Millennial's Theory on Why the Modern World Is So Stressful Goes Viral

Newsweek

17 hours ago

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With more people experiencing chronic stress-related health issues, one woman believes she has identified the root cause—and thousands are listening.
Brittany Piper, a 36-year-old Somatic Experiencing® practitioner and author of Body-First Healing, has sparked widespread discussion online with her viral video dissecting why our lives today seem to be overwhelming the human nervous system. Posted on March 6, the video has more than 483,000 views and over 45,000 likes, resonating with viewers who say her theory helps explain their daily experiences of anxiety and burnout.
"It is my personal and professional belief that the drastic rise we are seeing in chronic physical and mental illness can be attributed to this one thing," Piper said in the TikTok video, shared under @healwithbritt. "Basically, we have created a world that our nervous system no longer wants to live in."
Speaking with Newsweek, Piper expanded on her message, saying the modern world simply is not built to accommodate the needs of the human nervous system.
"Chronic survival states like fight, flight, shutdown, functional freeze and fawn are being activated—not just by traumatic events, but by the constant pressure, pace, and disconnection of our everyday lives," Piper said.
Piper compared the nervous system to a security system, operating constantly in the background to assess for danger.
She said that, when this system detects threat—real or perceived—it activates states like fight, flight, freeze, shutdown, or fawn. Repeated exposure to such stress, Piper added, can leave people stuck in these survival modes, with detrimental effects.
"This further heightens the adrenalin and cortisol in your body, which then wreaks even more havoc on your mental and physical health," she told viewers.
The stressors of the modern world, according to Piper, include political polarization; endless streams of catastrophic news on social media; workplace demands; environmental toxins; and widespread emotional suppression. The combination, she said, overwhelms the body's natural coping mechanisms, causing many of the chronic symptoms people experience today.
From left: Brittany Piper speaks in a TikTok video; and speaks on stage at an event.
From left: Brittany Piper speaks in a TikTok video; and speaks on stage at an event.
@healwithbritt
Piper is an international speaker with a combined following of over 600,000 across TikTok and Instagram. Her social-media content focuses on nervous system healing and somatic trauma work, emphasizing how people can support their health not by "fixing" themselves, but by listening to the body's signals.
The popularity of her videos—and the hundreds of comments echoing their messages—suggests her theory has struck a chord with many.
Viewers have shared their own experiences with chronic anxiety, fatigue, and illness, some expressing relief at finally hearing an explanation that connects the dots surrounding their symptoms and broader societal conditions.
Piper described her post as a call to reevaluate how we interpret these debilitating conditions.
"Many of the symptoms we face today at alarming rates—anxiety, fatigue, illness, pain—are not random symptoms, but the body's intelligent responses to overwhelm," Piper said. "Healing, then, begins with slowing down, coming back to the body, and learning to support the nervous system in releasing survival energy it was never able to complete."
As an entry point for those unfamiliar with nervous system regulation, Piper recommends simple practices such as grounding through physical sensation.
"Try feeling your feet on the floor, noticing your breath without changing it, or tuning into what feels good enough in your environment," Piper said. These actions, she added, can create an internal sense of safety that forms the foundation for deeper healing.
Piper also cautioned against the cultural push toward hyperproductivity as a healing strategy.
"Healing is less about doing more, and more about doing less, with more attunement," Piper added.
Her approach to stress and trauma aligns with a growing body of work in the somatic therapy field, which focuses on how the body stores and processes stress. But Piper's viral reach has taken that message to a wider audience.
The momentum around her videos reflects a broader shift in public dialogue around mental health, trauma, and somatic wellness. As more people look for explanations—and solutions—for why they feel so overwhelmed in their daily lives, Piper's message appears to offer both validation and a starting point for recovery.
She added: "Once more capacity is built, deeper somatic work can unfold—like tracking subtle shifts in sensation, working with relational triggers, or titrating stored trauma with a practitioner."
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