What if I told you that the roots of many chronic illnesses don’t start in the body,  but in the nervous system?

This idea might challenge conventional thinking, but for those of us who have walked the path of illness — and healing — it resonates deep in the bones.

The body doesn’t lie.
It carries what the mind tries to forget.
And long before disease becomes diagnosable, it sends us signals.

 

The Biology of Stress

As Dr. Gabor Maté writes, “The body says no — when we are unable to.”

Chronic illness, in many cases, is not simply a random genetic fate or a bad roll of the dice. It’s the body’s intelligent, protective response to prolonged stress, emotional suppression, unresolved trauma, and internalized patterns of self-abandonment.

Let’s break it down.

When we’re under stress — especially chronic, unrelenting stress — our nervous system shifts into a sympathetic state: fight, flight, or freeze. This state is meant to be temporary, a short-term survival mode. But when we get stuck there (through overwork, emotional repression, childhood trauma, people-pleasing, perfectionism, or simply never feeling safe), our body starts to malfunction.

The nervous system isn’t just responding to life. It’s shaping how we experience and process it.

Your immune system, digestion, hormones, and even cellular repair are all impacted by the signals your nervous system sends out. If your body is told, “I’m not safe,” it doesn’t prioritize healing — it prioritizes survival.

The Nervous System is the Gatekeeper of Healing

Think of your nervous system as the master switchboard. It decides:

• Whether you digest or store
• Whether inflammation rises or falls
• Whether your cells regenerate or deteriorate
• Whether your body heals or holds

To heal the body, we must first signal safety to the system. And that starts with daily practices that calm and re-regulate the body’s stress response.

For me, that practice is morning meditation.

It’s something I’ve been devoted to for over 13 years now.
Every morning, before emails, before to-dos, I sit.

I return to my breath.
I remind my body: You are safe.
I soften the tight edges of the day before it begins.

Meditation has been the most consistent and transformative way I’ve learned to downshift my nervous system from survival mode into rest, clarity, and inner steadiness. It’s not always quiet or perfect — but it’s always an anchor.

This simple daily choice has played a profound role in my healing.

 

My Own Journey

After I was diagnosed with scleroderma, I reflected on how long my nervous system had been stuck in fight-or-flight. My body was bracing for life, constantly scanning for danger. Overachievement, people-pleasing, tension, hypervigilance — all things I once considered personality traits were actually survival adaptations.

So I began the work of unwinding.
Not fixing. Not pushing.
Regulating.

Breathwork. Stillness. Time in nature. Somatic awareness.
And always — meditation.

Slowly, my body began to trust me again. Symptoms softened. Space returned. And I began to live again — not just survive.

Healing Is Not Just About What You Do. It’s About How Safe You Feel.

True healing asks:
 Can your nervous system exhale?
 Can your body stop defending and start receiving?

This is why many people don’t find full relief through medication alone. Medication can support the body — but it often doesn’t address the why. It doesn’t speak to the trauma, the patterns, the state of internal alarm we’ve been living in for years — sometimes decades.

Dr. Gabor Maté teaches that emotional repression, especially from childhood, often plays a role in chronic illness. When we silence our truth, suppress our anger, or bypass our needs to be accepted — the body holds the cost.

Eventually, it asks us to listen. Not to punish, but to reconnect.

 

The Invitation

If you’re living with chronic illness or simply feel “off,” here’s what I invite you to explore:

• Notice your nervous system patterns. When do you tense? When do you relax?
• Start small. Start daily. One breath, one pause, one moment of presence.
• Instead of asking, “How do I fix this?” — ask, “What would help my body feel safe today?”

Trade perfection for presence. Trade force for softness.
Let your healing be slow, kind, and rooted in trust.

Your nervous system has always been trying to protect you. Now it’s your turn to protect it.

Whether through meditation, breathwork, nature, or simply saying no when you mean no — every small act of regulation sends a message to your body:

You’re safe now. It’s okay to rest. It’s time to heal.

And when your body feels safe, healing becomes not just possible — but natural.