http://www.flourishchiropractic.ca/

Flourish Chiropractic Studio with Dr. Biljana, 759 Pape Avenue Suite 200, Toronto, ON (2025)

12/12/2025

POTS can feel like your body is constantly in fight-or-flight mode, with symptoms that leave you confused and drained. What if those signals are pointing to something deeper, overlooked by traditional approaches?

The thing is? It's exhausting.

You stand up and suddenly your heart's racing at 120+ bpm. 💓

Dizzy. Foggy. Like someone turned your internal volume to max and forgot how to dial it back down.

Here's what I see in my office when someone comes in with POTS symptoms...

Their nervous system is stuck. Like a car revving in park. All that energy going nowhere, just burning them out from the inside.

And here's the interesting part: your neck? It's basically nervous system headquarters. 🧠

The vagus nerve runs right through there. When there's tension or misalignment in your cervical spine, it's like trying to have a phone conversation with static on the line. Messages get garbled. Your body thinks it's in danger even when you're just sitting on the couch.

So it stays in that sympathetic "go go go" state.

Which is where low-force chiropractic comes in. We're working with your body to help it find its way back to baseline. Gentle adjustments that support your nervous system in downshifting from constant alert mode. 🌿

Because you don't need fixing. You need support finding safety again.

Your body already knows how to heal. Sometimes it just needs a little help remembering. 💚

Have you experienced this kind of nervous system overwhelm? Drop a 💚 if this resonates.

12/11/2025

Ever feel like your body is constantly on high alert, even when you're trying to relax? That's often your nervous system stuck in 'fight-or-flight' mode. It's tough to thrive when you're always running on fumes.

I see this all the time.

Someone walks in frazzled. Like, frazzled, frazzled, F-R-A-Z-Z-L-E-D. They're doing all the "right" things... yoga, meditation, drinking the green smoothies. But their shoulders? Still up by their ears. And their mind? Racing like it's got somewhere urgent to be.

Here's what's happening:

Your nervous system has this built-in safety scanner running 24/7 in the background. It's called neuroception (fancy word, I know). But really, it's just your body quietly asking one question all day long: Am I safe right now?

And when that scanner gets stuck on "DANGER"... no amount of positive thinking is gonna convince your muscles to chill out. You literally can't think your way out of it.

In my office, there's no popping or manual adjusting.
Instead, I use super gentle, low-force contacts through something called Network Spinal. What I'm doing is sending a signal to that internal scanner that says: Hey. You're safe. You can rest now.

➜ Safety
➜ Ease
➜ Permission to finally let go

When your nervous system gets that message? The shift can be pretty profound. Like watching someone take their first real breath of the day... even though it's 3pm.

You're not broken.
You might just be stuck in a stress loop that needs a little support to unwind.

If your "off switch" feels a little rusty these days, drop a 💚 below. And comment "EXHALE" if you're ready to finally take that deep breath.

12/10/2025

It sounds surprising, but often, the spot that hurts isn't the root cause. I think of pain as a smoke alarm, alerting us to something deeper that needs attention.

When someone with chronic migraines walks into my office, I can see what's happening with her nervous system before she even speaks. Shoulders hiked up. Jaw clenched. That posture that screams "I'm bracing for something."

Here's what most people don't realize about stress.

We think of it as feeling busy or wired, right? But your body can't stay revved up in fight-or-flight mode forever... it's just too metabolically expensive. So eventually, it hits the emergency brake.

Freeze.

On the outside, you look calm. Maybe tired. Maybe a little numb. But underneath? The gas pedal is still floored while the brake is slammed down at the exact same time.

That's a lot of trapped energy with absolutely nowhere to go.

And eventually, it has to discharge somehow. For many women, that release shows up as a migraine.

A neurological storm that forces you to stop. Usually because you powered through all the gentler signals your body was sending years ago. The disrupted sleep. The neck tension. That constantly "frazzled" feeling you kept ignoring.

When you come into my office, I'm not trying to crack or pop anything to force those muscles to relax. That can actually feel invasive to a nervous system that's already in full defense mode.

