Dr. Riley Smith
In the first part of this series, I explored what’s actually happening in your body when you’re in crisis mode—the fuel you’re burning, the cost that accumulates, and why some people feel increasingly depleted while others seem to bounce back. If you recognized yourself in that picture, this piece is about what comes next: how […]
Your nervous system is remarkably intelligent, constantly learning from your experiences and adapting to protect you from perceived threats. While this capacity for learning and memory serves you well in genuinely dangerous situations, it can become problematic when your system holds onto memories of boundary violations and begins anticipating similar violations in the future, creating […]
Self-forgiveness felt like giving myself permission to be irresponsible until I understood that chronic guilt was poisoning my digestive system more effectively than any food I could eat. Your body processes self-blame as an ongoing attack, triggering the same inflammatory responses that external criticism would create. When you hold grudges against yourself, carry guilt about […]
There’s a particular kind of exhaustion that comes from being incredibly wise about what others need while remaining completely blind to your own needs. If you’re someone who can instantly see when friends are overextended, who gives amazing advice about work-life balance, who notices stress patterns in others before they do themselves, but who somehow […]