Latest news with #BrittanyPiper
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Why Your Nervous System Might Be at War With Modern Life
A viral TikTok video is striking a deep chord with viewers who say it perfectly explains why they're exhausted, anxious, and burned out. The message? It's not just you—your nervous system may be in survival mode all the time. Brittany Piper, a 36-year-old Somatic Experiencing® practitioner and author of Body-First Healing, posted a video in March that's now racked up nearly half a million views. In it, she argues that our modern lives are fundamentally out of sync with what the human body—and especially the nervous system—was built to handle. 'It is my personal and professional belief that the drastic rise we are seeing in chronic physical and mental illness can be attributed to this one thing,' Piper says. 'We have created a world that our nervous system no longer wants to live in.' Piper compares the nervous system to a security alarm, constantly scanning for danger. In our fast-paced, hyper-connected world, it's often triggered, not just by traumatic events, but by everyday stressors like digital overload, political division, economic uncertainty, and social disconnection. The result? Our bodies stay locked in survival states like fight, flight, freeze, or shutdown, flooding us with cortisol and adrenaline. She told Newsweek that this ongoing activation can lead to anxiety, fatigue, pain, and other chronic issues. 'Many of the symptoms we face today at alarming rates,' she said, 'are not random symptoms, but the body's intelligent responses to overwhelm.' Piper's video has struck a nerve with thousands of viewers who say they've been desperate for answers, and her explanation finally makes sense of what they've been feeling. Her advice? Healing doesn't mean pushing harder. It means slowing down, grounding yourself, and building awareness of what your body is trying to tell you. Piper suggests starting with small actions: feel your feet on the ground, notice your breath, or identify something comforting in your environment. These steps, she says, can build a sense of internal safety and help regulate the nervous system. 'Healing is less about doing more,' Piper adds, 'and more about doing less, with more attunement.' As conversations around mental health, trauma, and somatic therapy gain mainstream traction, Piper's viral theory offers both validation and a practical path forward, especially for those who feel like they're stuck in overdrive. Why Your Nervous System Might Be at War With Modern Life first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 5, 2025
Newsweek
23-06-2025
- Health
- Newsweek
Millennial's Theory on Why the Modern World Is So Stressful Goes Viral
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. With more people experiencing chronic stress-related health issues, one woman believes she has identified the root cause—and thousands are listening. Brittany Piper, a 36-year-old Somatic Experiencing® practitioner and author of Body-First Healing, has sparked widespread discussion online with her viral video dissecting why our lives today seem to be overwhelming the human nervous system. Posted on March 6, the video has more than 483,000 views and over 45,000 likes, resonating with viewers who say her theory helps explain their daily experiences of anxiety and burnout. "It is my personal and professional belief that the drastic rise we are seeing in chronic physical and mental illness can be attributed to this one thing," Piper said in the TikTok video, shared under @healwithbritt. "Basically, we have created a world that our nervous system no longer wants to live in." Speaking with Newsweek, Piper expanded on her message, saying the modern world simply is not built to accommodate the needs of the human nervous system. "Chronic survival states like fight, flight, shutdown, functional freeze and fawn are being activated—not just by traumatic events, but by the constant pressure, pace, and disconnection of our everyday lives," Piper said. Piper compared the nervous system to a security system, operating constantly in the background to assess for danger. She said that, when this system detects threat—real or perceived—it activates states like fight, flight, freeze, shutdown, or fawn. Repeated exposure to such stress, Piper added, can leave people stuck in these survival modes, with detrimental effects. "This further heightens the adrenalin and cortisol in your body, which then wreaks even more havoc on your mental and physical health," she told viewers. The stressors of the modern world, according to Piper, include political polarization; endless streams of catastrophic news on social media; workplace demands; environmental toxins; and widespread emotional suppression. The combination, she said, overwhelms the body's natural coping mechanisms, causing many of the chronic symptoms people experience today. From left: Brittany Piper speaks in a TikTok video; and speaks on stage at an event. From left: Brittany Piper speaks in a TikTok video; and speaks on stage at an event. @healwithbritt Piper is an international speaker with a combined following of over 600,000 across TikTok and Instagram. Her social-media content focuses on nervous system healing and somatic trauma work, emphasizing how people can support their health not by "fixing" themselves, but by listening to the body's signals. The popularity of her videos—and the hundreds of comments echoing their messages—suggests her theory has struck a chord with many. Viewers have shared their own experiences with chronic anxiety, fatigue, and illness, some expressing relief at finally hearing an explanation that connects the dots surrounding their symptoms and broader societal conditions. Piper described her post as a call to reevaluate how we interpret these debilitating conditions. "Many of the symptoms we face today at alarming rates—anxiety, fatigue, illness, pain—are not random symptoms, but the body's intelligent responses to overwhelm," Piper said. "Healing, then, begins with slowing down, coming back to the body, and learning to support the nervous system in releasing survival energy it was never able to complete." As an entry point for those unfamiliar with nervous system regulation, Piper recommends simple practices such as grounding through physical sensation. "Try feeling your feet on the floor, noticing your breath without changing it, or tuning into what feels good enough in your environment," Piper said. These actions, she added, can create an internal sense of safety that forms the foundation for deeper healing. Piper also cautioned against the cultural push toward hyperproductivity as a healing strategy. "Healing is less about doing more, and more about doing less, with more attunement," Piper added. Her approach to stress and trauma aligns with a growing body of work in the somatic therapy field, which focuses on how the body stores and processes stress. But Piper's viral reach has taken that message to a wider audience. The momentum around her videos reflects a broader shift in public dialogue around mental health, trauma, and somatic wellness. As more people look for explanations—and solutions—for why they feel so overwhelmed in their daily lives, Piper's message appears to offer both validation and a starting point for recovery. She added: "Once more capacity is built, deeper somatic work can unfold—like tracking subtle shifts in sensation, working with relational triggers, or titrating stored trauma with a practitioner." Is there a health issue that's worrying you? Let us know via health@ We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
