Resources for Resilience, Author at Resources For Resilience

Awareness & Activation: How the News Cycle Affects Our Nervous Systems

by Resources for Resilience | February 13, 2026 | Current Events, Resources for Resilience

If you’ve noticed yourself feeling heavy, unsettled, or mentally exhausted after consuming the news, you’re not alone.

Many people feel overwhelmed by the volume and intensity of today’s news cycle. Constant notifications, breaking headlines, and repeated exposure to intense graphic coverage can make it difficult for the body and mind to rest and recover.

This goes beyond simply “staying informed.” The human nervous system evolved to respond to immediate, in-person threats — not continuous exposure to global information streams. When we encounter repeated signals of danger, uncertainty, or loss, the body may respond as though the threat is happening in real time.

Over time, this ongoing activation can contribute to stress, emotional fatigue, irritability, and difficulty concentrating or sleeping.

In this two-part series, we’ll explore how news and social media exposure affect the nervous system and share simple, practical tools to support regulation and resilience.

Humans are not designed to be this “plugged in” and connected digitally. Because our ancestors never had the media or technology, our bodies and minds are not equipped to absorb or process this level of information.

Signs of Emotional Overload

Repeated exposure to high-intensity headlines and continuous media coverage can increase stress, uncertainty, and emotional fatigue. Parents, caregivers, and individuals with a history of trauma may be especially sensitive to this type of coverage.

News often emphasizes danger, disruption, and loss, which can activate the body’s natural survival responses.

If you are experiencing any of the following emotions or sensations, these reactions are common during periods of sustained stress:

Grief
Anger or Rage
Fear or Anxiety
Shock
Numbness
Fatigue or Exhaustion
Dread
Mistrust or Suspicion
Hopelessness
Racing heartbeat
Muscle tension
Shallow breathing
Nightmares

These are not signs of weakness. From a physiological perspective, the body is reacting in ways that are consistent with survival states.

Studies have linked repeated exposure to traumatic events – as well as high-volume news or social media coverage of those events – with increased anxiety, depressive symptoms, and sleep disruption.

Why the News Hits So Hard

Our nervous systems evolved to keep us alive, not informed. When we are exposed to repeated images of danger and loss, the body may respond as though something happening far away is happening close to home.

In other words, you don’t need to be directly impacted by an event for your body to react to it. Witnessing harm — especially when it involves your community or sense of safety — can activate similar survival responses.

Watching, listening to, or scrolling through the news can trigger fight, flight, or freeze responses within the nervous system. When activation remains elevated for extended periods, areas of the brain responsible for reflection, problem-solving, and connection can become less accessible.

In this state, we can react, but we struggle to reflect clearly. We can feel deeply yet find it harder to imagine solutions or take thoughtful action.

Strong emotional responses to alarming or high-impact events are natural. Regulation helps ensure that fear or anger do not override our ability to think clearly, stay connected, and act intentionally.

Why Nervous System Regulation Matters

The nervous system plays a central role in how we think, feel, and respond to the world around us. When it feels safe, the brain operates at a higher-level of functioning:

Creativity — generating ideas and imagination
Critical thinking — seeing nuance and multiple perspectives
Problem-solving— considering options and flexibility
Connection — listening, communicating and empathizing with others

This regulated state is what we call our Resilient Zone. Once we can regain this state of mental calm and clarity, greater wisdom and meaningful action become possible.

The good news: regulation skills can be learned and strengthened over time. Simple, consistent practices can reduce the intensity and duration of stress responses and build confidence in your ability to return to balance.

As individuals become more consistently regulated, that steadiness can positively influence families, workplaces, and communities. So one person’s internal safety and inner harmony become a collective resource for many. Regulation is both a personal and collective resource.

“What feels very different in the present moment,” Hershfield said, “is that it feels like it’s coming from multiple fronts. It’s everything from political uncertainty in the US and elsewhere, health insecurity from the very fresh memory of a global pandemic, job insecurity from AI, geopolitical insecurity, to environmental insecurity.”

Small Actions, Big Impact

Resources For Resilience offers practical tools to help calm the nervous system and restore balance.

Our free trainings and accessible programming teach simple, science-based skills that support regulation, strengthen connection, and make it easier to show up for yourself and others – even during periods of uncertainty.