Instead, I use Network Spinal care. Gentle contacts on specific points along your spine. No popping or cracking. Just helping your nervous system recognize where it's holding on too tight and giving it permission to let go.

We're supporting your system in realizing that maybe, just maybe, it's safe enough to take the foot off that brake. When your brain stops perceiving constant danger, the need for that protective pain response often just... falls away.

You're not broken.

Your body is doing an incredible job of protecting you. It just needs a little help remembering how to soften again.

So tell me... does your stress show up as wired, anxious energy? Or do you feel more like you're in that heavy freeze shutdown?

Comment below if this resonates 💚

12/09/2025

You're exhausted. Like, can't-keep-your-eyes-open-at-noon exhausted.

So you do what you're supposed to do. You book the appointment. Get the bloodwork. Wait for answers.

And then?

"Everything looks normal."

Normal.

Here's the thing though: you don't feel normal. You feel like you're running on fumes. You wake up tired after a full night's sleep. Your shoulders are already tight before you even get out of bed. And your heart? It starts racing over the smallest thing, like an email marked "urgent."

So what are those tests missing?

They're not measuring what's happening in your nervous system. And honestly, that's where the real story is.

After years of juggling everything (work deadlines, family stuff, aging parents, the mental load that never stops), your body shifts into this low-grade survival mode.

Think of it like your internal alarm system got stuck in the "on" position. You're always a little on edge. Always braced for the next thing.

And here's the kicker: when your nervous system is in that protective state, rest actually feels unsafe.

That's why you can't just "relax" when someone tells you to. Your body has forgotten how.

Most advice you'll hear? Do more.
→ Try this supplement
→ Fix your morning routine
→ Work out harder

But when you're already running on empty, piling on more tasks (even the "healthy" ones) just reinforces the message to your body: you're still not safe unless you're controlling everything.

So what actually helps?

Your body doesn't need to be pushed harder. It needs permission to stop pushing altogether.

In my office, I'm not adjusting bones or forcing anything into place. I'm working with your nervous system, helping it recognize: hey, you don't have to hold everything so tight right now.

That's when things start to shift. The breath gets deeper without you trying. Your shoulders drop. And eventually? You start sleeping like you haven't in years.

Your body's been shouting at you for a reason. Even if the labs say you're "fine," you know what you're feeling. And that matters. 💚

Anyone else been told "everything's normal" when you know something's off? I'd love to hear your story. 👇

12/08/2025

Your neck and shoulders aren't just stiff for 'no reason.' There's often a deeper, unseen story of stress or old patterns that your body quietly carries.

Ever try to "fix" your posture?

You tell yourself to sit up straight. Pull those shoulders back. Be more mindful about how you're sitting.

And then about two minutes later, you look down and you're hunched right back over.

Here's the thing: that's not a willpower problem.

When your nervous system is running on fumes (hello, deadlines and mental load and everything else), your body literally takes on a protective posture. Shoulders hiked up by your ears. Neck jutting forward like you're bracing for something.

I call it defense physiology.

Your brain is pulling you into that position because on some level, it feels safer than being open and relaxed. Which sounds weird until you realize your body has been keeping score of every stressor you've pushed through.

So when you try to force yourself into "perfect posture" while your nervous system is still in that frazzled state? It doesn't stick. Your brain just tugs you right back.

This is why I don't do the traditional popping and cracking in my practice.

I learned this the hard way through my own back injury years ago. When your system is already stressed, adding more force often just irritates things further.

Instead, the gentle approach I use gives your brain new information. Little cues that help your nervous system recognize it's safe enough to let go.

And when that happens?

The shoulders drop without you forcing them. Your breath gets deeper. The tension you've been carrying around starts to unwind on its own.

Because your body doesn't need to be forced into position. It needs to feel safe enough to get there naturally.

Where do you tend to hold your stress? Shoulders, neck, jaw, lower back? Comment below and let me know what your body's been trying to tell you lately.

12/05/2025

Your everyday stress affects your posture.

That constant "on" feeling? It's not just mental. It literally translates into how you hold your body—shoulders hiked up, jaw clenched, breath stuck somewhere around your collarbones.

I can tell where someone's nervous system is before they even sit down.

