Let me tell y'all something, life be lifing.

I mean it, between bills, relationships, generational trauma, work stress, parenting,

and trying to heal while making sure your hair is done and dinner is on the stove,

life can feel like a full contact sport.

And sometimes, it's just too much.

That too much feeling, that might be a sign that you've stepped outside your window of tolerance.

Welcome back to savvy psychologist.

I'm your host, Dr. Monica Johnson.

Every week on this show, I'll help you face life's challenges

with evidence-based approaches, a sympathetic ear, and zero judgment.

The window of tolerance is one of those psychological concepts.

I wish every single one of us learned in school.

It's like the emotional version of understanding

your blood pressure or your body temperature, foundational and vital. It gives us language for our

capacity to stay grounded and connected when life turns up the heat. When you're in your window

of tolerance, you're present, engaged, and thinking clearly, even under pressure. When you're in your window of tolerance, you're present, engaged, and thinking clearly, even under pressure.

When you're outside of it, you might be anxious, irritable, frozen, or completely numb.

Originally developed by Dr. Dan Siegel, the window of tolerance describes the zone where your nervous system functions best.

Within this zone, you can handle stress, process information, and respond, not react to life's curveballs.

You're not emotionless, but you're emotionally regulated.

When you get knocked outside of that window, though,

you might land in hyperarousal, the fight or flight zone where anxiety, panic, anger, and

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