I offended someone this week. As a recovering people pleaser, this would normally send me into a spiral. My brain’s survival mode would take over—ruminating, trying to fix things immediately, or place blame. In 2025, I had the privilege of learning how to regulate my nervous system—not just for my own health, but to meaningfully support my clients’ wellness journeys as well. While nervous system regulation includes rest, hydration, and sleep, its deeper work is teaching the brain and body to exit survival mode and enter thrive mode. Feeling misunderstood isn’t dangerous—it’s just uncomfortable Social friction perceived as "danger" directly affects cortisol and it's ability to return back to baseline resulting in disrupted: - Sleep - Digestion - Blood sugar - Recovery - Fat loss and muscle gain The shift that matters: Survival mode: “Make this feeling go away so I can feel safe.” Thrive mode: “I can feel this and still be safe.” Switch away from survival mode: “I caused discomfort” → “I am bad or unsafe” Re-establish thriving mode: “Someone experienced discomfort. That does not define my character or intent.” Pause before fixing. Stay with the body sensations. Slow the breath. Drop the shoulders. Treat this as nervous-system training, not therapy. Notice where this shows up for you this week.