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Window of Tolerance



It is normal to have a smaller window of tolerance during stressful times. The idea of the "window of tolerance" was developed by Dan Siegel, a clinical professor of psychiatry. When someone is inside their window of tolerance, they are in their best state and can function and flourish in events that day. When you are in this window, you feel as if you can deal with whatever is happening in your life. You might feel stress or pressure, but it does not bother you too much or to the point where you crumble. As an example, here you can be alert but not overly anxious. When we are pushed out of our window of tolerance, there are two states of arousal you can be pushed into: a mix or somewhere in between. There is no set definition of what someone might be feeling. The Window of Tolerance is not black and white because feelings and emotions are not black and white, there are lots of grays in between. 

Hyperarousal Zone: When in this zone, you might feel anxious, angry, out of control, and overstimulated. Your body wants to fight or run away. It is not something you chose, these reactions just take over.

Hypoarousal Zone: When someone is in their hypoarousal zone, they can be spacy, zoned out, numb, and frozen. In this state, your body wants to shut down and not do anything. Again, this is not something you chose, these reactions just take over.

I imagine the Window of Tolerance as a container for my tolerance. It is all about what stressors I can handle at that moment. Things might build on top of each other and push you out of your window into a hyperarousal or hypoarousal zone. It is good to recognize and check in with yourself so you can communicate your needs and what is happening. The window can help increase your awareness, which can make over activating situations less distressing. Trauma and stress can shrink your window of tolerance, and it doesn’t take much to throw you off balance. However, by working with different skills, you can expand your window so you are able to cope with more challenges. Being thrown out of your window does not make you weak or inferior to others. It happens to all of us, and I believe recognizing that you are outside of the window is something that shows how strong a person is.

 

 

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