We’re told to push through.

Push through the tiredness.
The headache.
The short fuse.
The gut feeling that something’s off.

We reward it. Celebrate it. Build entire identities around being the one who never quits. And for a while, it works. You get things done. You check the boxes. You hold it all together.

But at what cost?

"My nervous system is fried." "I’m just so dysregulated." "My nerves are shot."

These phrases are everywhere right now—and while it’s good that nervous system language is becoming more mainstream, most people still don’t really know what they’re talking about.

Let’s clear it up.