Their body is bracing. Like there's a lion in the room that never actually leaves.

Here's what's happening: your nervous system senses the deadlines, the mental load, the family chaos... and it does what it's designed to do. It protects you. It goes into what I call "surveillance mode"—shoulders up, muscles tight, ready for impact.

The problem? When stress is chronic, that system doesn't turn off. You're tired but wired. Your baseline becomes tension instead of rest.

There's this concept called the Window of Tolerance—basically, it's your capacity to handle life's stressors without completely losing it. When you've been running on adrenaline (and let's be honest, way too much coffee) for months or years, that window shrinks.

So the thing that wouldn't have bothered you last year? Now it knocks you sideways.

You're not getting weaker. Your nervous system is just exhausted from working overtime.

Now here's what people get wrong about nervous system regulation: they think it means being calm all the time. That you're gonna be some zen goddess who never stresses.

Nope.

Regulation means flexibility. You can handle stress when it shows up, and then actually come back down when it passes. You're not stuck in survival mode 24/7.

Getting there takes time though. I'm talking months, not a miracle session. But here's what I notice first: the breath changes. The spine softens. Sleep gets better (not perfect, but better). Pain becomes less frequent.

Your body can remember how to feel safe again. It just needs support and time. 💚

Quick check-in: Drop your shoulders right now. Unclench your jaw. Take a real breath—one that actually moves your ribs.

Where does your stress tend to show up? Shoulders? Neck? Low back? Drop a comment and let me know. I'm curious. 👇

12/02/2025

I'm switching things up a bit here!! Come follow me at https://www.facebook.com/biljana.durickovic

12/01/2025

Migraines aren't "just headaches."

Notice your shoulders right now. Are they hiked up, rounded forward? That bracing posture you're holding... your nervous system has been trying to tell you something through it for years.

When someone with chronic migraines walks into my office, I can see their nervous system state before they say a word.

That protective guarding. The shallow breath. The look of someone who's been on high alert for so long they forgot what calm even feels like.

Here's the thing about migraines most people miss.

They're not random misfires.

They're your body's last-resort way of finally discharging stress that's been building for years, sometimes decades, because the gentler signals got ignored.

Your system can't stay in fight-or-flight forever... too metabolically expensive. So it hits the emergency brake: freeze. You look calm on the outside, maybe even low energy or numb, but underneath the sympathetic charge is still there, trapped with nowhere to go.

Gas pedal says move. Brake says don't.

That trapped tension gets stored in your neck, jaw, scalp - all intimately connected to your vagus nerve and brainstem. Blood flow constricts, lymph drainage slows, nerve signaling changes. Over time, even normal input triggers migraines. Light, sound, hormonal shifts, posture changes.

Before the migraines? Your body sent gentler cues. Disrupted sleep. Waking unrested. Neck tension. Subtle headaches.

You brushed them aside. Powered through.

Because that's what life demanded, right?

Those were your body saying "I'm overwhelmed, something needs to change." The longer you pushed through, the louder the symptoms became... until your body forced you to stop.

In my practice I work with your nervous system directly using gentle contacts along your spine - no popping or cracking, just helping your system recognize where it's been holding defensive patterns so it can start releasing them.

What surprises people most? The migraines often aren't the first thing to shift. You might sleep better first, feel less on edge, have more energy. Your nervous system was exhausted from being on constant alert, now it's finally getting a chance to rest.

Pain was the last piece to arrive.

Often the last to leave.

Healing isn't another checkbox on your to-do list. It's your body, given safety and support, remembering how to regulate itself again.

Like this if it resonates. Comment if you've felt your body trying to tell you something for years before the migraines made you finally stop and listen.

11/28/2025

From 'ouch' to 'ahhh' in one gentle session.

I know what you're thinking.

Sounds like one of those too-good-to-be-true promises, right?

But here's what I actually mean when I say that.

Your first session isn't about me coming in and making everything better in 60 minutes. It's way more about creating the conditions for your nervous system to finally catch a break. And when that happens? The relief can be pretty immediate.

Most people walk into my office holding tension they've been carrying around for months. Sometimes years. Shoulders up around their ears, jaw clenched tight, whole body stuck in protection mode.

