I’m learning a lot about regulating my nervous system and recovering from stress.
Yesterday, we had an emergency during which I literally lost my mind.
Prior, Bean, our fur baby, and I were enjoying a lovely spring morning, popping in and out, me to work and her to chew sticks and sniff the air. Walking back inside, I noticed the azaleas I’d recently purchased had fallen off the porch. As I got closer, what I saw immediately raised concern. The plant was lying on the ground, out of the pot, leaves, branches, and buds gone, nothing left but a stump of roots.
I ran into the house to Google and discovered this plant is highly toxic to dogs.
Not knowing how much she’d eaten or how long it had been in her system, I felt sick to my stomach and lightheaded.
“I’m taking her to the vet,” I told my husband, rushing to get Bean leashed and out the door.
I called her doctor while driving, a bit fast and reckless, fearing she might die before I got there. It didn’t help that our AC is broken, it was above 90 degrees, and our pup showed signs of distress, likely related to the heat.
Praise God, she’s okay. Now, 24 hours later, she’s doing well. They purged her stomach and found nothing but yard debris, no trace of azaleas, and sent us home with medicine to soothe her upset stomach.
Needless to say, I wasn’t the only one shaken by that event.
My poor Bean, unable to understand what was happening and highly attuned to my dysregulated emotions, was terrified, whisked into the car, handed off to strangers, rushed to the back, given medicine that made her throw up, and a shot of fluids, all without mom nearby.
Once home, she spent the rest of the day and evening snuggled close to me, her source of comfort and security. She slept between my husband and me all night, and this morning, retreated under the bed, her safe space, until shortly before nine, well beyond when she’s normally up and asking to go out.
After some research, I learned her behavior was her way of recalibrating after stress, because her nervous system needed time to recover.
And I wondered…
How often do I do that?
How often do I pause to recognize the mental and emotional toll something created and intentionally allow myself to recover, whether that’s reading, doing something creative, or, most importantly, drawing near to Christ?
He is my safe place, my strong tower, and my greatest source of peace.
Scripture reminds us, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge” (Psalm 18:2).
I know this intellectually, so why am I often so quick to push through stress and anxiety?
Actually, I know the reason.
Somewhere along the line, I believed the lie that productivity matters more than the health of my soul and that ignoring intense emotions will make them go away.
But as Faith Over Fear guest and therapist Kristin Faith Evans shared in Tuesday’s podcast episode, stress builds, and if it’s not processed, it can begin to rewire our brains, to our detriment.
Looking back on one of the most painful and unsettling times in my adult life, when I developed debilitating insomnia, I can see how my failure to pause, breathe, and recalibrate only compounded my overwhelm.
I kept pushing forward, thinking that was strength, when what I needed was restoration.
Granted, I don’t have time to take a tropical vacation every time I get stuck in traffic, receive an unexpected deadline, or face a problem.
But I can pause and breathe, intentionally turning my attention to the Lord and making space for His peace to steady my heart.
How do you normally decompress from difficult situations?
How might regularly practicing calming techniques, especially when something feels destabilizing, help increase your peace and protect your focus?
If you’re interested in some quick and easy calming exercises you can practice when stress begins to climb, whether you’re driving in rush hour traffic, in the middle of a work meeting, or wanting a reset at the end of an overwhelming day, make sure to check out my cohost Carol’s conversation with therapist Kristin Faith Evans in the Faith Over Fear podcast episode titled “Managing Anxiety with Christ and Practical Tools”
And may you sense God’s calming presence the next time anxiety hits.
