Dr. Aimie Apigian
Dr. Aimie Apigian
The Biology of Overwhelm: Why Small Demands Feel Impossible
The Biology of Overwhelm: Why Small Demands Feel Impossible
The Biology of Overwhelm: Why Small Demands Feel Impossible
Tuesday 12th August 2025
Explore why small demands can feel overwhelming and learn practical strategies to manage your energy reserves with Dr. Aimie Apigian.
28 minutes
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About this podcast
Author:
Dr. Aimie Apigian
Overview:
Categories:
Recovery from Trauma
Healing from Sexual Trauma
Healing Relationships
Mindful Recovery
Innovative Treatments & Recovery Paths
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Episodes:
162 (View all)
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Get the buttons here!Mastering Overwhelm: Understanding Your Capacity
Episode Overview
- Small demands can feel overwhelming due to depleted energy reserves.
- Your nervous system calculates safety based on capacity.
- Daily decisions impact your energy reserve management.
- Identify and eliminate small daily drains on your capacity.
- Practising somatic self-care can replenish your energy reserves.
"It's not about the demand itself, but whether you have enough reserves in the account."
Feeling overwhelmed by small demands, like a broken dishwasher or a minor email, is more common than you might think. Dr. Aimie Apigian tackles this very issue in the latest episode of The Biology of Trauma™ podcast. She sheds light on why seemingly trivial matters can sometimes feel insurmountable, despite our best efforts to eat well, exercise, and manage stress. Dr.
Aimie explains that it's not the size of the demand that throws us off balance, but rather whether we have enough energy reserves to handle it. Through personal anecdotes and practical advice, Dr. Aimie offers insights into how your nervous system is constantly calculating whether you're safe or in danger based on your capacity to handle demands. She likens managing your capacity to financial management, where daily decisions can either drain or deposit into your capacity account.
This episode is inspired by a question from Maya, a holistic health practitioner, who shares her experience of feeling overwhelmed by minor daily challenges despite having survived much bigger life events. Dr. Aimie discusses how everyday demands create withdrawals from our capacity account, which can lead to a trauma response when our reserves are depleted. She emphasises the importance of identifying small daily drains and offers practical ways to slow them down and make deposits back into your account.
By understanding how your body reacts to stress and practising daily somatic self-care, you can maintain your reserves for unexpected moments. Whether you're feeling constantly exhausted or just curious about the biology behind stress responses, this episode offers valuable insights and practical strategies to help you manage your energy reserves effectively. So why not tune in and learn how to ride the wave of life's demands without getting drowned by them?