Hi Reader,

If you’ve been around animals at all, you’ve probably observed this phenomenon, even if you don’t know the playful name it goes by — the “zoomies.” This is when an animal, often pets like cats and dogs, but sometimes wild animals too, runs around with frantic, playful energy.

The first time I observed this was after giving my anxious dog, Elliott, a bath. He would sprint wildly around the house afterward. A few months back, while observing this behavior, I pointed and shared with the kids, “Look, Elliott is completing the stress cycle!” This got a few eye rolls from my children, who have long lost their patience with me turning everything into a psychology lesson. My youngest has gotten very quick to say: “Mom … don’t turn this into a psychology lesson” (Have I mentioned how fun it is to have me as a mother?). But I really can't help myself, and even if my children are ignoring my ideas, hopefully you'll find something worthwhile in the psychology lessons I love to pull out of everyday moments.

An animal will often get the zoomies following a period of hyperarousal. They are releasing pent-up energy so they can return to equilibrium — they are, in fact, completing the stress cycle. While I learned about this concept some years ago, it became fresh in my mind last year after reading Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski. Their framework on healing from burnout largely depends on this concept, and it’s one of the best explanations of completing the stress cycle I’ve read.

Essentially, the idea goes like this: When we encounter a stressor, our body responds, typically with fight-or-flight energy and sympathetic nervous system activation to get our adrenaline and blood flowing. When the stressor is gone, the stress still lingers (as the Nagoski sisters highlight ferociously, the stress and the stressor are not the same thing).

Ideally, when the stressor has been dealt with and is gone, the body understands it is safe and will release the excess energy — it helps to get it out of the body. You can also see this in the wild. Animals that escape a near-death experience (say, from a predator) can often be found shaking afterward. The shaking is a way of releasing the excess energy and completing the cycle.

But here’s the problem with modernity. We live in a time where we are surrounded by stressors. Right now, I have 56 emails in my inbox that need my attention. My body is responding to that with stress (this body of ours is also not great at knowing the difference between life-and-death stressors and the kinds of stressors that won’t kill me). My unanswered emails won’t kill me. And in modern life, we have so many of these stressors — traffic, parenting stress, work stress (I’m going to get stressed if I keep listing stressors, so I will stop here). The stressors keep coming, which often means the stress is not dealt with. It builds and builds and is not sufficiently released. Complicating matters, many of us live with chronic stressors that aren’t ever completed (chronic illness, parenting vulnerable children … again, I’m going to stop listing before my body and probably many of yours gets too stressed).

Completing The Stress Cycle

In their book (I didn’t realize this email would turn into an unintentional ad for their book, but seriously, it is a great book), the Nagoski sisters talk about the importance of “spending 20 minutes a day” completing your stress cycle. I liked this advice because 1) it’s concrete, 2) it seems manageable, and 3) it doesn’t depend on me remembering it when I’m stressed.

Honestly, I’ve been imperfect, but one of my goals this year is to build more “complete the stress cycle” time into my life. Here are a few ways to complete it:

Image of ways to complete the stress cycle

Movement — movement is perhaps the most powerful way to
complete the stress cycle
Laughter
Crying (there’s a reason we feel good after a good cry!)
Progressive Muscle Relaxation (this is a really good alternative for those for whom movement is inaccessible). Here is a guided meditation on how to do it
Shaking/Stimming
Hug or weighted pressure

One last thing to keep in mind: Many Autistic people, in particular, may respond to stress by going into shutdown (a state where the nervous system becomes immobilized rather than mobilized, similar to the freeze response but typically less intense). Just because someone is in shutdown doesn’t mean there isn’t stress in the body that needs releasing. I think of it as the stress being “frozen” in the body. The release needs to be more gentle (think thawing). Activities such as a grounded walk, gentle stretching, and stimming can help. As the body warms up and begins to thaw, more vigorous movement can be gradually introduced.

More Learning:

For more about the mechanics of the nervous system, check out this article I wrote a few years back on the Autistic and ADHD nervous system. It explains concepts like the sympathetic nervous system, and more.
In this interview Brene Brown did with the Nagoski sisters, they unpack the stress cycle and discuss these ideas in depth.
You can check out their book Burnout here.
For members of the Learning Nook, explore the workshop and worksheets on the nervous system, which also dive into this concept in more detail.
For more on the nervous system in general (but not specifically the stress cycle), you can check out the digital workbook I have available here.

As for me, I plan to tackle my stressor today by spending a few hours clearing my inbox. Later, I'll deal with the stress by going on a walk. I wish you a week filled with both effective ways to address the stressors in your life and opportunities to release the stress and get out your zoomies.

Dr. Neff

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