Coaching with KC

Hello World! It’s been a while!

Over a year ago my beautiful fiancé and I relocated to Minnesota to follow my dream career as a neurological occupational therapist. 2022 was FULL of new experiences, travel and time spent with our most favorite people, buying a home, and settling into our new careers which took me away from this space.

However, I have felt drawn lately to resurface my coaching business. I have been dragging my feet a little as every January I hear SO much about “new year, new me” and to be honest I fight it because I hate the trend of making new habits in January that are over by February. My passion lies in creating LASTING change. I also hate this cultural need to constantly be better than we are when in reality we can be good enough right now as we are. But on the flip side, I love a fresh start. I love seeing my people creating new goals and taking strides towards them. Nothing quite lights my soul on fire like that. So I feel drawn to exist again in this space to help you reach your goals this year.

What are your goals for 2023? And how can I support you in reaching them? In the new year, I am finally opening my calendar again and accepting 2 new coaching clients! Your first session is always free. 💜

The last way to close the stress cycle is through creative expression. Doing so leads to more energy, excitement, and increases enthusiasm. This is because creative expression ENCOURAGES big emotions. It also has a way of allowing us to MOVE through big emotions.

Think about the last time you were at a wedding, and that romantic song played moving you to tears, or to a state of awe at the love you were watching in front of you. Or on the flip side, how that go-to song after a breakup just has a way of making you feel everything you were feeling in that moment and move through it. Creative expression has a way of creating space for and allowing us to feel the things we aren’t allowing ourselves to feel. Writing, drawing, singing, listening to music, and so many other options all allow us to express that emotion. In turn, releasing our cortisol and closing our stress cycle.

While the number of ways to close the stress cycle are endless, I hope this series has been beneficial by bringing more awareness to what the stress cycle is. I also hope it is has helped to empower you in closing your own cycle and taking control of that component of your healthy.

The unfortunate reality is that most of us are conditioned not to close the cycle when we are stressed. Rather, we avoid or try to fix the stressor. While this often helps our rational mind, our physical body remains in a constant state of stress - which over time leads to burnout.

Knowing these tools, I hope you can start to FEEL the difference when you are closing your cycle leading to a more fulfilling and free life. Wellness is having the freedom to move through the cycles of being human. This happens when your body is in a place of safety and it requires action.

If you are ready to implement more healthy habits into your life, I am accepting 2 more clients for next month. Schedule your first free sessions through the link in my bio! :)

Sometimes we all just need a good cry. However, this is an activity that few deliberately choose to engage in. From a young age, most of us are taught not to cry or that it is weak and an inconvenience to cry. But the reality is crying is a natural process AND when we aren’t crying, what we are doing is holding back and storing all of the emotions inside of us INCREASING our stress rather than decreasing it. It’s like when you have a sneeze coming on, but someone says 'bless you’ before it happens and then it’s gone. All of the emotions are ready for take off, but there is no take off. The energy is just stuck.

Having a nice good cry allows us to release all of the emotions we are feeling. It also replaces the stress hormones with oxytocin and endorphins, - also known as the feel good chemicals, which in turn lead to us closing the stress cycle. It’s the feeling after the good cry that changes everything - when you wipe your nose, take a big sigh and just feel a sense of relief from the weight of whatever was burdening you. While crying may not change the situation, what is does is close the cycle. And that’s the biggest win.

😂 What do sprinters eat before they race? Nothing, they fast.
😂 Why did the invisible man turn down the job interview? He couldn’t see himself doing it.
😂 What’s the difference between a poorly dressed man on a tricycle and a well dressed man on a bicycle? Attire.

If you are anything like me, reading those probably gave you a GREAT laugh.

LAUGHTER is another way to close the stress response cycle. Laughter increases circulation and aides in muscle relaxation. It stimulates many organs which increase your intake of oxygen, stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles, and increases the endorphins in your brain. The physical act of laughing fires up and then cools down your stress response - leading to a closed cycle and your body acknowledging that you are safe.

If my dad jokes weren’t funny to you - here are some other options for you to utilize laughter to help close your stress cycle. Look up jokes on the internet, watch a comedian on Netflix, browse through greeting cards at Target until you find some that make you chuckle, or find people to laugh WITH and make a habit of spending time with those people.

Whatever it is, I hope you find a reason to laugh today. And when you do, notice how your body shifts into a more relaxed state when you do.

Did you know that positive social interaction is one way we can alert our bodies that we are SAFE? Humans are naturally social beings. We were not made to be alone. We were made to have community with others and our body craves this. This is because positive social interaction releases oxytocin and actives the parasympathetic nervous system - all which remind us that we are SAFE and helps in closing the stress response cycle.

While it might feel easier when you are stressed to retreat to your own quiet space, next time if you are feeling adventurous, try reaching out to your people who support you. Instead of having a conversation about your stressor, ask about the best part of their day or share a funny joke. Have a casual conversation with the person next to you while you are waiting in line. Compliment the person who prepared your meal. Smile at a stranger. All of this retrains your brain that not all people are bad people and the world is in fact a safe place after all.

Now what I am not telling you to do is avoid the stressor and run from the problem. Do process what is going on. But then ALSO remember, the key in closing the stress cycle is acknowledging that we cannot intellectualize our bodies out of the stress response cycle. We must CLOSE the physiological cycle by physically doing something to remind us that we are SAFE. Positive social interaction is one way to do this.

Sometimes it is not practical to drop everything you are doing as soon as the stress hits and RUN. Sometimes the stressor is a boss, a meeting, a child, or traffic in the road which is going to make you late. Imagine if you just left the meeting when it became tense, your boss probably wouldn’t appreciate that. Or if you ran out of your car in traffic. Also not practical.