These tools can be practiced anywhere, by anyone. Learn more in the next post!

Resilience is something we build together, one moment at a time. Nervous system healing doesn’t mean ignoring what is happening in the world. It means learning to stay present without becoming overwhelmed by it.

Finding Resilience Through Connection: A Conversation with Katherine Gutschenritter

by Resources for Resilience | February 11, 2026 | Conversations In Resilience, Resources for Resilience

Conversations in Resilience is a storytelling series from Resources for Resilience, created to elevate the voices of the people doing this work every day.

I’m a Program Coordinator at Resources for Resilience. My role is largely behind the scenes, supporting training logistics, coordination, and the systems that help our work reach communities across North Carolina. I’m also a trainer, which allows me to stay connected to the heart of the work. I love being able to support both the people delivering this work and the communities receiving it. It feels meaningful, practical, and deeply human.

Though I live in Asheville now, I’m originally from Atlanta and have lived many places across the U.S. and the world. Moving has always been a part of my story. But when I arrived in Asheville a handful of years ago, something shifted. It truly felt like home.

There is something about this community that brings a deep sense of belonging, of being seen and heard. That feeling is closely connected to the work I do now.

How I Came to This Work

Before joining Resources for Resilience, I worked in education as an administrator. Around the time of the pandemic, I was introduced to Resources for Resilience through a virtual training and the work immediately resonated with me.

Like many people, I have experienced burnout in my own life. The training helped me better understand my nervous system and why stress was showing up the way it was. What stood out was how accessible and grounding the tools felt. They weren’t overwhelming or prescriptive. Instead, they made it possible to stay engaged in challenging work while also taking care of yourself.

That idea stayed with me. I continued following the organization, and when an opportunity opened up to become more involved, it felt like a natural next step.

What Resources for Resilience Does

Resources for Resilience provides training that helps people understand their nervous systems and how nervous system responses show up in everyday life, especially in high-stress environments. This work supports people who are doing difficult, meaningful work in their communities and need practical tools to manage stress, stay connected, and continue showing up.

One of the most powerful aspects of this work is how immediately applicable it is. Sometimes it’s a full training. Other times, it’s a brief conversation that helps someone feel more grounded in the moment. You don’t need hours or days to begin experiencing the impact.

Community Before and After Hurricane Helene

After Hurricane Helene, the importance of connection in our region became even more visible. Many lost electricity, internet, and phone service for days. People walked their neighborhoods, checked on one another, and knocked on doors. Neighbors who barely knew each other became sources of support.

What stood out wasn’t just the immediate response, but the way people continued to show up. I’ve heard countless stories of individuals stepping into roles they never expected, discovering new purpose, and committing more deeply to their communities. In moments like that, it becomes clear that connection is our first line of defense for anything.

Why Connection Matters

Having lived in many places, I’ve always valued relationships, but this work helped me understand just how foundational connection really is. As humans, there is an innate need for belonging and connection that exists in all of us, and that need doesn’t disappear when life gets busy or difficult.

In many ways, modern life has moved us toward isolation. We live in our own spaces, often disconnected from those around us. This work reminds us that even small moments of connection matter. Making eye contact, sharing a smile, recognizing a familiar face. These moments help regulate our nervous systems and create a sense of safety.

As humans, there is an innate need for belonging and connection that exists in all of us, and that need doesn’t disappear when life gets busy or difficult.

Rethinking Resilience

Before this work, I thought resilience meant bouncing back after something hard. Now, I see resilience as the ability to adapt while staying connected. It’s about having tools that help you manage stress, understand your responses, and navigate challenges without disconnecting from yourself or others.

When you understand your nervous system, you have more choice in how you show up. You also gain the ability to influence how others show up around you. It is so powerful to understand your nervous system and your nervous system responses using simple tools.

A Hope for the Work

If I could wish for anything, it would be that every single human could receive Resources for Resilience training. There is often confusion or misunderstanding about what the nervous system is and how it works, and this training helps unlock that understanding in a way that feels empowering and practical.

I wish every human being could receive Resources for Resilience training. This work deserves to be widespread.
Katherine Gutschenritter

Editorial Stewardship:
Sarah Staley is a senior communications leader who partners with mission-driven organizations to turn complexity into clarity and amplify the voices at the heart of the work.

