The Slump: What’s Really Going On When You Just Feel Off!
We all know that weird in-between state. You’re not exactly depressed, but you’re not thriving either. You’re just… meh. Unmotivated, low-energy, vaguely irritated by everything from your to-do list to your toothbrush. Your body feels heavy, your brain feels foggy, and even making a decision about lunch feels like a big ask.
I’ve been there more times than I care to admit. As someone who normally runs on full steam (read: borderline maniac pace), I used to think these slumps were just part of the hustle. One minute I’m on fire, leading breathwork classes, building businesses, having existential breakthroughs. The next minute, I’m horizontal on the sofa wondering if cereal counts as a proper dinner.
At first, I chalked it up to ADHD. And sure, my brain is a bit like a browser with 47 tabs open, one of them playing music I can’t find. But ADHD is also my superpower. When I love what I do (which I really, really do), I can stay in flow for hours. So when I crash out despite loving my work, I’ve learned it’s not just about attention. It’s my nervous system tapping out, waving a little white flag.
And that’s the moment I know: it’s time to stop pushing and start listening.
It’s Not Just in Your Head
That heavy, unmotivated feeling isn’t a personal failure or a sign that you’re broken. It’s your body trying to get your attention.
When your nervous system starts sending out distress signals; like fatigue, fogginess, low mood, and a complete lack of motivation, it’s not being dramatic. It’s being smart. It’s trying to down-regulate your output before things tip into full-blown burnout.
In other words, the slump is a signal. Not the problem itself, but the yellow light before the red one.
This internal misalignment between your brain chemistry, emotional state, and nervous system is subtle at first. But left unchecked, it can spiral into more serious issues like anxiety, chronic fatigue, or disconnection from the things you usually care about.
The good news? That early slump is also your window of opportunity. It’s your cue to slow down, recalibrate, and start working with your body instead of against it.
1. Nervous System Fatigue
Even if you’re not in a full-blown fight-or-flight response, modern life keeps you hovering in a constant low-level stress state. It’s like having one foot on the accelerator and the other on the brake, day after day.
Between notifications, never-ending to-do lists, emotional load, and that background pressure to be “on” all the time, your sympathetic nervous system stays just activated enough to keep cortisol trickling through your system. Not enough to cause a meltdown, but just enough to slowly fry your circuits.
This chronic activation leads to what’s known as allostatic load… the wear and tear on your body from constantly having to adapt to stress. You might not feel panicked, but the strain is cumulative. Over time, low-grade cortisol output begins to dysregulate multiple systems in the body.
The results?
Poor sleep and disrupted circadian rhythms
Low resilience to even minor stressors
Foggy thinking and trouble focusing
Physical exhaustion that rest doesn’t fix
Your system is doing its best to stay prepared and alert, but without proper recovery, it’s like leaving your phone on 10% battery and wondering why apps keep crashing. Eventually, the nervous system gets depleted, not because of dramatic trauma, but from the quiet, constant demand to cope.
And when your body’s “survival mode” becomes your new normal, the slump is your body’s way of pulling the emergency brake..
2. Dopamine Depletion
Dopamine is the brain’s motivation molecule. It’s what drives you to get up, get going, and get things done. But in a world designed for maximum stimulation, endless scrolling, constant notifications, quick wins, and sugar hits, your dopamine system is getting hijacked.
Every little “ping” gives your brain a mini dopamine surge. But just like any high, what goes up must come down. And over time, your receptors start to dull. What used to feel exciting like starting a project, going for a walk, cooking a nice meal, now feels… flat.
This is known as dopamine desensitisation, and it’s one of the quiet culprits behind the slump.
You might notice:
A lack of motivation, even for things you used to enjoy
Struggling to start tasks, even simple ones
A general sense of boredom or numbness
Mindlessly seeking stimulation (scrolling, snacking, online shopping) just to feel something
You’re not lazy. Your dopamine system is just fried from overuse. It’s like a sponge that’s been wrung out too many times without being replenished. It needs time, space, and intentional reset.
And ironically, the things that actually help are movement, breathwork, nature, rest… are the very things your brain resists when dopamine is low. That’s why understanding the mechanics matters: so you can meet your system with compassion, not criticism.
3. No Parasympathetic Reset
The parasympathetic nervous system is your body’s “rest and digest” mode. It’s the calm counterbalance to your stress response, designed to help your body repair, reset, and replenish. It’s where real recovery happens.
But here’s the problem: most people rarely activate it.
Between work stress, constant notifications, emotional pressures, and always being “on,” your nervous system doesn’t get the signal that it’s safe to relax. So even when you’re asleep, your body may still be running in a mild stress mode.
