THIS is why nervous system work is one of the foundations of my work with clients...
Does this sound familiar at all:
EXHAUSSSSSTED (often too tired to rest/sleep?!)
Many of us are living in this state of collapse (no energy in the sofa feelings amiright?). When we stop, it's not into easeful rest. It's a collapse, shut down, numb out, not in our body, bone tired sort of stop.
So then, to get anything done in our wonderful busy lives, we pump out the energy from our sympathetic nervous system (hi adrenaline and cortisol!) that leaves us kinda thrumming, racing mind, edgy, chaotic, a million miles an hour (even if we stop and try to do nothing?).
Many of my clients have a hard time when it's a quiet season at work/in their lives for this very reason.
And it takes intentional time to move away from that.
Heck, I'm a year out from leaving teaching, and my nervous system still feels the reverberations of it.
Someone once said to me 'but you like the intensity right?'. You like the challenge.
At the time, I'd have agreed with them.
But actually, there's a difference.
There's a difference between familiarity and safety.
My nervous system was used to 10000000% miles an hour. In fact, it was so familiar with it, it's what felt safest (whilst my body entirely disagreed, and was trying to remind me of this daily!).
Actually learning to regulate back down, intentionally leaning into a nervous system state that felt so unfamilar, was the hard and the most needed part.
It's called the ventral vagal state (and it's part of the parasympathetic pathway).
It's open, expansive, connected, slowwwwwww.
Ways I introduce this:
- awareness
- short breathwork practices
- shaking it out
- tapping
- meditation
- other somatic release practices
It's about learning to live on body-time again.
Living to live in our body.
Not as a vehicle for carrying our brain around.
But to step into the living, breathing, pulsing, rhythm of your cells. Moment by moment.
Ahhhhhhhhhh.
I thought I kinda knew this stuff when I was teaching too - I'd do some ten minute meditations, and the like. But really, what I didn't realise is that I was sticking plasters on this MASSIVE GAPING HOLE and trying to stem the trickle out when the whole dam was about to give way.
And that is why what I do is some important.
I don't what you to live in this state of collapse and chaos any more.
I want you to feel well rested.
I want you to notice joy.
Notice pleasure.
To have sh*t hot boundaries.
And to feel like the relaxed woman you were always supposed to be.
And if you want some of that now, and for 2024, then I invite you to fill in my 1:1 coaching application. If we're a good fit, you'll get a free 30 minute discovery call so we can really dive into what you need and whether I'm the right person to support you in that.
You can fill in my 1:1 application here.