When you've been living like that for so long, even the idea of someone working on your spine can feel kind of overwhelming.

So we start by just talking.

I want to know where you're at. Not just the physical stuff, but what's actually happening in your life. Because your body doesn't exist in some vacuum separate from your stress, your overwhelm, all the things you're juggling every single day.

Then we get to the actual care.

I'm working with your nervous system using very light touch. No popping. No cracking. Nothing forceful. Just gentle contacts that basically give your body new information → hey, you're safe here, you can let go now.

And here's what surprises people every time.

When your nervous system feels safe enough to shift out of that defense mode, even just a little, your body responds right away. That knot between your shoulder blades? Usually not a "bad" muscle that needs to be fixed. It's your body trying to protect you from stress overload.

That pain in your low back? Often just compensation for living in fight-or-flight mode way too long.

When we support your nervous system to downregulate, your body gets to do what it's literally designed to do. Heal itself.

Some people walk out of that first session feeling lighter than they have in months. More grounded. Actually able to take a full breath without their chest feeling tight.

Others need a few visits before that shift really settles in. Everyone's different.

But almost everyone says some version of this: "I didn't know my body could feel this calm."

That moment when someone realizes their pain wasn't this permanent thing they'd have to just live with forever? That's exactly why I do this work.

I'm not over here claiming I can fix you. I'm just supporting your body so it can remember what safe actually feels like.

Ever had one of those moments where something in your body just... released? Where you could suddenly breathe deeper or move easier and you didn't even realize how tense you'd been holding yourself?

Drop a 💚 if you know that feeling. And if you've been curious about what a first visit actually looks like, feel free to reach out. I'm happy to chat.

11/27/2025

They thought it was "just" back pain.

Came into my office with the same story every time. Tried massage, tried physio, tried stretching. Nothing stuck.

Then I'd ask one simple question: "When does it get worse?"

And almost always? Same answer.

"When I'm stressed. When work gets crazy. When I'm overwhelmed."

Here's the thing... they already knew stress made it worse. But they were still treating them like separate issues. Pain over here, stress over there. Like their body wasn't experiencing both at the exact same time.

What I've seen after 20 years of doing this work in Toronto is that your nervous system doesn't split them up like that.

When you're running on stress for weeks, months, even years, your body actually takes on a defense posture. Not just mentally. Physically.

Your shoulders hike up toward your ears. Your neck pushes forward. Your spine holds onto tension you stopped noticing ages ago because it's just become your baseline.

And the pain?

That's your body's alarm system finally getting loud enough to make you pay attention to what's been building under the surface.

I'll have people lying on my table and I can barely see them breathe. Like their whole system is on pause. Then after a few gentle contacts using Network Spinal, something shifts. Their rib cage expands. Breath moves from the base of their spine all the way up through their neck.

I had one woman look up at me afterward with tears in her eyes and say, "I didn't even realize I'd been holding my breath for months."

She wasn't exaggerating.

That's what happens when tension gets stored so deep you can't consciously reach it anymore. It stays there until your nervous system finally feels safe enough to let it go.

The low-force approach I use with Network Spinal gives your brain new information about where that tension is hiding. And once your system becomes aware of it, it can start to release naturally. No forcing, no cracking, no aggravation.

And honestly? This is the part that gets me every time.

When people start working with their nervous system instead of just chasing symptoms around, I see more than their pain change. They start sleeping better. Making different decisions about how they spend their time. Saying no to things that used to feel like obligations.

Because here's the reality: your body and your life aren't living in separate worlds. The way you're living your life shows up in your spine, in your breathing, in the tension you carry.

Your body keeps score. The only question is whether you're paying attention to what it's trying to tell you.

So I'm curious... have you ever noticed your pain ramping up when your stress does?

💚 Like this if that connection feels familiar, and drop a comment if you've been dealing with pain that you suspect might be linked to stress. I'd love to hear what you're noticing.

11/26/2025

The surprising reason you can't relax

Your body is reading your posture like a threat assessment. And right now? It thinks you're still in danger.

I can tell before someone even sits down in my office.