In those moments it’s important to acknowledge there are other methods which can be used to help manage the stress. In situations when the stressor is minor, this activity might be enough to close the cycle. In times when the stressor is more intense, this might help minimize the stressor enough to allow you to continue functioning.

One way to close the stress cycle on a time crunch, is by deep breathing. This is MOST effective when the breath is deep, long and slow. One strategy I like to use to incorporate deep breathing is the 5-5-7 breath. What this means is that you are going to inhale for a count of 5, hold for 5 seconds at the top and release for a count of 7. Repeat this three times. Notice how you feel when you are done.

While deep breathing in a stressful moment often seems counterintuitive, it has been an absolute GAME-CHANGER for me. Stopping for a moment to breathe has often times served as a deep reset from the stressor. This has often provided the quick fix I need just to carry on with the day. Try it out. Let me know what you think.

A couple weeks ago, my partner and I were out walking our dog when we saw what we thought was a missing cat. We were instantly motivated to save the day by bringing the cat back to it’s owner. However, corralling the cat was a struggle. As the cat out in the streets of the neighborhood and far from home, it was TERRIFIED. As we approached the cat (slowly and softly of course), we did everything we could to assure the cat that we were safe. Despite our best effort, the cat became scared and RAN. Just like the cat, our innate physiological response when something puts us in danger or makes us feel stressed is to RUN.

Knowing this, it should be of no surprise that one of the BEST ways to close the stress cycle is to RUN, to swim, to dance, or to move your body in a way that feels good for 20-60 minutes. Movement is important because despite our best effort, our physiological body has NO idea what it means when we rationalize our way out of stress by “solving the problem.” Our body ONLY understands our physical actions. Physical exercise is that thing which communicates to our brain that we have survived the threat and are SAFE.

Now, not everyone loves exercise. And that’s okay. Sometimes the thought of exercise when we are stressed feels like the BEST release, other times it sounds MISERABLE. Tuning into our bodies in the moment of stress is SO important. Sometimes that hard HITT workout will be exactly what you need, other times, it will be a walk out in nature taking in the fresh air that will do the trick. Sometimes both of those sounds horrible. In those moments, it’s important to know that surprisingly, what is JUST as effective as exercising is laying or sitting down, tensing every single muscle in your body and then releasing while taking deep breaths. All signal to your brain that you are SAFE from the stressors you experienced.

The KEY to this information is to remember that closing the stress cycle is not a intellectual decision, but a physiological shift. If you want more information on the stress response cycle - keep scrolling. Or if are ready to start incorporating healthy habits such as these, let's talk.

Hello Social Media World! It’s been a MINUTE. The last two months have been FULL of so much traveling and some BIG life changes.

At the end of July, my partner and I made a trip out to Colorado that was FULL of memories with friends, live music at Red Rocks, and lots of hiking. August was full of a weekend up in Minnesota visiting my family, a visit from one of my best friends, and a trip to KC with two of my favorite humans. In September, we took TWO more trips to Colorado, and spent a week in Mexico for a wedding.

In the middle of this busyness, my partner and I also simultaneously planned proposals to each other two weeks apart. During a trip to KC, surrounded by my favorite people, my partner asked me to spend forever with her. Two short weeks later on top of a mountain, I asked her to do the same.

I have been anything but rigid over the last couple months when it came to my self-love, career, health, and fitness goals. But I have lived. I made the most MAGICAL of memories and I have been able to show up and be present. And for that I am so thankful. We are settling back into our normal routine this week, and the home body in me is so excited for more time at home.

All that being said, after two crazy months, my coaching doors are FINALLY back open. I am accepting TWO new clients this month. If you are ready to HOP on your goals and start creating your dream life, reach out. Your first session is ALWAYS free.

I often feel as though I view the world solely through a lens clouded by trauma. And in a lot of ways I had accepted that’s how it would be. But lately I have been learning and experiencing there can be moments where I don’t have to be controlled by my trauma. And for that brief moment, it feels like freedom. I experience healing in ways I never expected. I don’t want to open my eyes in hopes it will stay for a little longer. And maybe one day it will.

So I guess, here is to me believing that more moments like that are possible in this lifetime (with a lot more therapy, of course. ;)). Anyway, hope you all enjoyed a little rambling of all the things I processed while embracing my mountain feels today.

In my last post I shared about how important it is to CLOSE the stress response cycle. To better understand this process, we must first understand that stress and a stressor are NOT the same.

A stressor is an experience that triggers the stress response in the body. The stress response is the physiological response our body has to that stressor. We must deal with BOTH the stress AND the stressor in order to remain homeostatic (aka the comfortable state our bodies NEED to function).

The tips I am going to share in the next couple of posts are how we deal with the STRESS response (aka the physiological response). This is important because even if we remove ourselves from the stressor, the stress response remains activated until we close it.

One of the ways that you can close the stress response cycle is through a 20 Second Hug with someone you love and trust. Research shows that when you hug someone you love and trust for that time you can change your hormones, lower your blood pressure and heart rate, and improve your mood. This is done through the release of oxytocin during this kind of physical intimacy. This type of hug alerts your body that you are safe. You have escaped from the stressor and are home safe and sound. Whether or not it is is exactly 20 seconds isn’t important, but rather you must hug until you FEEL the shift of the cycle completing, the shift to a state of relaxation.

This method has become Rachael (my partner) and I’s favorite way to close the stress response cycle. So much so we have worked to incorporate this into our daily routine at least once a day. And let me tell you, it’s a game changer!

Stay tuned for the next way you can close your stress response cycle in my future posts!

**This Stress Response Cycle series and the research used to support it is inspired by the work of Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagosk in their book “Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle.” I highly recommend reading this book for further information on the topic.**