Emotional Flooding

Emotional flooding is what happens when your nervous system gets overwhelmed and your capacity for rational thought goes offline. Your heart rate spikes, stress hormones flood your system, and the thinking part of your brain shuts down. In this state, you can't listen well, think clearly, or respond wisely. You can only react, and reactions when flooded are almost always destructive.

Learning to recognize flooding and respond appropriately is essential for healthy relationships and decision-making.

Signs You're Flooded

• Heart racing, chest tightening, face flushing
• Unable to think of what to say or saying things you don't mean
• Feeling attacked and needing to defend or counterattack
• Wanting to escape the situation immediately
• Repeating the same thing over and over
• Feeling like you're about to explode or shut down completely

When you're flooded, the smartest thing you can do is nothing. Stop talking. Take a break. Let your nervous system calm down. Nothing productive happens when your brain is hijacked by emotion.

Responding to Flooding

Recognize it: Know your body's signals that flooding is coming.

Call a break: "I need 20 minutes to calm down before we continue."

Actually calm down: Don't ruminate. Do something that helps you regulate.

Return when ready: Come back to the conversation when you can think clearly.

Learn your triggers: What situations tend to flood you?

Your Action Steps

This week: Pay attention to your body's flooding signals.

This month: Practice taking a break before you say something you'll regret.

This quarter: Identify patterns in what triggers flooding for you.