Mantener La Calma Durante La Tormenta: Herramientas Prácticas Para Manejar El Estrés y La Ansiedad Relacionados Con El Clima

by Resources for Resilience | January 23, 2026 | Resources for Resilience, Weather-Related Stress/Trauma

El clima extremo no solo afecta las casas, carreteras y líneas eléctricas, sino también a nuestros sistemas nerviosos.

Los sobrevivientes del huracán Helene saben de primera mano que si has vivido un desastre natural, nuevas tormentas pueden generar más que solo el estrés logístico de la preparación.

Las alertas de emergencia, cielos cambiantes, largas filas y estantes vacíos pueden activar rápidamente el sistema de detección de amenazas del cerebro y provocar mucha agobio y ansiedad sobre lo que está por venir.

Incluso cuando estás a salvo, tu cuerpo puede reaccionar como si el peligro estuviera ocurriendo de nuevo: corazón acelerado, dificultad para dormir o ponerse en acción para prepararse para el peor escenario posible.

Estamos aquí para recordarte que no estás solo. Todas estas son respuestas normales ante el estrés y al trauma. Y hay maneras simples, respaldadas por la ciencia, que pueden ayudar a tu sistema nervioso a calmarse y estabilizarse durante los momentos difíciles.

REINICIA el cuerpo dando un paseo, tomando una bebida, moviéndote de lado a lado o levantando o cargando algo pesado.
RECUERDA un momento que inspire seguridad, alegría o conexión del pasado.
CONECTA con seres queridos, compañeros de trabajo y vecinos revisando cómo están y co-regulándose juntos. ¡Las mascotas también cuentan!
PRACTICA la autocompasión: “Mi cuerpo está recordando algo real y quiere mantenerme a salvo.”

¿Quieres aprender más sobre estas herramientas rápidas pero poderosas? Únete a un próximo entrenamiento o taller GRATIS, o SUSCRIBETE o FOLLOW para mantenerte conectado.

¡Mantente seguro, abrigado y en contacto allá afuera! Juntos superaremos esto.

Staying Calm Through the Storm: Practical Tools to Manage Weather-Related Stress & Anxiety

by Resources for Resilience | January 22, 2026 | Resources for Resilience, RFR Tools, Weather-Related Stress/Trauma

Extreme weather doesn’t just affect homes, roads, and power lines — it affects our nervous systems.

For people who have lived through hurricanes, floods, wildfires, or prolonged outages, the body often remembers long after the storm has passed. Emergency alerts, darkening skies, rising winds, or even preparation routines can activate stress responses before we consciously realize what’s happening.

That’s why simple, consistent nervous system care matters — especially now more than ever when we live in a time and place that is vulnerable to natural disasters.

At Resources For Resilience, our trainings, workshops, and professional development programs focus on practical, science-based tools that help people calm their nervous systems quickly during moments of stress or overwhelm. These tools are especially relevant for disaster preparation and recovery, when emotions and uncertainty can run high.

In a 2025 survey, mental health provider Thriveworks found 25% of respondents ranked climate change and natural disasters as key sources of anxiety.

Why Nervous System Regulation Matters In Extreme Weather

When a storm approaches, the brain’s threat system (the amygdala) shifts into high alert. This response is designed to keep us safe — but for people with prior disaster trauma, it can stay activated even when danger has passed.

The body learns safety through repetition and through small, intentional moments of grounding. These micro-pauses — moments where we breathe, notice, and reconnect to our surroundings — send powerful signals to the brain: “There’s no immediate threat. It’s safe to slow down.”

Over time, these signals help expand our capacity to handle future stress, which is the foundation of resilience.

Up to 12% of people in the United States have anxiety disorders — or phobias — related to the weather, including an estimated 2% to 3% with storm phobia, according to a 2014 study in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.

What Are Rapid Resets?

Rapid Resets are Resources for Resilience™ signature, body-based tools designed to help regulate the nervous system when it becomes activated (anxious, panicked, overwhelmed) or shut down (numb, frozen, disconnected).

They are:

Simple
Accessible anywhere
Backed by neuroscience
Useful before, during, or after a storm

These tools don’t require special equipment, long sessions, or prior training — making them especially valuable during emergencies and recovery periods.

