follows a predictable pattern for me. I become hyper and hysterical. First, everything is over-the-top funny or fearful and I talk twice as fast as normal. Then, I crash into the depths of despair, and I feel like I could cry for hours. After that, I want to sleep for a few more hours.

Understanding the Connection Between Lifestyle and Emotions

Obviously, my extreme response warrants me avoiding caffeine. It is a regular reminder to me that my lifestyle choices affect my emotions. And while you may not react to caffeine the way I do, most of us deal with daily lifestyle choices that impact our emotions.

For example, Insufficient sleep leaves us irritable the next day

Too much sugar can leave us angry or sad.
Caffeine can increase anxiety levels.
Overbooked calendar leaves us feeling overwhelmed.
Scrolling on social media makes us discontented and jealous.

Our lifestyle choices have a profound impact on our nervous system, which in turn influences our emotional state. The nervous system is the body's control center. It constantly takes information in from our environment and decides how we should respond.

Because of the constant demands of our culture along with chronic stress or past trauma that we experience, our nervous system can get stuck in “fight or flight” mode, producing extra cortisol and adrenaline. A fight or flight response, also known as our sympathetic nervous system, is crucial in an emergency or survival situation, but a long-term response depletes our body of the reserves needed to maintain emotional balance.

To compensate, we can choose activities that activate the “rest and digest” part of our nervous system instead to help us recover from the impact of fight or flight. The rest and digest, or parasympathetic nervous system, reduces cortisol and helps us to relax so our bodies can focus on healing. Spending time in nature, prioritizing sleep, and practicing deep breathing support the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing anxiety, and promoting a sense of calm.

God designed our bodies to be most balanced when we have rhythms of rest built into our life. The twenty-third Psalm says, “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.” There are times when we need to step away from the noise and expectations of our culture to rest so we can be refreshed. Sometimes rest is sleep, but sometimes it is play, or spending time with friends, or doing something creative.

The Negative Effects of Overstimulation

Overstimulation occurs when the brain becomes overwhelmed with too much sensory input ranging from bright lights, noise, rapid changes in the environment, or excessive emotional demands from other people. This overloads the nervous system, making it difficult to process and respond appropriately. Additionally, multi-tasking, excessive demands, and the daily pressure of managing life can add to the overload on the nervous system.

Overstimulation can trigger a stress response, causing your body to release extra cortisol and adrenaline, sending you into fight, flight, or freeze. In fight or flight, you might find yourself more irritable or anxious. Your mind is racing, and you can’t settle down. In freeze, you may notice that you feel emotionally numb or apathetic and unmotivated.

To distract from the uncomfortable symptoms of fight, flight, or freeze, we often reach for more stimulation in the form of social media or other entertainment. This creates a vicious cycle in the body.

Women particularly, deal with the negative effect of overstimulation. There is the cultural pressure to “do it all”. To curate the perfect Instagram feed, to workout to have the perfect body, to make sure the kids don’t miss out on any opportunity, to perform to earn that promotion at work. The constant demands truly are overwhelming and overstimulating!

Cultivating a Lifestyle That Promotes Emotional Balance

There are several beginning steps you can take to reduce stimulation and create an environment that does not overwhelm the nervous system, so you can feel more emotionally balanced.

Set household boundaries with technology. For example, no phones during mealtimes. No technology for 1-2 hours before bed. (Blue light from screens suppresses melatonin production, interfering with restful sleep.) Set a time limit on social media or gaming apps. Don’t check emails after you leave work. Dim the lights in the evening.
Create intentional quiet time. Spend 30 minutes per day or 4 hours per weekend doing something that is restful and restorative. I talked more about this in my last blog post. This may be napping, but it could also be games as a family, taking a walk in nature, playing with a pet, reading a book or taking a bath.
Prioritize self-care. You can’t take care of your family or meet reasonable expectations if you don’t first take care of yourself. Are you sleeping 7-8 hours per night? Do you eat 20-25 grams of protein with every meal? Are you getting moderate exercise 3-4 times per week if you default to fight or flight mode? Are you stretching daily and taking walks if you default to freeze mode? Are you limiting caffeine and drinking sufficient water?

I find that one of my biggest challenges with overstimulation as a Christian is to be still long enough to hear God. You too? It has been helpful to me to have a designated time and place to meet with God each day. I want this area to be free of distractions. I silence my phone so I am not interrupted.

One of the most powerful ways for me to reset my emotions after overstimulation is to rest in God. To stop my striving and allow His presence to calm and soothe me. Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still, and know that I am God." This verse encourages us to quiet our hearts from overstimulation and allow God to bring us peace and restore our emotions.

Trying to address the constant overstimulation in our lives can be overwhelming. We can’t avoid all stimulation, nor should we. Some stimulation is healthy. But when our mood and emotions are negatively impacted, we want to take steps to reduce the stimulation. Start with small steps. Don’t try to change everything at once. It is small consistent changes in lifestyle that bring peace and joy and improve our emotions.

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Could childhood experiences be affecting your health?

