The Hidden Cost of Change: Understanding Nervous System Stress During Organisational Transitions


 The Hidden Cost of Change: Understanding Nervous System Stress During Organisational Transitions

Why It Feels So Hard--and How to Protect Your Inner Ground

Let’s be honest: when your organisation announces a merger or acquisition, the room doesn’t erupt in cheers. It goes quiet. You feel it before you even understand it. A gut-punch. A tightening in your chest. A thousand invisible “what-ifs” clattering inside your mind. You might smile or nod while the news is delivered, but your nervous system has already clocked it as a threat.

And that’s not drama--that’s biology

Why Change Feels Like Danger ­­­­

Our nervous system is designed to keep us safe. It constantly scans for cues: Is this environment safe? Do I belong? Am I secure? When big changes hit, especially ones we didn’t initiate, it triggers our body’s age-old survival system.

Takeovers, mergers, and acquisitions are full of unknowns. Will your job still exist? Will your team change? Will your role be respected in the new structure? Uncertainty is the nervous system’s worst nightmare. It can’t plan. It can’t predict. So, it does what it knows: it reacts.

You might notice:

  • Brain fog or trouble concentrating
  • Heightened anxiety or emotional swings
  • Fatigue, even after a full night’s sleep
  • A creeping sense of disconnection
  • Feeling “on edge”, vigilant, or numb

All of this is your body whispering (or shouting), “I don’t feel safe.”

The Polyvagal Lens: Understanding the Response

From a polyvagal perspective, here’s what might be happening:

  • You start in ventral vagal: regulated, calm, connected.
  • The news hits, and suddenly you drop into sympathetic: fight or flight--anxious, restless, agitated.
  • If the stress continues, you may fall into dorsal vagal: shutdown, withdrawal, or hopelessness.

This isn’t weakness. It’s wiring.

And in systems like healthcare, social care, and other people-focused professions, we often stay composed on the outside--while our internal regulation slowly unravels.

Workplace Trauma Is Real--And Often Unseen

Change, when it’s fast and poorly communicated, can feel traumatic. Not just “stressful” - traumatic.

Why? Because trauma isn’t about the event; it’s about how overwhelmed your system feels in the face of it. And if your work identity, your routine, your relationships, and your sense of purpose are suddenly up for grabs, your nervous system doesn’t just feel unsettled--it feels threatened.

So, What Can You Do?

You can’t control corporate decisions. But you can support your nervous system through the storm. Start here:

  1. Name It to Tame It
    Say out loud (or journal): “My nervous system is reacting to this change. That’s normal.” Giving language to your state can reduce its intensity.
  2. Prioritise Micro-Moments of Safety
    Sip something warm. Stand in the sun. Connect with a trusted colleague. Ground your body. Small cues of safety help restore regulation.
  3. Set Boundaries with Uncertainty
    Limit overexposure to office gossip, endless speculation, or doom-scrolling on LinkedIn. You don’t need more adrenaline--you need anchors.
  4. Reclaim a Sense of Control
    Even small decisions--like tidying your workspace, setting a meeting agenda, or sticking to your lunch break--can remind your body that you still hold power.
  5. Ask for Trauma-Informed Leadership
    If you’re in a position of influence, advocate for clear, compassionate communication. Psychological safety isn’t a buzzword--it’s a biological need.

Final Thoughts: You’re Not Broken, You’re Brave

If this season feels heavy, that’s because it is. Organisational transitions affect real humans, with real nervous systems, histories, and hopes.

So, if you’re feeling scattered, anxious, numb or overwhelmed--it’s not a personal failing. It’s a sign that your body is working hard to protect you in the face of uncertainty.

This isn’t just about resilience. It’s about regulation. Because regulated people make clearer decisions, communicate with more care, and come through change without losing themselves in the process.

You don’t have to tough it out. You’re allowed to tend to your nervous system, even when the world around you is shifting.

And if you need a moment to ground, breathe, or weep between Teams calls--that’s not weakness.

That’s wisdom. 

If it's any consolation, the people working for the company leading the merger or acquisition will be going through the same 😌

With love and regulation

Caron💜

 

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