Riding the waves of strong triggers

On your journey you may unexpectedly encounter a strong trigger. Often, not always, with these triggers your nervous system will go into shutdown and there is nothing you can do to avoid it.

You can’t always control what life throws at you.

During these instances the pain can feel unbearable. You feel hopeless. At moments you can even feel like you are dying.

You may feel very low in energy, not able to get out of bed and if you manage to get out of bed your body may feel heavy and/or weak, your legs may feel like jelly.

Thoughts will tell you that you will never get better, that you are beyond help, that your future looks bleak etc...

Your nervous system dictates your thoughts, not the other way round. So when in shutdown your thoughts will be gloomy. It’s important to understand this mechanism, so that you can notice these thoughts, choosing not to engage with them. These type of thoughts are just a symptom of a system that is in shutdown.

What to do?

🌿 Reduce stimuli as much as you can. In this state everything will feel overwhelming.

🌿 Do not push yourself to be better or to do better when feeling like this. Do not add to your to-do list.

🌿 Instead take tolerable small steps, doing the basics to keep your life going.

🌿 Good resources for this state is humming or singing, or listening to pleasant music. These activities require a small amount of energy and are a great way to engage the ventral vagal complex. These simple activities will invite more regulation into your nervous system.

And don’t forget to be gentle with yourself while in this state, reminding yourself of how much you have already overcome in your life.