Your nervous system thanks you
Ever arrived at the end of your weekend, loving your weeks too, but arriving with whiplash from one to the other? That happened to me tonight. It’s been in the 100s since May in Central Texas. Politics, climate, and covid are all surging at once and I attempted to turn it all off as usual this weekend, but realized I couldn’t. See my emergency number is my work phone and I need to sort that out as I live on a ridge and wildfire season is upon us in tandem with the week around July 4th and people’s insistence that fireworks are their right to do as they please.
Wednesday night the boys and I were coming home only to arrive face on with a fresh fire that was still shooting flames and black smoke to the heavens. By the time we got home and researched the event the five acres had turned to 100. I live twelve minutes south of the fire. Within about 45 more minutes it was roughly 300 acres. Just as I was thinking the fourth danger was past us and maybe I could let the boys stay home during my work day….that’s when I saw the fire and decided, nope, never again. That night my nervous system parked my car out front with a change of clothes, just in case. This weekend I finally surrendered and put the car back in the garage, worked on my plant stands, caught up earlier with some backlogged paperwork and bills. All of this is akin to nesting for me. I celebrate bills because I have the money to enjoy ac, clean water and this awesome hill country view. I even brought in most of the outdoor succulents because it is stinking hot. Just as I was trusting I could have access to email on my work account and still ease into my Sunday evening, there it was. The email that would rattle my nervous system and trigger it into a spiral. Hours later, I vowed to set up the new emergency number asap tomorrow. I have to be able to turn this **** off or I will lose my mind.
I actually take this further than a lot of people. I deleted email from my personal cell phone and only host one social media account on my work phone (which I barely use with my community. I do it for the pictures). All of the notifications on my personal phone are turned off except phone. But the ringer is usually off too. My work phone only gets text, weather and phone notifications. All else silent. Even the vibration when the ringer is off is muted.
Now, I just finished a shower and I’m going to invite my nervous system to lay down with my body on the yoga mat. Find your bliss, or avoidance to flight or fight triggers — your Nervous System thanks you!