Simple Somatic Healing, Nervous System Regulation, and Stress Management Using Creative Self Care
You're not broken. You're burned out, dysregulated, and running without a manual. Creative Self Care with Crystal McLain is a podcast about nervous system literacy, radical self-reclamation, and what it actually looks like to take care of yourself in a world designed to exhaust you.
Crystal McLain is a somatic practitioner and nervous system educator who is passionate about empowering women with stress and trauma education, and practical tools for reclaiming their energy, agency and fucks in life.
She delivers truth, humor, and science without the toxic positivity, spiritual bypassing, or bullshit.
This is self-care as resistance. And you're in the right place.
Simple Somatic Healing, Nervous System Regulation, and Stress Management Using Creative Self Care
Simple Steps For Building Resilience
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If you're finding your resilience is being quickly whittled down, leaving you feeling exhausted, hopeless and overwhelmed, this post is designed to help you understand how resilience works, and offer you simple, effective tools to start building your power back.
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Join us in our co-regulating community, The Uprising, at Patreon.
Build Resilience Mind, Body, Soul
Speaker 1With everything going on in the world and the conversations I've been having with folks , I've been thinking a lot about resilience , which is our inner strength that helps us to bounce back when life gets challenging . And because a lot of folks are feeling rather hopeless and exhausted these days , and because there's this belief that resilience is about toughing it out or staying strong , I wanted to offer some insight and creative self-care tools that can help you build resilience through simplicity and softness over time . My name is Crystal McLean . This is Creative Self-Care , and together we're exploring new ways towards wellness so we can live healthy , empowered lives individually and collectively . If you appreciate what I'm doing here at CMC , want to support my work and gain a more personal experience , consider joining my friends at Patreon To learn more about how we're making a positive impact . You can visit crystalmcleancreativecom . All right , let's get to it .
Speaker 1So currently it feels like our resilience is being tested . Every single time we turn on the TV or tune into social media , we are met with really big shit and , honestly , it's wearing us down and , as much as I hate to admit it , those forms of media are actually designed to do just that . Our exhaustion and overwhelm are what keep capitalism and corruption alive , and you need to know that you are not weak for falling into these digital traps , because behind their messages are very real actions that are changing our world , putting many of us in very real danger , and that's fucking scary . So I want you to know that your feelings are absolutely real and valid . That said , you deserve to be able to move through these feelings and move through these times with more confidence , proactiveness and resilience . So , in light of all of this doom and gloom , there's good news Resilience can be created from the qualities and the strengths you already have . So let's take a look at how stress affects resilience and learn some ways we can bounce back stronger .
Speaker 1Okay , so something crucial for you to understand is that your nervous system is the command center for everything you experience . It's constantly processing information , managing emotions and responding to challenges . It's really responding to everything and , while it's built to handle short bursts of stress , chronic stress can negatively impact your mental , emotional and physical well-being , and this is what I'd like to cue in the news and social media . Constantly checking news updates and scrolling social media is not making you more informed . It's overwhelming your system with stress . Your brain and body respond to each concerning headline or distressing post as a new threat triggering small bursts of cortisol . If you are doing this all day , every day , you're essentially marinating your brain and your body in stress chemicals , which is going to lead to things like cognitive decline , immune system dysfunction , elevated blood pressure , poor digestion , difficulties with sleep , anxiety , irritation , depression , muscle tension . You get the idea . While staying reasonably informed is super important . Please consider this . After a certain point , more information doesn't lead to better understanding . It just depletes your resilience reserves . So my advice is to choose one or two trusted news sources and set specific times to check them , preferably not as soon as you wake up . Your nervous system will thank you All right , so you're going to reel in your social media and your news consumption .
Speaker 1Now , with all of this new free time , let's talk about what you can do to support your mind , body and mother , love and soul , so you can start building your resilience . We're going to start by cultivating a resilient mindset . There's some powerful practices that actually change how your brain responds to stress . You've heard of these things before and they might seem too simple to work , but trust me , they really do . All right . So the first one don't come at me , hear me out . It's a gratitude and positivity practice . This is not about gaslighting yourself and believing everything's okay or engaging in toxic positivity . This is about creating new neural pathways that shift your brain from being frozen in fear to being able to see solutions and possibilities . When you actively notice the good stuff or find things to be grateful for , you are retraining your brain's negativity bias , which is our natural tendency to focus on threats . This mindset shift is the first step to building resilience . Being resilient means you're able to shift , cope , adapt , progress , move forward when life doesn't turn out as you'd hoped . Start looking for things to be grateful for , start finding things that are positive in your life and start being proactive with your resilience .
