Divorce in the Body: Why You’re Exhausted, Wired, or Frozen

Can't sleep during divorce? Exhausted after 8 hours, wired at 3 AM, or frozen in front of the paperwork? That's not weakness. It's your nervous system, and this episode shows you how to work with it.

Start here → https://theloomlife.com

If you're in the middle of a divorce, separation, or any major life upheaval, your body is probably doing things that feel alarming or just bizarre. In this solo episode of Pulling Threads, therapist and guide Leslie Mathews (JD, MSW) explains what's actually happening inside you, in plain, practical language.

You'll learn why your nervous system reads extended uncertainty as a threat, and how that shows up as fight or flight (the adrenaline, the bracing, the racing mind at night) or as freeze (the shutdown that stops you from making the call or filling out the form). You'll hear why none of this means you're broken, lazy, or failing. And you'll learn to treat your body as a source of information rather than a problem to manage.

Leslie closes with a simple three-step grounding practice she calls "coming back to now" that you can use anywhere, any time your body is activated.

In this episode:

• Why divorce stress feels so physical

• Fight, flight, and freeze during a life transition

• Why you're exhausted, can't sleep, or can't move forward

• What your body may be trying to tell you

• A 3-step grounding practice for anxiety and overwhelm

CHAPTERS

00:00 What divorce does to your body

00:30 Exhausted, wired at 3 AM, or frozen?

01:45 There is nothing wrong with you

02:10 Your nervous system's one job

03:05 Fight or flight: running on adrenaline

04:05 Why you can't sleep, and the freeze response

05:05 Your body is communicating with you

06:05 "What is this trying to tell me?"

07:05 The reframe: your nervous system is your ally

07:35 The "coming back to now" practice

09:00 Befriend your nervous system

09:45 If this found you at the right moment

WANT MORE SUPPORT?

→ Work with Leslie: https://theloomlife.com

→ Mending or Moving On, a private podcast course with meditations and somatic practices ($27): [MENDING OR MOVING ON LINK]

→ Mindful Untangling, a members' community for women going through divorce, with a holiday support chat: [MINDFUL UNTANGLING LINK]

If this episode found you at the right moment, share it with someone who might need it tonight.

Subscribe to Pulling Threads for honest conversations about divorce, healing, and coming home to yourself.

FOLLOW

Instagram: @the.loom.life

TikTok: @leslieellenmathews

This episode is for education and support. It is not therapy or medical advice. If you are in crisis in the U.S., call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline).

Keywords: divorce anxiety, can't sleep during divorce, nervous system and divorce, fight flight freeze, divorce stress symptoms, how to get through divorce emotionally, grounding exercise for anxiety, healing after divorce

#DivorceRecovery #NervousSystemRegulation #DivorceSupport #DivorceAnxiety #PullingThreads