5 Signs You’re Emotionally Flooded and How God Brings Calm

Emotional flooding takes over your body. When you perceive a threat (whether it’s a critique from a boss or a disagreement with a spouse), your brain’s hypothalamus sets off an alarm system in your body. Through a combination of nerve and hormonal signals, this system prompts your adrenal glands to release a surge of hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. Then you feel your heart racing, and your breathing becomes shallow because your lungs are trying to take in as much oxygen as possible for your muscles. While on high alert, you might feel shaky or notice your shoulders and jaw tensing. The problem is that while this response is lifesaving in a physical emergency, in non-emergency situations, it prevents you from processing complex information.

God designed your body with a braking system (called the parasympathetic nervous system) to help you calm down. You can activate this system by being still and paying attention to your breathing. In Psalm 42:5, the psalmist talks to his own soul: “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” God speaks in Psalm 46:10, saying: “Be still, and know that I am God…”. When you feel your body go into high alert, try connecting with God through your breathing. Inhale for a count of 4, exhale for a count of 4, etc., while saying a silent prayer asking God to send you peace. By calming your body, you clear the way to be able to receive God’s peace. 

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When you’re emotionally flooded, your prefrontal cortex (the part of your brain responsible for logic, empathy, and long-term planning) effectively shuts down. You’re left with the limbic system, which sees the world in black and white. So, in the heat of the moment, a minor annoyance can feel like a huge challenge. You lose perspective on the situation you’re facing. As a result, you can start to think that your current problem can’t be solved and that the people you’re talking to are trying to hurt you rather than trying to work things out with you. But God can restore your perspective. If you pray for God’s help, God’s Spirit will lift your focus beyond your immediate circumstances to God’s presence with you in the middle of them.

Psalm 121:1-2 points out: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” When you feel your perspective narrowing, God calls you to look up. Remind yourself that God is right there with you, ready to help you. So, connect with God through prayer. It can also be helpful to pray for the people you’re frustrated with. It’s hard to stay emotionally flooded and resentful of people while sincerely asking God to bless them. God will bring calm by allowing you to see the situation through the lens of his grace. 

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Emotional flooding usually results in one of two behaviors, known as the fight-or-flight response. The fight response shows up as lashing out, such as by using sarcasm, raising your voice, or using angry words to hurt the other person before they can hurt you. The flight response involves emotionally withdrawing from the situation to try to protect yourself from being hurt. You might stare at a wall, give someone the silent treatment, or physically leave the room. Both responses are survival mechanisms meant to stop the perceived attack, but neither the fight response nor the flight response is wise, from God’s perspective.

Lashing out violates God’s call to “let your conversation be always full of grace” (Colossians 4:6), and shutting down violates God’s call to “confess your sins to each other and pray for each other” (James 5:16). God gives you a better option – self-control from His Holy Spirit empowering you. Proverbs 25:28 warns: “Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.”

When the urge to lash out or shut down hits you, you can ask God to help you take a well-being pause. You don't have to follow your impulses. You can tell the people around you that you’re feeling emotionally flooded right now, and you need a short break to pray and calm down before you can continue the conversation. During that break, God will meet you and help you, so that when you return, you can do so in a calm state of mind. 

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Have you ever tried to solve a problem while crying or shaking, only to find that you can’t even remember simple facts? Emotional flooding diverts blood flow away from the parts of your brain you use for memory and creative problem-solving. This creates a state of mind known as brain fog, where you feel confused and stuck. When you’re dealing with brain fog, you can ruminate on the same thoughts over and over. You may replay a conversation, a mistake, or a worry in your mind, hoping that if you think about it one more time, you’ll find a solution. But you won’t, because the thinking part of your brain is currently offline.

Ruminating only increases your stress, creating an unhealthy cycle that just overwhelms you more. God will help you break that mental cycle by renewing your mind through His Holy Spirit. When brain fog sets in, God invites you to stop trying to think your way out and start trusting your way out.

Romans 12:2 encourages you: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Instead of ruminating on the problem, ruminate on a Bible verse that gives you confidence. Reciting something as simple as “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1) gives your mind something positive to return to. In the process, the Holy Spirit will take the burden of figuring it all out off you and give you the discernment you need to just take the next faithful step. 

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Emotional flooding can also leave you temporarily feeling hopeless. After your body has been under stress for a while, it eventually runs out of energy. This can suddenly drop your mood, even to the point of feeling despair. Even though this feeling of hopelessness is just a physical feeling that follows an adrenaline high, it may trigger a spiritual warfare attack designed to cause you to doubt whether or not God really loves you. The truth is that God always loves you, no matter what, and is always with you. You only feel distant from God because emotional flooding has exhausted the energy you need to focus on God’s constant presence.

In 1 Kings 19, the prophet Elijah is emotionally flooded and exhausted. He sits under a tree and prays to die. In response, God doesn’t lecture him or tell him to have more faith. God gives Elijah what he needs to recover fully from emotional flooding: food, water, and sleep. God will help you recover, as well, by giving you whatever you need when you trust him to do so. Psalm 34:18 promises: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” So, when you feel hopeless, remember that God loves you completely and unconditionally, and God will always be there for you.

In conclusion, emotional flooding is a heavy burden, but it’s not one you have to carry alone. Your biological response to stress is a signal that you need to slow down, reconnect with your Creator, and allow his peace to wash over you. So, take a breath, say a prayer for help, and trust God to send you his peace.

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