Shoulders hiked up near their ears. Jaw clenched tight. Breathing shallow and stuck high in their chest, like they're bracing for something to happen.

They're exhausted but can't wind down.

Tired but wired.

And their body hasn't felt actually safe in months... maybe years.

Here's what I've learned after nearly two decades of working with stressed-out nervous systems: when you hold tension like that (shoulders up, head forward, spine rigid), your body reads it as "we're NOT safe yet."

You created the posture from stress. And now the posture keeps the stress response running.

It's a loop.

Your body keeps telling itself to stay on high alert even when you're desperately trying to rest. The stress hormones keep circulating because your nervous system genuinely believes there's still a threat.

Think about what your body does when you actually feel safe and calm. Shoulders drop down away from your ears. Your jaw softens (you didn't even realize you were clenching it). Breath moves deep into your belly instead of staying trapped up high. There's some give in your spine instead of that constant bracing for impact.

But chronic stress rewires your baseline.

That tense, braced position becomes your new normal, and your nervous system interprets "normal" as "still in survival mode." You can't access rest because your body doesn't believe it's safe to let go.

The good news? 💚

Your nervous system can relearn safety. But it needs new information, not just mental ("I'm fine, everything's fine") but physical. Your posture is part of that conversation between your brain and body.

When I work with people in my office, we're helping their nervous system remember that it's okay to soften. To breathe deeper. To stop bracing for something that isn't coming.

It takes time (think several months, not a miracle cure) but your body does remember.

You're not broken. Just stuck in an old protective pattern that doesn't serve you anymore.

What tension are you holding right now that you can't seem to shake? Drop a 💚 if this one hit home.

11/24/2025

Neck pain stealing your joy?

I see this every week in my office, and it honestly breaks my heart a little.

Because I know how much it steals from your day. How it shows up right when you're trying to focus, be present with your kids, or just get through one work call without wincing.

You're not imagining it. One in five people have dealt with neck pain in just the past three months.

But here's what most people don't realize...

Your neck pain probably has way less to do with how you're sitting and way more to do with what's happening inside your nervous system.

When you're stressed (and let's be real, if you're juggling work, family, your own health, and everyone else's needs... you're stressed), your body automatically shifts into protection mode.

Not a choice. Just survival.

Your shoulders creep up toward your ears without you even realizing it. Your neck muscles tense up. Everything tightens because your nervous system genuinely thinks you need to be ready for something.

Now add hours of looking down at your phone or hunched over a screen.

Those muscles? Exhausted.

They're working overtime trying to hold you up while also staying braced for whatever your nervous system thinks is coming, and eventually the joints in your neck start moving differently because the muscles aren't supporting them the way they should, the discs get compressed, and everything gets a little off.

Then pain shows up like a smoke alarm trying to tell you something needs attention.

Most people come in thinking they need their neck "fixed" or that they just need to sit up straighter.

But what they actually need? Support getting their nervous system out of that chronic stress response where it's been living for months... maybe years.

Because when your nervous system finally feels safe again, when it can shift out of fight-or-flight mode and into rest-and-repair, your neck muscles naturally start to soften. The tension eases without you forcing anything. Movement becomes easier. You can turn your head to check your blind spot without that sharp catch.

This is where gentle, low-force chiropractic care comes in.

Not the popping and cracking you might be picturing (that's not what I do). I work with your nervous system through a polyvagal lens, which really just means helping your body remember that it's safe to relax, to let go of that protective tension it's been carrying.

A few things that can support your neck right now:

→ Gentle daily movement (nothing aggressive, just reminding your neck it can move freely)
→ A supportive pillow that keeps your head neutral at night
→ Nervous system care that helps restore proper function

The real shift happens when you stop chasing the symptom and start supporting the entire system underneath.

Your neck pain isn't just asking you to sit up straighter or stretch more.

It's asking you to help your nervous system find some actual calm in all the chaos.

💚 Like this if your neck tension gets worse when life gets stressful, and comment "YES" if you've noticed the connection between your stress levels and your physical pain. I'd love to hear what you're experiencing.

Flourish Chiropractic Studio with Dr. Biljana

12/12/2025

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