Speaker 1Number two self-validation . When you acknowledge your feelings as real and valid and clearly identify them , you reduce the fight or flight response in your body . This is gonna lower cortisol and help your nervous system to settle . It's kind of like telling your body's alarm system I hear you and we are handling this . Hold on , I got you Real . Things are happening in the world , so what you're feeling is also real and valid . Welcome those feelings , get curious about them , process them , ask them what they need and allow them to move through you instead of ignoring them , suppressing them or holding onto them .
Speaker 1The third mindset shift is using the friend perspective . Speaking to yourself with compassion is going to activate your sympathetic nervous system , which is your body's rest and repair mode . This is why harsh self-criticism makes us feel worse . It's triggering more stress hormones , which inhibits our ability to think rationally . Self-kindness helps us think more clearly and cope better . Start treating yourself like you're your own best friend , because you really ought to be anyway . And the fourth thing we can do to shift our mindset is to start controlling small things . Taking any positive action , no matter how tiny , is going to release dopamine , which is a feel-good chemical linked to our reward system . This is going to help break the paralysis that stress can cause and reminds you that you are not helpless . You are capable of responding . So , with that said , let's move on to some other things that you have control over will also help build resilience and are good for your body .
Speaker 1Number one fuel your fascinating meat machine . You know how you have to fill up the car when the tank runs low . Well , your body is no different , except you can't put Pepsi in your car . I mean , really , you probably shouldn't put Pepsi in your body . But fuck it , man . You get to consume whatever you want . That said , the food that you eat literally becomes the building blocks for your brain chemicals that regulate mood , energy and stress responses . And I know there can be a lot of pressure and shame around what we eat , not to mention limited accessibility to nutritious foods . But when you can try to sneak in some balanced nutrition from all of the food groups Leafy greens , healthy fats , fruit , veggies , grains , not to mention hydration these things are going to make a big difference in how your brain functions .
Speaker 1The second way you can build resilience with your body is by using movement as medicine , something that's really cool . When you move your body , you're not just building muscle or burning calories or any other bullshit we get caught up on . You're actually firing up your feel-good hormones and neurotransmitters that help regulate stress , improve cognitive function and boost your mood . And the best part is you don't need to run a fucking marathon . You don't have to do high-intensity interval training . You can just dance in your kitchen , stretch while you're streaming a movie or take a walk around the block . Just find ways to move that feel good for you , all right .
Speaker 1The third thing we can do for our body and building resilience is sleep . Sleep is your resilience superpower and I know that in our hustle culture and with elevated stress levels , sleep can feel like an impossible luxury . If this is you , I see you . I'll leave a link to my post about rest and how you can get better sleep . But know this while you are sleeping , your brain is literally processing emotions , eliminating toxins , filing away memories and recharging your resilience battery . Get some sleep or , at the very least , prioritize your rest . All right , let's move along to some ways we can build resilience while also caring for the soul .
Speaker 1First thing live with purpose . Having a sense of purpose isn't about having big goals . It's about knowing what matters to you , inviting the things that bring you pleasure and living in alignment with your values . When you lead your life from your heart , it helps you navigate through tough times and makes the journey more meaningful . Figure out what matters to you , discover what lights up your soul and align that with your everyday life .
Speaker 1The second thing you can do is work on making connections and building community . Something pretty fascinating is our brains are literally wired for connection . When we interact with safe , supportive people , our bodies release oxytocin , which is often called the bonding hormone , which not only helps us to feel better , but it actually reduces the impact stress has on our health and well-being . That means social connection is biological protection against stress and dysfunction . What's double cool is that when you show up with others , you are helping them to make the same impact on their health and well-being . Spend time with your friends , join a social justice group , sign up for a class Volunteer . Look for the people who make you feel seen , heard and understood .
Building Resilience Together
Speaker 1All right , my friend , remember . Building resilience is not about becoming invincible . It's about learning how to take care of ourselves so we can handle life's challenges with more grace , strength and confidence . Every single small step you take matters , and you're not in this alone . I'm right here with you , along with millions of other people who are facing the same challenges . If you'd like , I've created a daily resilience reminder checklist . You can find this download in today's Patreon perks , along with a big list of values and a feelings chart , so you can start building your own resilience . I love you , I appreciate you and I'm so proud of you for showing up today and working on building your resilience . I'll see you soon .