30/09/2026
Yesterday I caught myself in overwhelm. That way when you find yourself thinking, life is just kicking the s #** out of me.
We all experience intense emotion at times, it’s human. Learning to catch ourself is the first step to being able to move through it.
When you can notice what’s going on you can name the emotion, feel the sensation and honour what’s happening.
Self validation helps you to ride the waves and come out the other end a happier more self compassionate version of yourself.
You can do this by bringing yourself back to the present moment, out of the head and into the body. Breath and movement can shift the energy that feels most uncomfortable.
If your unsure what to do next, walk. Walking regulates the nervous system helping your thinking brain, that rational part, to come back online.
When intense emotion hits thoughts can go to places of the past, or stories of the future, this neglects focus on what’s real. This is a sign of disregualtion, your nervous system has been activated.
The brain believes everything you tell it and releases chemicals which alter your physical and emotional states - inevitably this plays out in behaviour and impacts on our relationships and connections.
Habit tells you not to do the things that are helpful, instead you resort to outdated coping strategies and unhelpful behaviour that’s second nature. Your brain needs a moment to pause to access a better response.
If you find yourself overwhelmed or in intense emotion take a moment to step back, notice what’s going on for you, take a deep breath and lengthen the exhale, this is a quick hack to regulation. Take the walk, and when you don’t feel like you have time stop and do it anyway. A disregulated brain can't respond to the demands of time.
Everything will still be there waiting to be faced when you feel calmer and more ready to take it on. In these situations you sometimes need to slow down to speed up.
Modern society has us accustomed to instant gratification, we order something online and we get it straight away, we pick up whatever we want and need whenever we want and need it. It’s easy to neglect to remember that change takes time, new habits don’t happen over night, you don’t get fit after one session at the gym or reach your weight goal in a month. Real results are not instant.
Every small step, every small change is progress, if you put in the work. It’s taken years to learn unhelpful behaviour and to create those coping strategies that just don’t work for you anymore, it will take time to change them too.
Allow yourself to celebrate the small wins and forgive yourself when you slip, because to slip back you have already moved forward.
Today is the day.
What are you pushing away, what are you avoiding? Take a deep breath and prepare to get honest with yourself.
