Don’t wait until a crisis to use coping skills. Trying a new strategy only when you need it is like running a marathon without training. Practice daily—grounding, journaling, humming—so it's second nature when stress hits. Train before race day.

You don’t have to figure out a solution to surviving something like the next 4 years — it’s too much for the nervous system at once. You can focus on feeling 1% safer (a fav coping skill, connecting w/a trusted person, etc). It’s not about fixing a feeling, it’s building capacity to keep going.

Workshopping what I want to say into three hundred characters or less reminds me of working on my Vagus Nerve Deck and a STARK reminder of how focusing on short term video and lack of writing leaves one out of practice. Even with the return of TT I’m going to focus on a diversity of platforms!

Change—whether it’s TikTok shutting down or life’s curveballs—can shake our nervous system. Sudden shifts disrupt safety + control. Try this: 1️⃣ Name it: anxious, numb? 2️⃣ Steady yourself: slow breaths, stretch, shake it out. 3️⃣ Connect: fresh air, a chat, or grounding. Adapt & respond > reacting.

How do we find our people on here!?

Regulated = Connected, not Calm. If you want to regulate your nervous system (and find ease and calm) focus on connected. Connect to your interoception (your internal experience), to your time & space (think using your 5 senses), and to other living things are you.

🌿 Hi, I’m Melissa—a nervous system and somatic therapist, social worker, retreat and workshop host, author, and creator of Connected Healing.

I share tools for regulation, somatic healing, and self-connection. Follow along to grow, heal, and thrive together. 🫶