Without proper parasympathetic activation, your body struggles to:
Digest food properly (hello bloating and indigestion)
Repair tissues and reset hormonal function
Process and release emotional tension
Enter the deep, healing phases of sleep
It’s like living in a house where the lights are always on, the fridge is humming, and nothing ever powers down. Over time, this drains your physical and emotional reserves.
You might think you’re getting rest, but if your nervous system doesn’t feel safe, it’s not actually switching gears.
This chronic imbalance keeps you stuck in a state of wired fatigue: exhausted, but unable to relax. And because it feels so normal, you don’t even realise your body has forgotten how to truly rest.
Oh course, breathwork is one of the most effective ways to tap back into this rest state—more on that in a moment.
4. Unprocessed Emotion
When you’re constantly in “go mode,” your nervous system prioritises survival over processing. That means emotions (especially uncomfortable ones) get shoved to the side. You tell yourself “I’m fine,” you crack a joke, you get on with the day. But the body doesn’t forget.
That sadness you brushed off, the frustration you swallowed, the disappointment you minimised, it all goes somewhere. And that somewhere is usually into the tissues of your body.
Because when you don’t have the time, space, or safety to feel an emotion fully, it doesn’t just disappear. It gets stored as somatic tension.
It can manifest as:
Tightness in your jaw, neck, or shoulders
Digestive issues, like bloating or nausea
Low-grade headaches or chronic pain
A sense of heaviness or inertia that has no obvious cause
This is your body saying: “We’ve got stuff to process, but you haven’t given us the chance.”
And over time, this backlog of emotional residue contributes to that familiar slump feeling; foggy, flat, irritable, disconnected.
Emotions are physical events, not just thoughts. They trigger chemical cascades in the body. And when those chemicals aren’t metabolised through movement, breath, or emotional release, they linger, impacting everything from your posture to your hormones to your energy levels.
You may not even realise how much emotional weight you’re carrying until you let it go.
That’s why practices that don’t rely on words can be so powerful. They allow the body to do the processing, even when the mind is unsure of what’s wrong.
5. Poor Breathing = Poor Mood
Of course, it wouldn’t be a breathwork blog without talking about… breathing.
The way you breathe directly shapes the way you feel. And for most of us, modern life has rewired us to breathe in the worst possible way: shallow, fast, and barely moving the diaphragm.
When you’re stressed, you unconsciously shift into high-chest breathing. It’s a leftover survival mechanism—quick, shallow breaths that prepare the body to fight or flee. But when that becomes your default breathing pattern (thanks to stress, posture, and screens), it tricks your nervous system into staying on high alert… even when you’re safe.
Slouched posture at your desk? Tells your brain something’s wrong.
Rapid, shallow breathing? Signals danger, not rest.
The result?
Less oxygen to the brain and body, which leads to fatigue and poor focus
Carbon dioxide imbalance, which can increase anxiety and physical tension
Disrupted vagus nerve function, which affects digestion, mood, and immunity
Reduced access to the parasympathetic nervous system, making true rest nearly impossible
This creates a self-perpetuating loop:
You feel low, so you breathe shallow… shallow breathing increases stress signals… stress makes you feel lower… and so it continues.
Over time, this dysregulated breath pattern becomes wired into your system. It’s no longer just a response to stress—it creates stress.
But here’s the good news: unlike some emotional patterns that take months to shift, breath can change things in minutes. Literally.
Conscious connected breathing begins to reset this loop. It slows the breath, engages the diaphragm, and stimulates the vagus nerve, signalling to the body: “You’re safe. You can rest. You’re okay.”
And when your body believes that, everything else starts to follow.The Way Out Is Through Your Body
The Way Out Is Through Your Body
Here’s where breathwork comes in.
Even just 10 minutes a day of conscious, connected breathing can begin to reverse everything we’ve talked about above. This isn’t spiritual fluff or wishful thinking. It’s physiology.
When you breathe intentionally, you:
Rebalance your nervous system, shifting from stress to safety
Boost dopamine naturally, improving motivation and emotional tone
Activate the parasympathetic state, allowing digestion, healing, and true rest
Release stored emotional energy, even if you can’t name it or explain it
And the best part?
You don’t need to talk about it. You don’t need to analyse it. You don’t need to have the perfect insight. Your body already knows how to heal—it just needs the space.
Breathwork bypasses the overthinking, the guilt, the “why am I like this?” spiral. It meets you exactly where you are, with no judgment and no story required.
Because sometimes, it’s not about doing more. It’s about doing less.
It’s about pausing long enough for your body to catch up with your life. To let it rest. To let it reset.
So if you’re feeling stuck, heavy, unmotivated, or just off—try this:
Don’t push harder.
Don’t beat yourself up.
Just breathe.
Let your system come back online. You might be surprised how quickly it remembers the way.