Vibrant Days…
Flourishing with Sensory Processing Sensitivity
July 2020
Pain, Trauma and Healing: 5 Steps for Creating a Self-care Routine to Regulate Your Nervous System
with Jenna Grace

I had the joy of corresponding with someone new this week. He emailed me via my website and we discussed pain. Real pain. Reaches-into-your-core-and-
Our correspondence made me begin to think about the ways that suffering from pain, like the loss of a loved one, can feel similar to suffering from pain after trauma — the loss of one’s self.
And about how many of you might find yourselves experiencing pain in a way you never have before. In a way that challenges your faith. In life. In love. In yourselves.
In a way that you’ve never felt before. Your pain might be affecting your body. Your appetite. Your nervous system. Making what you are experiencing similar to what most people experience after having suffered a trauma.
Pain, Trauma and the Nervous System
While healing from trauma, I’ve been learning about my nervous system, and I am able to pick up on the signs of when it’s regulated and when it’s not.
Here is what comes up the most when my nervous system is unregulated:
- I dwell on/stay stuck on the past
- I dwell on/stay stuck on the future
- I try to control everything that myself and those around me do
- I have a difficult time understanding what I’m feeling and making decisions
- My body tightens up, and I become stiff, tense
- My thinking becomes scattered and/or I start saying the wrong words
- My motor skills start to worsen, and I become clumsy
- I am unable to follow a routine/feel antsy while trying to complete tasks
- Either my mind races, or I’m dull, bored and uninspired
- I either oversleep, or I can’t sleep more than a few hours
- I either feel like I have to move a lot, or I feel like I can’t move at all
- I either overeat, or I under-eat, unable to tell when I’m nourished
- I can only eat plain or bland foods
- I am easily startled by sudden, loud noises
- I feel sick when overstimulated by strong smells
- I feel dizzy from too much movement — either watching it or experiencing it
- I become easily overwhelmed
And I find I am quick to:
- Have a fight-or-flight response
- Freeze
- Fawn (give others what they want while putting my needs aside)
- Have panic attacks
- Have meltdowns
- Have suicidal thoughts
- Self-harm
Practicing Self-care and Creating a Self-care Routine
I’ve found that in order to help myself when my nervous system is unregulated, I have to practice self-care. For me, that means having a sensory diet and practicing mindfulness. To help me regulate my nervous system. To help me feel safe in my environment and in my body. To help me have hope.
We all need self-care. And that looks different for each of us. For some it might mean doing yoga. For others, cooking or biking. Knitting or coloring. And for some of us, it means getting out of bed. Showering. Taking each day one thing at a time. One day at a time. For when you’re suffering from pain or if you’ve suffered a trauma, sometimes one thing at a time is all you can do.
Practicing self-care also means doing the things that bring us joy. Ending things that don’t. Releasing. Letting go. Surrendering. Even (or arguably, Especially) when you’re suffering. When you have to fight even harder to see the light. Because that just means it’ll shine that much brighter when you find it.
So to help you get started, here are five steps to creating a self-care routine (that will regulate your nervous system too*):
Step #1: Take five to 10 minutes to consider all the ways you incorporate self-care into your day (see having sensory diet and practicing mindfulness for examples):
- Brainstorm for a minute or two.
- Make a list of all the things you do for self-care.
Step #2: Ask yourself (and modify your list if necessary):
- What does my self-care look like?
- How often do I practice it?
- What do I notice when I let my needs go for too long?
Step #3: Categorize each thing you do for self-care as:
- How you move, nourish and rest to nurture your body.
- How you learn, relax and stay curious to nurture your mind.
- How you are creative, giving and playful to nurture your soul.
Step #4: Make a promise to yourself that you will do one thing from each category at least once a day.
- Once you master that, add one more thing from each category.
- Then add another.
- And so on.
Step #5: Reflect on your self-care list at least once a month and change things that no longer serve you; add things that do. Consider:
- How you can be kinder to yourself. More forgiving. More loving.
- How you can take the opportunity to grow when you are unhappy.
- How you can take your self-love and use it to help others.
To all of you suffering, I wish you light and love on your journey to heal.
*You are different than me. The information I provide is based on my experience. Always consult your intuition and team of experts regarding your own health.
Jenna Grace is a writer and educator with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), sensory processing disorder (SPD), premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), social anxiety disorder (SAD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) diagnoses. She writes and speaks about topics including healing from trauma, coping with neurological disorder and practicing mindfulness in order to help others and to explore new meaning. Visit her website for more of her stories.
Highly sensitive people can relate to Sarah’s story. She wears sensitivity well and I admire her brave and honest soul.
Somatic ideas to implement in your daily routine.
https://www.healthline.com/health/grounding-techniques
A heart, mind and soul feast. Make sure to watch on larger screen for full effect.
Fragile
We are fragile. You and me.
Though we act strong,
our lives are
held together with
thoughts of where
we might be tomorrow.
And of disappointed
yesterdays.
At any moment we might shatter.
We might fall to our knees
weighed down by the terror
of being so far from
our own control.
Dare we look up, we’d not know
where to go or what to do.
We are fragile. You and me.
If we were to turn to each other,
we might see the whole world
on their knees.
Hurting, and seemingly
alone.
But none of us are.
We are fragile together.
– Nic Askew
In this together,
Candy