Fika Mental Health

If work feels isolating lately, you are not imagining it. Even in busy offices, constant meetings, or fully remote roles, many people are quietly struggling with loneliness at work. This experience is especially common for women in their 20s to 40s who are juggling careers, caregiving, relationships, and recovery from burnout. Workplace loneliness is not a personal failure. It is a nervous system response to environments that lack safety, connection, and rhythm. Why Work Feel

If Sundays feel heavier than they used to, you are not imagining it. What once might have been a mild sense of dread before Monday has, for many people, turned into full-body anxiety, restlessness, irritability, or a sense of impending doom. The Sunday Scaries are not just about disliking Mondays. They are deeply connected to how our nervous systems are responding to modern life. The Sunday Scaries Are a Nervous System Response The body does not experience time the way calend

Remote work has changed how many people experience their days. For some, it has brought flexibility and freedom. For others, it has blurred boundaries, increased isolation, and quietly worn down mental health. If working from home has left you feeling drained, disconnected, or constantly “on,” there is nothing wrong with you. Your nervous system is responding to a new kind of demand. How Remote Work Affects Mental Health Remote work reshapes daily rhythms in ways that can str

If you have ever felt your jaw clench, chest tighten, or patience disappear when your kids push your buttons, you are not alone. Even the most loving, intentional parents can feel overwhelmed, reactive, or emotionally flooded in those moments. This does not mean you are failing. It means your nervous system is doing its best under pressure. Understanding what is happening in your body can make these moments feel less shameful and more workable. Why Kids Trigger Nervous System

For trauma survivors, movement can feel complicated. Exercise might bring up panic, tension, or a sense of being out of control. But when approached gently, movement becomes a powerful tool to signal safety to the nervous system, regulate emotions, and reconnect with the body. This is not about burning calories or achieving a particular look. It is about reclaiming a sense of safety and agency in the body. Why Trauma Affects How the Body Moves Trauma trains the nervous system

Strength training is often associated with muscle gain or weight loss. But it also has a powerful impact on the nervous system and mental health. For people managing anxiety, consistent strength training can help the body feel safer, calmer, and more resilient. This is not about achieving a certain body ideal. It is about creating physical and nervous system experiences that support emotional regulation. How Strength Training Supports the Nervous System Anxiety often comes fr

Walking can be a simple act. But walking in silence, with attention to the body and the surroundings, can have a surprisingly powerful effect on the nervous system. For people navigating stress, anxiety, or burnout, silent walking can become a portable tool for regulation, clarity, and grounding. It is not about doing it perfectly or achieving a “zen state.” It is about giving the nervous system a chance to pause. Why Silence Calms the Nervous System The nervous system respon

If you live with anxiety and IBS, it can sometimes feel like your body and mind are in a constant loop. Stress flares your gut. Gut symptoms increase anxiety. And somewhere in the middle, you are left wondering why your body feels so reactive and hard to trust. This is not in your head. And it is not a personal failure. There is a real, well researched connection between IBS and anxiety disorders, and understanding it can be a powerful step toward feeling more supported in yo

When anxiety is high or stress feels constant, food is often one of the first things people blame or try to control. But the nervous system is deeply influenced by nourishment. What and how you eat can either support regulation or keep the body in survival mode. This is not about eating perfectly. It is about supporting the body in feeling safe enough to settle. Why Food Affects the Nervous System The nervous system relies on steady blood sugar, adequate nutrients, and digest

Understanding food rules, stress responses, and emotional safety in the body Diet culture is often framed as motivation, discipline, or self improvement. But for many people, especially women in their twenties through forties, it quietly trains the nervous system to stay on high alert. Food becomes something to manage, control, or fear rather than something that supports safety and nourishment. What Diet Culture Really Teaches the Body Diet culture promotes rigid rules around

Understanding digestion, nervous system safety, and emotional regulation Anxiety does not just live in the mind. For many people, it shows up in the gut first. Butterflies before a meeting. Nausea when stressed. Sudden urgency in unfamiliar places. These sensations are not imagined or exaggerated. They are part of how the nervous system communicates. The gut and brain are in constant conversation. What the Gut Brain Axis Is The gut brain axis refers to the two way communicati

A nervous system friendly guide to restoring rest, rhythm, and energy After burnout, sleep often feels confusing. You may feel exhausted all day and wide awake at night. Or you may sleep for long hours and still wake up tired. This can be frustrating and scary, especially when rest is exactly what is needed to recover. Sleep disruption after burnout is not a personal failure. It is a sign that the nervous system has been under prolonged stress and needs time to recalibrate. W

Understanding why rest feels unsafe and how sleep can slowly return If falling asleep feels impossible or staying asleep feels fragile, it is not because your body has forgotten how to rest. For many trauma survivors, insomnia is not a sleep problem. It is a safety problem. Sleep requires vulnerability. Trauma teaches the nervous system that staying alert is necessary for survival. Why Trauma Disrupts Sleep Trauma changes how the brain and body respond to threat. Even when da

A nervous system informed guide to calming the mind, settling the body, and restoring rest If sleep feels harder the more exhausted you are, you are not imagining it. Many people lie awake replaying conversations, worrying about tomorrow, or feeling wired despite being deeply tired. Sleep struggles are not a failure of discipline or routine. They are often a sign that the nervous system is still in protection mode. Why Stress Disrupts Sleep Stress activates the nervous system

After a demanding season finally ends, many people expect relief. The deadline passes. The crisis settles. The responsibility lifts. And yet rest feels impossible. Sleep is light. The body stays tense. The mind keeps scanning for the next thing to handle. This experience is common, especially for women in their twenties, thirties, and forties who have spent long periods functioning in survival mode. Difficulty resting after stress is not a personal failure. It is a nervous sy

Big emotions can feel overwhelming. Anger that comes out of nowhere. Sadness that feels too heavy. Anxiety that floods the body. Many women in their twenties, thirties, and forties worry that feeling deeply means losing control or being too much. The truth is this. Big emotions are not the problem. Feeling unsafe while experiencing them is. Learning to handle strong emotions is not about suppressing them. It is about helping the nervous system feel steady enough to move throu

For many women in their twenties, thirties, and forties, vulnerability can feel terrifying. Saying how you really feel. Asking for help. Admitting uncertainty. Letting someone see you struggle. Instead of feeling relieved, vulnerability often triggers shame, fear, or the urge to shut down. This is not because vulnerability is weakness. It is because your nervous system learned that openness was unsafe at some point in your life. Let’s explore why vulnerability feels so hard a

Uncertainty is one of the hardest experiences for the nervous system to tolerate. Even if you see yourself as adaptable, there are moments when not knowing the outcome can feel deeply activating. For many trauma survivors, unpredictability signals danger before you even understand why. If you feel anxious while waiting for answers, spiral when plans change, or freeze during unknowns, your body is not overreacting. It is protecting you. Here is a gentle, relatable guide to und

If you have ever left a gathering feeling exhausted, overstimulated or in need of total silence to reboot, you are not alone. Many people, especially trauma survivors, neurodivergent folks and women balancing a lot at once, feel drained after social interactions. It can be confusing because nothing “bad” happened, yet your body feels like it ran a marathon. There is nothing wrong with you. What you are experiencing has a real emotional and physiological foundation. Let’s talk

When stress hits, most people think they need a full self care routine or a long meditation to calm down. But trauma survivors often need something different. Your nervous system does not shift through big gestures. It responds to tiny signals of safety repeated over time. These micro moments can slowly teach your body, “I do not need to be in survival mode all day.” If you have ever caught yourself overwhelmed at work, shutting down during an argument or freezing when life f