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 ♻️).​
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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:

• a way to alleviate the pain (if possible)
• a deeper understanding of the root causes of the pain
• a reminder to rest, slow down, & tend to your needs
• a reminder to reach out for support & allow yourself to be supported

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,

ON THE PODCAST | EP 11 3 Loving Reminders for When the World is Overwhelming When the world feels like it’s on fire, it’s natural to become overwhelmed, dysregulated, and overstimulated. (In fact, that’s a sign that our nervous systems are working as designed, alerting us to threats to safety). But no one wants to feel STUCK in overwhelm. In this short & sweet episode, I share 3 reminders to help you tend to your nervous system and navigate the state of the world with agency & awareness – without bypassing painful emotions or pretending that everything is okay (when it’s not). We’ll cover these topics: 00:23 Acknowledging a world in polycrisis 02:14 Be compassionate with yourself 04:04 Allow space to feel & process 07:46 Explore aligned action, in community LISTEN HERE (11 min) 🌻

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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.
📚 Curious to learn about neurodiversity + holistic healing? —> Peek at my blog.
🗞️ Want to catch up on old newsletters? —> Check out the archive.

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