Who These Tools Are For

Rapid Resets can help ANYONE of any age or background, but they’re especially useful for people with limited access to traditional therapy, and for professionals who face regular occupational, work-related stress. They offer a quick way to steady the nervous system without stepping away from daily responsibilities of the job.

Extreme weather now ranks as the World Economic Forum’s #1 long‑term global risk. Hazardous weather conditions and dangerous climate extremes not only pose threats to human life, wildlife, economies, but they also disrupt transportation, communication systems, and other critical infrastructure. Of course, this affects our nervous systems too.

When to Use Rapid Resets

Anytime you notice signs that you’re outside your Resilient Zone, it may be time to reset. These signs include:

Racing or pounding heart
Shallow or labored breathing
Tight chest, jaw, shoulders, or stomach
Racing or repetitive thoughts
Feeling numb, frozen, or disconnected
Heightened sensitivity to noise or touch
Hyperviligence- overfunctioning or overpreparing

Rapid Reset Tools for Storm Stress & Recovery

You don’t need to use every tool, every time. Even one or two can gently shift how your body responds during stressful moments.

Connect

The research has show time and again that we regulate best with others, not alone. After a stressful weather event or preparation period, connecting with a trusted person helps the nervous system receive the message: “You’re not alone. You’re safe now.” Shared breathing, conversation, touch, or even sitting quietly together can help systems synchronize and soften.

Sense In

Bring attention inward. Scan your body from feet to head and notice where you feel most neutral or at ease. Observing without judgment helps interrupt stress spirals and brings the thinking brain back online.

Ground

Sit, stand, or lie on something solid. Notice how your body is supported by the ground, a chair, or a wall. Let gravity do some of the work. You don’t have to hold everything up alone.

Orient

Slowly look around your environment. Notice shapes, colors, sounds, or light. Turning your head and scanning the space helps signal to the brain that the present moment is different from the past.

Take a Sip

Drinking water — especially warm liquids — engages multiple sensory pathways. Notice the weight, temperature, and sensation of swallowing as a way to anchor yourself in the present.

Sing or Hum

Vocalization stimulates the vagus nerve, helping calm the nervous system. Humming, singing, or chanting (alone or with others) can be especially grounding during high-stress moments.

Tap Side-to-Side

The “Butterfly Hug” uses bilateral stimulation to promote relaxation. Gently tap alternating sides of your body at a pace that feels calming.

Take a Walk

Walking helps discharge stress through movement. Pay attention to your steps, breathing, and muscle movement — especially helpful after intense weather events or long days of recovery work.

Do Heavy Work

Engaging large muscles through pushing, lifting, sweeping, gardening, or cleaning helps release stored stress and restore a sense of strength and agency.

Push Against a Wall

Using your body’s strength to push against something solid can help release excess energy and bring a sense of stability.

*Of course if you’re in an unsafe area or hazardous conditions, follow all official guidance from national and local meteorological agencies and prioritize safety.

Why These Tools Work

All of these practices help regulate the nervous system — the foundation for how we think, feel, and respond during emergencies. When the body settles, decision-making improves, communication becomes clearer, and preparation becomes more effective.

With consistent use, these tools:

Shorten recovery time after stress
Reduce the intensity of trauma responses
Increase confidence in future disaster preparedness
Build long-term resilience

Simple Tools. Powerful Results.

Other Helpful Reminders To Support Your Mental Well‑Being

Severe weather can impact mental health long after the storm passes. Staying connected, checking in on one another, and offering practical support strengthens our community and helps everyone recover—together.

Name What’s Happening. Practice self-compassion and acceptance that you are doing your best. Stress, anxiety, grief, anger, fear, and overwhelm are all normal responses to uncertainty and trauma. Recognizing your response as valid and physiological helps reduce shame and guilt while naming and labeling your emotions can help your brain understand the bigger picture and process your feelings.
Rebuild Safety in your Space. Prepare a storm plan or supply list, connect with your “pod”, and create cues of stability and steadiness, such as opening the curtains to let natural light in.
- Maintain Your Routine. Follow your normal routine and keep a healthy rhythm of good sleep, healthy meals, and balanced activity.
- Cut Back on “Doom Scrolling”: Staying informed is helpful, but nonstop weather coverage and news can fuel anxiety. Take breaks to unplug, checking for updates at intermittent intervals instead of continuously.
- Have Analog Activities Ready: Reading a book or simple leisure activities like puzzles, crafts, or coloring can redirect your mind and ease anxious thoughts. Slowing down also reminds your body and brain that there is no immediate urgency or threat.
Stay in Touch: Storms can feel isolating. Reach out to neighbors, friends or family by phone or video to check in and provide mutual comfort and reassurance. Ask open-ended questions to those in need of support with meals, rides, cleaning, or childcare: “What do you need most right now?”

