When you teach nervous system regulation, there’s an unspoken expectation that you should always be calm. That you should glide through meltdowns, tantrums, and turbulent moments with serene detachment—especially if those meltdowns are coming from your own babies.
But cut to scene:
It was hour 14 of a long-haul flight from Mexico to Australia, via a 12 hour layover in Vancouver. If we’re doing the math – hour 14 of the flight meant hour 32-ish of the trip and suffice to say, it’d been a LONG day and a half. One of my twins had been screaming non-stop for 30 minutes and despite my best efforts, I couldn’t calm him. I was exhausted, frazzled, and seriously fed up with having a baby in my arms, and I’m pretty sure I wasn’t imagining the annoyed looks from weary passengers around me. In that moment, I’d forgotten everything I teach.
Thankfully, my mum was travelling with me. When she asked me, “do you want me to take him for a bit?” let me tell you – I basically hand-balled that baby over the seat to her along with the words “yes – take this motherfucker away from me.”
Because here’s the truth:
Teaching nervous system regulation doesn’t mean I’m immune to stress. It means I understand it deeply – because I’ve been in it, over and over again. And that’s exactly why I do the work I do.
Would you take piano lessons from someone who’s never sat at a piano?
Of course not.
Do you ever feel annoyed by male ‘experts’ dishing out unsolicited women’s health advice on Instagram? Same (the audacity!).
It’s the lived experience that’s key here.
It’s this experience I teach from, not perfection. From the trenches of anxiety, overwhelm, motherhood, and messy human moments. Clients often preface things with: “This is going to sound so crazy, but…” as they describe how their anxiety shows up, and my response is always the same:
Nothing you say will shock me or ever be judged by me, because I’ve thought it or felt it too.
So if you’re on struggle street right now, just remember – you’re not doing it wrong, you’re not behind, and you are definitely not alone.
Comments will display here