What a day!

6.5 hours, talking with amazing humans!

And then, 2+ more hours of online work!

But this image is less about my day and such. It is a massive milestone in my nervous system regulation… 

This is just me stuck in traffic heading back to my hotel.

TRUE STORY: About 8 years ago, I had a massive panic attack while driving across a bridge that I know well. 

It was so bad that by then time I was over the bridge, all my windows were down, I was talking to my husband on speaker, my shoes were off, all my clothes were loosened, I was in full sweat, and my heart was racing like I had just done a set of plyometrics. 

After, I felt so lightheaded and ‘out of it,’ I needed to rest at a beach and a coffee shop for a couple of hours before going back home ..

It had nothing to do with a fear of driving or heights (if you know me, I love racing cars and I used to paraglide and ski off of cliffs!).

As I slowly unpeeled old “trauma” layers years after this, it became clear this was about being in enclosed spaces, trapped (being stressed). It was sparked because I was late for an appointment (real time stress). 

I was “trapped” in traffic.

After this, I had about 3-4 years of having milder anxiety/panic while stuck in traffic, even seeing that I might get stuck in traffic. I had a few moments panicking while boarding planes. Being in cabs, not able to get out, etc.

So today, when I was in this “cab” (Uber), I saw the traffic coming up, and my usual resource would be to roll down the window, loosen my seat belt, but I didn’t. I just felt it. And, I was ok. Because I am.

These adult life events (real physiological responses) were clues into old stuff that, while I have no memory of, bubbled up to be healed and released.

Here’s the thing though: I was able to navigate this because I knew what was happening, but a lot of people don’t understand what is trapped internally. Nor do they know what to do when this happens.

This is why learning about your nervous system is so important, as is learning the skills to navigate what lurks internally, so that when these strange “opportunities” arise you can navigate them and use them as a healing moment.

Start your journey of learning and healing today! Join me for Unravelling the Nervous System’s Role in… Anxiety, part one of a free, three-part series as we head into the registration period for SmartBody SmartMind, my powerful, 12-week (and lifetime) online curriculum.