Resources for Resilience offers FREE weekly Listening Circles to help people navigate stress of all types. This is a space to learn, but most importantly to feel seen, heard, and connected.

Seek Professional Support When Needed: If stress or overwhelm feels too heavy, many confidential free resources are available. Don’t be afraid to reach out if you’re feeling particularly overwhelmed or fearful, or you simply need someone to talk to. You deserve immediate support no matter what you’re facing.

Preparing For the Next Storm

Extreme weather is more than just an environmental talking point — it has become one of the most significant long‑term threats to global stability. Its prominence and prevalence signals how urgently we need to strengthen both practical and emotional resilience for communities and critical systems everywhere.

Weather-related trauma isn’t just about the loss and disruption that happens during the storm. It also includes the aftermath and the lasting impact of grief and uncertainty.

By practicing nervous system regulation, we strengthen our capacity to respond rather than react to the next disaster that will inevitably come our way. This is not only helpful for ourselves, but also for our families, loved ones, and our communities.

With these science-backed tools there is real hope for healing and recovery, and that’s why we do what we do. We think everyone, everywhere can use this valuable information!

To learn more about our signature educational workshops and trainings, subscribe to our email list or explore our event calendar.

We look forward to supporting you — before, during, and after the storm.

Hitting “Close To Home”: How to Cope With The Emotions of Extreme Weather, Especially If You’ve Lived It Before

As survivors of Hurricane Helene will tell you, past trauma has a way of “compressing time.” Extreme weather can stir up more than logistical stress — for many people, it brings back memories of past storms, evacuations, losses, or long recoveries. When something was...

When The Storm Doesn’t End: Understanding Weather-Related Trauma

by Resources for Resilience | January 22, 2026 | Resources for Resilience, Weather-Related Stress/Trauma

For a long time, trauma had a different name. It was once called shell shock, a term used to describe soldiers who returned from war changed by what they had seen and survived. Today, we understand this experience more clearly as Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)—a condition that can emerge after someone lives through, witnesses, or is repeatedly exposed to a traumatic event.

At its core, PTSD is what happens when the body and mind struggle to return to safety after danger has passed. It often shows up when a person begins reliving the trauma—through memories, nightmares, flashbacks, or intense emotional and physical reactions—long after the event itself is over.

While PTSD is commonly associated with combat veterans, we now know it can affect anyone, at any age, and that trauma comes in many forms. One of the most overlooked causes is natural disasters and extreme weather events.

Helpful reframe: Think of post-traumatic stress not as a ‘disorder’, but as an injury.

Trauma Isn’t Just What Happens to You—It’s What Happens Inside You

PTSD doesn’t require a single “worst-case” experience. It can develop after:

Directly experiencing a traumatic event
Losing loved ones, homes, or livelihoods
Working as a first responder or helper during a disaster
Witnessing destruction in your community day after day
Repeatedly hearing stories or seeing images of the event

For many people, trauma doesn’t arrive all at once. It builds. The mind keeps revisiting what happened, trying to make sense of it. Over time, this can lead to symptoms like:

Nightmares or intrusive memories
Trouble sleeping
Feeling constantly on edge or hyper-alert
Emotional numbness or disconnection
Deep exhaustion
Dissociation, or feeling outside your own body

When these symptoms persist, they may be diagnosed as PTSD.

PTSD Awareness Matters—Especially After Disasters

PTSD is often misunderstood. Many people minimize their experience, telling themselves:

“Others had it worse.”
“I should be over this by now.”
“It was just a bad storm.”

But trauma isn’t a competition. Even losing power, food, routines, or a sense of safety can deeply affect the nervous system. Secondary or vicarious trauma—being indirectly affected—counts, too.

Raising awareness helps people recognize symptoms early, before they worsen, and reminds us that healing is possible.

