Understanding Nervous System Shutdown Through the Lens of Immigrant and Refugee Stories
Often times in immigrant and refugee communities, survival is embedded into our language and environment. Sometimes it looks like the absence of a parent in our home growing up in order to meet financial needs. Other times, it’s the strict adherence to expectations reinforced around work ethic and success from a young age. When we’re repeatedly asked to push past signals of needed rest, our nervous system learns to adapt. What we don’t always realize however, is the immense toll this can take on our bodies.
What does Nervous system shutdown look like?
Shutdown may look different for each of us, but here are some common signs your nervous system may be asking for care:
Feeling numb or emotionally flat — Moving through life on autopilot, as if the feelings have gone quiet.
Exhaustion that doesn’t ease — Waking up tired, no matter how much you sleep.
Difficulty with decision-making — Even small choices feel impossible to make.
Withdrawing from others — Pulling away from family, friends, or community gatherings.
Loss of motivation — Things that once felt meaningful now feel heavy or far away.
Body heaviness or weakness — Sluggish digestion, dizziness, or frequent illness.
Foggy mind and focus — Trouble concentrating or remembering details.
Disconnection from cultural joy — Food, music, or rituals that once felt fulfilling now feel out of reach.
Freeze or dissociation — Feeling like you are outside of your body, or not fully present in your own life.
Hopelessness — A quiet sense that nothing will change, no matter how hard you try.
An Intergenerational Lens on survival
Shutdown doesn’t just happen in isolation. It is shaped by our histories, our families, and our communities.
For first-generation immigrants and refugees, shutdown often arises after years of carrying the stress of rebuilding, working tirelessly, and sacrificing personal well-being for the sake of loved ones.
For second-generation children of immigrants, shutdown may show up as inherited patterns. Many of us grew up watching parents and elders push through exhaustion, silence their needs, and keep going at all costs. Without realizing it, we may have internalized the same belief: that rest is unsafe, or that slowing down is failure.
What once protected our families in the face of upheaval may now live in our bodies as burnout, over-responsibility, or guilt when we try to care for ourselves.
Pathways Back to Ourselves
Shutdown is not permanent. With gentleness and support, the nervous system can slowly begin to thaw and return to balance. Healing starts with noticing, without judgment, that your body is trying to protect you.
Some pathways that can help include:
Grounding in small ways — Feeling your feet on the floor, taking a slow breath, holding an object that connects you to your culture or ancestry.
Honoring rest — Letting yourself nap, slow down, or take quiet moments. Rest is part of survival.
Reconnecting gently — Reaching out to one trusted friend, attending a small gathering, or practicing a familiar ritual.
Naming what you’ve inherited — Acknowledging the survival strategies passed down in your family, and giving yourself permission to choose differently.
Seeking supportive care — Spaces that are trauma-informed, somatic, and culturally affirming can help your body and spirit feel safe enough to come back to life.
A Gentle Reminder
If you see yourself in these signs, pause. Take a slow, steady breath. Your body is wise, and it has learnt how to persist and protect you in the ways it knows how.
When we listen in with compassion, we not only support our own healing within ourselves — we also soften the patterns of survival that have transcended through generations. This creates the possibility of new legacies: of rest, of safety, of joy.
As members of immigrant and refugee communities, we carry not only our own stress but also intergenerational burdens, systemic oppression, and survival strategies handed down through our ancestors.
At Nourished Wellness Group, we walk alongside you with practices rooted in mindfulness, somatic awareness, and cultural care. You don’t have to move through shutdown alone.
About me:
Hi! I’m Stephanie Shao (she/her), Licensed Clinical Social Worker here at Nourished Wellness Group (CA 127453). I am a 2nd-generation Buddhist Asian American millennial woman.
My specialities include trauma processing, intergenerational trauma, cultural and immigrant identities, family dynamics, and relationship dynamics. I enjoy integrating somatic, internal family systems, and psychodynamic modalities in therapy. My work is also shaped by Buddhist values of compassion, loving-kindness, and mindful awareness.
If you are looking for individual counseling, please reach out here. Would love to chat more about your individual needs and to explore if we’d be a good fit!
