
Recently, I had an interaction with another person that rattled me and left my nervous system feeling shaken. I calmed and centered myself afterwards but a shakiness and depressive feelings kept returning. I noticed that I had added another piece – feeling disappointed in myself for not recovering quicker. It seemed that my mind was gathering more reasons to feel sad. It was time for some self compassion.
There are parts of ourselves that don’t care so much about being powerful and managing our energy to achieve great things in the world.
These parts of us just want to feel safe and loved. Especially when our nervous system is jangled.
[Read more…] about Self Compassion: A Calming Balm for Your Nervous System

Do you sometimes feel like your time is not your own? From the moment you wake, you are feeling rushed by your agenda full of everything you have to attend to, racing you through the minutes and the hours until you look at the clock in amazement and dismay. What happened? You long to fit in yoga, meditation, reflection time with your journal, or a run in the park, yet once again your day ran away from you.
When you feel pressured and stressed by work, life and all the nitty gritty details clamoring for attention, your nervous system and brain move into survival, perfect for putting out fires but hopeless for calming you down. Don’t keep pushing through the stress. One of the best things you can do for self care at work is to stop and take a rest to recharge your brain.
“Give yourself the time to move through the initial awkwardness, even a sense of fear or guilt about unwinding when you feel way too stressed.”