Natural Disasters and the Phases of Trauma

Experiencing a natural disaster follows a fairly predictable emotional pattern, even though everyone’s experience is unique.

Phase One: Impact (During Event)
This is the moment the weather disaster hits. There may be fear for safety, confusion, disbelief, or shock.

Phase Two: Immediate Aftermath (Days to Weeks Later)
Survival takes priority. Communities come together. Adrenaline is high. Numbness is common once the immediate danger passes.

Phase Three: Intermediate Recovery (Weeks to Months Later)
This phase often brings both hope and frustration. There’s generosity and outside help—but also exhaustion, inequity, and disillusionment. People may begin noticing physical symptoms like sleep issues, digestive problems, and chronic fatigue.

Phase Four: Long-Term Recovery (Months to Years Later)
This is where many people are now. Life is being rebuilt, but stress lingers. Fears about the future increase. PTSD symptoms may surface or intensify as reminders remain everywhere—damaged places, anniversaries, weather forecasts, or seasonal changes.

Hurricane Helene: A Shared Trauma That Still Lives With Us

Hurricane Helene is a powerful example of weather-related trauma for Western North Carolinians. Over a year later, many people are still surrounded by reminders of what happened—damaged areas, changed landscapes, ongoing recovery efforts, and lingering losses.

For some, every new storm will reopen old wounds and bring anxiety, hypervigilance, or fear they can’t explain. These reactions don’t mean you’re weak—they simply mean your body remembers.

As we face future storms, it’s important to recognize that recovery isn’t just physical or economic—it’s emotional. Preparing for what’s ahead must include caring for mental health, building community connections, and acknowledging the invisible scars disasters leave behind.

The storm may have passed, but healing takes time. And no one has to do it alone.

What Helps Build Resilience

Grief, anger, sadness, and fear are all valid responses to stressful or traumatic events. Healing does not mean forgetting—it means learning how to live again with what you’ve survived.

While PTSD can be serious, there are several research-based practices that help reduce its long-term impact:

Sensing In: This is about paying attention and getting curious about what your body is telling you with subtle messages. Because we’re wired for survival, our nervous systems are already masterful at noticing sensations of discomfort or pain, but it’s helpful to interrupt that pattern and shift the focus to the positive, comfortable, or neutral. What do you notice in your breathing, your heart rate, your muscle tension?
Connecting: Avoid isolation. Talk openly to loved ones, neighbors, and strangers about what happened. Connect with yourself too! Loving self-talk goes a long way: “I survived a disaster once, and I know I can do it again, especially because I learned so much.” “Looking around, I can see that I am safe right now and that’s what’s important.” “Even though it’s stressful sometimes, I am really good at finding creative solutions to problems and overcoming challenges that arise.”
Moving: Simple, body-based practices, or ‘Rapid Resets’, can be used to shift and redirect your energy. This includes things like tapping side to side, pushing against something sturdy, or humming to activate the vagus nerve.
Reaching Out: Trained mental health professionals can provide the expertise, knowledge, and support to help you work through the stress and emotional impact of extreme weather.

Surviving natural disasters wasn’t a muscle you ever intended to develop, but through life experience and practice you’re stronger than before.

You Don’t Have to Walk Through This Alone — We’re Here for You

You’ve survived the storm, now take care of yourself — body, mind, and heart.

Healing is a journey, and there are neighbors and professionals ready to walk with you every step of the way.

If you’re still feeling the emotional impact of Hurricane Helene—or the stress and trauma from any natural disaster—you don’t have to go it alone. There are real, accessible, and often FREE resources right here in Western North Carolina designed to support you, your family, and your community as you heal.

Behavioral Health & Immediate Crisis Support

Local organizations, educational posts, and wellness events are helpful, but they are NOT a replacement for therapy with a licensed mental health practitioner.

No matter what you’re experiencing, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, isolated, needing someone to lean on, or experiencing symptoms of PTSD that are disruptive to everyday life, 24/7/265 professional help and confidential support are available through various crisis lifelines and warmlines.

Trauma-Informed Support

Now through June 2026, Resources For Resilience is offering FREE events and practical tools to help individuals and communities build emotional strength and cope with stress after Helene and other weather-related trauma.

These no-cost workshops and trainings are available throughout the region and are designed to help you understand how your body and mind respond to stress and how to support yourself and others through recovery.

Will you join us?