By Rachel Rauch • September 25, 2025

Is there a connection between our childhood experiences and the health challenges we face as adults? I have a scar on my knee shaped like an “H,” a reminder of my first visit to the ocean as a child. I was mesmerized by the shells along the water’s edge, so focused on picking them up that I didn’t see a huge wave coming. It rolled me over and over on the sand, and when I finally stood, my bucket of shells was empty, and my knee was bleeding, sprinkled with tiny shells and grains of sand. That moment gave me a deep respect for the sea—one that has never left me. Years later, my knee healed, but the scar remains as a visible reminder of that day. Many childhood experiences, however, leave no visible scars , yet they impact our physical and emotional bodies. We notice injuries from accidents or falls, but what about wounds that don’t heal so obviously? Experiences like bullying, losing a loved one, growing up with a caregiver who wasn’t attuned to our emotional needs, or living with chronic family stress can leave lasting imprints that influence our health as adults. The groundbreaking Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Study , first published in 1998, linked childhood trauma to adult chronic illness, mental health struggles, and even premature death. ACEs scoring 4 or more can increase risk for heart disease, diabetes, lung disease, and more—2–3 times higher than those with no ACEs. While we can’t change our childhood, we can address how trauma is stored in the body to reduce its impact. Long before chronic disease develops, trauma often shows up as: Fatigue Poor sleep Anxiety or low mood Brain fog Digestive disturbances Steps to Support Your Body in Healing Tell someone. Give voice to your pain so it doesn’t remain trapped inside your body. “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.” (Psalm 32:3, ESV) Get to know your body. Symptoms are your body’s way of signaling that it needs care. Listening and responding to these cues can help it quiet down. Work with a professional therapist. A trauma-informed therapist or coach can help you process childhood experiences, allowing your body to release long-held burdens. Move slowly and gently—honor your nervous system first to avoid re-traumatization. Prioritize rest and protein. Sleep at least 8 hours per night. During rest, your brain consolidates memories and works to heal emotional wounds. Include at least 25 grams of protein per meal to support neurological and physical repair. Consider methylation testing. This can guide your body in detoxification, hormone balance, mood regulation, and overall healing. Work with a qualified practitioner. Look for someone experienced in nervous system health, somatic exercises, and gentle, nurturing approaches that support your body without overwhelming it. Why the Nervous System Matters At the core of the ACEs findings is this: childhood trauma shapes the nervous system , which in turn impacts every other system in the body. Supporting the nervous system is essential for healing—emotionally, mentally, and physically. Many women I work with are surprised by the transformation that begins by simply addressing the nervous system. They notice: Waking up refreshed instead of exhausted Feeling peaceful instead of anxious Having energy to play with their kids instead of sitting on the sidelines Mental clarity and focus in relationships instead of numbing out on social media Emotional stability instead of feeling victimized by moods If you suspect childhood experiences may be contributing to your current health concerns, I invite you to schedule a free 45-minute consultation . We’ll talk about your health, explore what your body is trying to communicate, and determine if Wholeness Restored is the right next step for you. This is not a high-pressure call—just a chance to connect, share your story, and explore options for nurturing your body and nervous system.

Believing a Lie

By Rachel Rauch • September 17, 2025

This past winter I fell off an e-bike and injured my leg, which led to tendonitis. For a while, my mobility was so limited. I was thankful to borrow crutches from a friend, but honestly, they only made me feel more restricted. Not only did my leg refuse to cooperate, but now my arms were tied up too—I couldn’t move at my normal pace or carry things around the way I was used to. I’ll be honest: I was frustrated with my body. The tendonitis felt like an overreaction to what I thought was a simple accident. I just wanted my body to heal quickly so I could get back to normal. But the longer it dragged on, the more annoyed I felt with my body and its limitations. When was the last time you thought, “I love my body”? Yeah, me neither. And limping around on a bum leg didn’t help. But God has been working on my heart and helping me uncover a lie I’ve believed for far too long: My body is a burden instead of a blessing. I tolerate the ways it embarrasses me, I get frustrated when it interferes with my plans, and I silently judge it for not meeting cultural expectations. Can you relate, or am I the only one? Here’s the truth God has been teaching me: My body is made in His image, created to protect me. Every symptom is a signal—my body’s way of alerting me to something that needs attention. When my leg hurt, that pain was actually protecting me by slowing me down and pointing to deeper damage I didn’t realize at first. The next time you find yourself viewing your body as a burden, stop and try this: Thank God for creating you in His image with a body designed to take care of you. Honor your body by pausing to listen to what it’s trying to tell you. Respond to what you hear by taking a step to nurture it. The more comfortable you get with listening and responding to your body’s needs, the more you’ll see it as a blessing rather than a burden. Yet so often, we curse the symptoms instead of blessing the body that is doing exactly what God designed it to do—protect and care for us. As women, I think we’re especially vulnerable to this lie. We feel guilty for taking time to care for ourselves, so our bodies become “burdens” that interfere with productivity, parenting, or expectations. We grit our teeth, push through, and ignore the signals our bodies are desperately sending. This is exactly why the very first step of my signature program, Wholeness Restored , addresses the lies that hinder healing. Lies shape our beliefs, and beliefs drive our behaviors—often making us feel worse. The first of my Six Principles of Nurturing is Recognize. Healing begins when we recognize the ways our bodies have been impacted—by toxins, EMFs, past injuries, trauma, chronic stress, and emotional pain. Our bodies are trying to warn us that the burden they’re carrying isn’t sustainable, and they need help to heal. If you’re tired of seeing your body as a burden instead of a blessing, I invite you to schedule a free 45-minute consultation . During our call, I’ll listen to your health concerns and the ways your body may be trying to speak to you. Together we’ll explore whether Wholeness Restored is the next right step for your healing journey. The truth is this: if you ignore your body’s signals, it will only speak louder—because it’s determined to protect you. But you don’t have to keep living this way. Imagine instead: Waking up refreshed instead of discouraged after another sleepless night. Feeling peaceful instead of constantly anxious. Having the energy to run with your kids instead of watching from the couch. Enjoying clarity and focus in your relationships instead of numbing out on social media. Experiencing emotional stability instead of feeling controlled by your moods. You can see your body as the blessing it was created to be—when you listen to it, honor it, and nurture it. It’s time to act on truth instead of believing lies. Will you join me? Will you take that next step? If you’re ready, book your free call today —I can’t wait to talk with you!