Collapsed and Withdrawn, The Need to Conserve

Sometimes your system does not choose fight, it does not choose flight, it does not choose pleasing. It chooses conservation. Collapsed and withdrawn is what it can look like when life has demanded too much for too long, and your body decides it is safer to power down than to keep pushing.

You might feel low energy, slowed down, blank, heavy, or distant. Motivation can disappear. Simple tasks can feel impossible. This is not laziness, and it is not weakness. It is protection. The goal here is not to force yourself back to full speed, it is to offer the system small signals that it is safe to return.

Let us begin gently. Notice one point of contact, your feet on the floor, your back against the chair, or the weight of your hands. If you can, take one slow breath in, then a longer breath out. That is enough for now. Tiny steps count.