👉🏽 Subscribe for thoughtful, bite-sized emails — from Liz Zhou, a neurodivergent therapist — on how to take care of your nervous system & understand your brain.
When the problem is the solution 🌱
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One of my budding special interests is permaculture (pun intended 🌱), and a common saying in the permaculture world is as follows: The problem is the solution. or: The solution is inside of the problem. It reads like a riddle, but there’s so much truth & wisdom behind it. For example: the accumulation of waste on earth is a problem. A solution is to compost the waste so that it regenerates into a valuable resource. The problem (we don’t know what to do with all this waste 💩) guides us to the solution (let’s do something about it so it’s not so wasteful ♻️). Why do I bring this up? Because I think there’s a way we can apply this concept to all types of systems – systems of life on earth, as well as our human nervous systems. How might a solution be found within the problem? For example: sometimes I experience tension in my neck, due to staring at screens for too long and forgetting to stretch & move my body (oops). The tension is a “problem” for me, because it doesn’t feel good to be tense. (I’m putting “problem” in quotation marks because I prefer to think of our nervous system experiences as messages/signals, rather than as problems – but you get my point.) The tension is also pointing a solution: once I notice the tension, I can register it as a message & reminder for my nervous system: oh yeah, I should probably get up & stretch & take a break from screens. Eventually, the tension melts away (or decreases to a manageable level). This is one example of how our bodies are designed to send us messages that show us where attention & care is needed. 🚨 Our nervous systems ring an alarm bell (through tension, discomfort, dissociation, & other mind-body signals) — in the hopes that it might catch our attention so that we attend to the problem. Of course, not every nervous system experience is as easily “solvable” as the case of my neck tension (in fact, our bodies are endlessly complex & multifaceted, as is our pain) — but my point is: Every time a part of you hurts (physically or emotionally), there is a message being communicated through the pain, which might lead you to:
I invite you to consider: 🌱 Where do you hear a message inside your nervous system today? 🌱 If you are experiencing a problem: how might the problem point to its solution? With care, P.S. Know someone who needs to hear this? Forward it along. New readers can subscribe here. P.P.S. If you’re interested in working together, I’d love to support you. 🌻 For folks who are overwhelmed & burnt out, but too busy for weekly therapy, I offer Nervous System Healing Intensives — three 90-minute sessions, using brain-body modalities (Brainspotting, IFS, EMDR) that go deeper than talk therapy & help you feel better, sooner.
Intensives are a type of short-term, accelerated therapy — for folks who prefer a hyper-focused approach to healing; who need longer than 50-min sessions to warm up & process deeply. 👉🏽 If you want to get an Intensive on the books, click here to book an intro call. I help highly sensitive, neurodivergent adults heal their nervous systems & connect with their authentic selves. 💗 Need a nervous system reset? —> Join me for a Calm Place meditation. |
Liz's Neurodivergent Letters
👉🏽 Subscribe for thoughtful, bite-sized emails — from Liz Zhou, a neurodivergent therapist — on how to take care of your nervous system & understand your brain.
This weekend marked the solstice - a transition across seasons, the longest day of light in the northern hemisphere & the longest night in the southern hemisphere. 🕯️ To me, these types of transitions feel important to celebrate & acknowledge – whether through the simple lighting of a candle, a moment of connection with nature, or a gathering with loved ones. This time of year reminds me of other types of transitions as well - endings, new beginnings, goodbyes, and hellos. Several years ago,...
While on a hike recently, I came across a sign that said: 🚫 If you see a bear, don’t make eye contact (which the bear may perceive as a sign of aggression) Which was right next to another sign: 👀 If you see a mountain lion, DO make eye contact (which shows the lion that you are aware of its presence & not afraid) These signs made me feel a bit spooked, reminding me of the possibility of encountering these creatures. (Though, to my relief, a third sign in the vicinity stated that the last...
Every single day, our brains are processing countless pieces of input. Notifications from five different apps. The ping of incoming text messages The microwave timer going off. Emails piling up in your inbox. The physical pile of letters & bills on your desk. Phone calls & voicemails. The to-do list that keeps growing. 🧠 Due to the sheer amount of stimulation around us, it can be hard for our brains to discern what is actually urgent vs. what seems urgent but is not a true emergency. The...