Dear Ones,
The holiday season is in full swing with a to-do list that is running out of days to finish. This can leave us with extra stress to get the “perfect” gift, decorate, plan – leading to ruminating about it all and causing distress. Rumination is a method of responding to distress that repetitively focuses on causes, outcomes, physical symptoms or the thoughts themselves.
Part of our survival system involves the searching for what the threat is, either internally or out in our environment. The continual searching/scanning and thoughts racing is a form of hypervigilance in the search for control and therefore safety. This can cause a shallow breath pattern, releasing cortisol from the adrenal glands, making one feel like they are always “on”.
I invite you to practice pausing, and creating gentle awareness to how your system is reacting to the ruminations, and start to build a new way of responding to increased stress. Turn towards them (thoughts/ruminations) practicing befriending them instead of pushing them away, this only causes more internal strife and pain.
Pause and bring awareness to your breath, and/or to one of your senses (touch, sight, hearing, taste, smell) to stay in the present moment, creating a new neural pathway of capacity and resilience. You are not your ruminations, you are a beautiful, living, human being who deserves to feel safe and loved.
I wish you a holiday season full of connection, love, and good food. I will be back in 2025!
**Somatic Experiencing®, Transforming Touch®, and Internal Family System® therapy(s) are gentle, holistic ways to create new neural pathways of safety, connection to self and others. A well-regulated nervous system builds upon your self agency and is the key to mental and physical health. For more information on how Somatic Therapy can help you in your healing journey please book a free consultation with me.**
Yours in healing,
Caroldean Jude
Somatic Trauma Therapist
Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner
Transforming Touch® Practitioner
Internal Family Systems® Therapist