settling the dog
A couple weeks ago, we brought home a cutie-patootie doggo for foster (if you know me, you know there's a 99.9% chance we'll foster fail 😂). His name is Beeker & he's an 80 lb pittie whose family was forced to surrender him to the shelter as they were evicted from their home. Beeker is incredibly sweet, house trained, wonderful with our toddler, knows basic commands… but he has like ZERO chill.
I took him to training yesterday, and we learned this exercise called “settle the dog.”
It's an exercise where I step on his leash & ignore him until he calms down. As soon as he chills, I set a timer, then reward him when he's been still for 5 consecutive minutes.
Seems super simple, right?
But for Beeker, this is hardddd.
The trainer explained, “He doesn't know how to ‘do nothing’. You have to *teach* him how to be okay with doing nothing.”
I laughed because, in that moment, I realized that Beeker and I are a lot alike… I also have like zero chill.
Since birthing both my business and my tiny human, I've been stuck in “hustle” mode. A constant state of fight-or-flight. An insatiable desire to be productive at all times.
Can you relate?!
I feel like I owe this dog trainer $$ for a therapy sesh because she made me realize that I also need to learn how to be okay with doing nothing… that there is productivity in rest…
Something I tell my clients every single day – yet fail so miserably to execute in my own day-to-day life.
God really has a way of planting things in our lives when we need them the most – little life lessons sprinkled here and there as if a gentle nudge to get back on the path to leading your most fulfilled & authentic life.
“Nervous system TLC” has been a theme over here for the past couple months for both me and for my clients.
The launch of Breaking Up with Birth Control sent me into a whole new stratosphere of “zero chill”.
Practicing what I preach, I hired support. I invested in a mindset coach who's got me doing guided visualizations, inner child reprogramming, journaling… we're going DEEP, and I'm finding new strategies to better support my nervous system.
I've also had a few really complex client cases over the last 6 months (which I LOVE 🤓). But we're finding that, although they're doing ALLLLL the right things physically-speaking (i.e. nutrition, exercise, supplements), they're still left feeling stuck.
When this happens, we reallyyyy lean into supporting the nervous system.
The truth is, you can't heal if you're stuck in a constant state of fight-or-flight.
Here are some clues that you're stuck in fight-or-flight & constantly running on stress hormones:
Often forgetting to eat
Jittery – esp with caffeine or if going too long without food
Constantly scrolling on your phone
Short fuse/irritable
Feel “alive” with HIIT workouts and a hectic schedule but crash after
Annoyed by meditation, yoga, or anything “slow” (me & Beeker 🙋♀️🙋♀️)
Racing mind when trying to sleep
Cravings for salty and/or sweet foods
Persistent bloating and puffiness
Doing the most with nutrition & exercise but not seeing results
Hormone or digestive symptoms that won't budge
If this list just made you realize you're stuck in fight-or-flight 😬, here are some strategies you can use to support your rest-and-digest state (the “chill” side of your nervous system):
Spend time in nature
Daily sunlight
Prioritize 7-9 hours of sleep each night
Laugh
Quality connection with others
Diaphragmatic breathing
Pup snuggles (I missed these! 🥰)
Feeling your feels (journal, meditate, cry it out)
Organizing your space
Visualizations (using your thoughts intentionally)
Tapping
Add 2 dropperfuls of Nourished Nerves tincture into your daily mineral spritzers (use code JENNY10 for 10% off your Nourished Nerves purchase)
I see you 👀, you overachiever you 😉 – lookin' at this list calculating how you can incorporate each and every one of these strategies at once… just pause.
When you're stuck in fight-or-flight, even the littlest changes can feel overwhelming.
So, friend, pick just ONE (two tops) action step from the list above to weave into your day-to-day.
I'd love to hear which one(s) you choose! Feel free to comment below to set your intentions.
xo, Jenny