The Recalibration

#215 Why You Feel On Edge All the Time

Julie Holly Season 3 Episode 215

High performer burnout doesn’t just drain energy — it rewires your nervous system. This episode uncovers why you stay “on edge” even when life looks stable, and how to recalibrate your baseline so your body finally feels safe enough to rest.

Why do high performers stay on edge even when nothing is wrong? Why does your body brace, your mind scan, and your system hum long after the pressure is gone? Today we unravel the neuroscience behind that constant inner tension — the allostatic load, the dysregulated baseline, and the learned patterns that keep your nervous system stuck in alert mode.

If you’ve ever wondered why success still feels exhausting, why rest feels unsafe, or why your body is always “two steps ahead” of your actual life, this episode will meet you with truth and relief. Drawing on psychology, neuroscience, and the root-level work of Identity-Level Recalibration (ILR) — not another mindset tactic, but the recalibration that makes every other tool effective — we name what your body has been carrying for years.

We explore how allostatic load builds over time, why the nervous system remembers pressure long after the moment has passed, and how elite performers like LeBron James retrain their baseline state to expand longevity, clarity, and capacity.

You’ll learn:

  • why your body feels “on edge” even in calm environments
  • how allostatic load + hyper-vigilance shape your emotional baseline
  • why traditional burnout recovery tools don’t work if your body still registers threat
  • how to sense micro-shifts in your baseline before overwhelm hits
  • the identity-level fear beneath your vigilance: “Who am I if I’m not bracing?”
  • why healing doesn’t weaken your drive — it strengthens it

Whether you’re navigating burnout recovery, decision fatigue, identity drift, role confusion, or spiritual exhaustion, this episode helps you understand what’s happening internally so you can finally exhale.

Micro Recalibration:
 Ask: “What signals tell me my baseline is rising — and what does safety feel like in my body right now?”
Invite your team to reflect: “How can we create rhythms that lower our collective baseline?”

If this episode gave you language you’ve been missing, please rate and review the show so more high-capacity humans can find it.

Explore Identity-Level Recalibration
Join the next Friday Recalibration Live experience

Follow Julie Holly on LinkedIn for more recalibration insights

Schedule a conversation with Julie to see if The Recalibration is a fit for you

Download the Misalignment Audit

Subscribe to the weekly newsletter

Books to read (Tidy categories on Amazon- I've read/listened to each recommended title.)

One link to all things

This isn’t therapy. This isn’t coaching. This is identity recalibration — and it changes everything.