Signs of Hyperarousal and Understanding Your Window of Tolerance

Signs of Hyperarousal

• Fight or flight
• Anxiety
• Panic
• Overwhelm
• Hyperactivity
• Anger
• Inability to relax
• Sleeping problems
• Difficulty concentrating
• Destructive behaviour
• Easily startled
• Hypervigilant
• Rapid breathing

Most of the time, we live within what’s called our Window of Tolerance — a safe range of arousal where we feel grounded, present, and able to self-regulate. In this state, the reasoning part of our brain is switched on.

Throughout the day, we naturally move up and down in arousal depending on what’s happening around us. Sometimes this feels like anxiety, which is simply your body’s inner alarm system letting you know there might be a threat.

When that alarm becomes too sensitive, we can get overwhelmed. If we tip into hyperarousal, the sympathetic nervous system activates (fight or flight), and we may feel panic, anger, or an inability to relax.

Each person’s window is different and changes depending on what’s going on inside and outside of them. For example, if you’re stressed and only sleeping three hours a night, your window of tolerance shrinks — which means it takes much less to push you over the edge.

This is helpful to remember with children too. A fall after a good meal and restful sleep will feel very different to a fall when they’re hungry and exhausted. One will be manageable, the other may push them into overwhelm.

As adults, the same is true. The more we understand what shrinks our window, the more compassion we can offer ourselves when we find ourselves outside of it.

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References

Ogden, P. (2009). Modulation, mindfulness, and movement in the treatment of trauma-related depression.

Siegel, D. (1999). The developing mind. New York: Guilford.

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