What I Learn From My Dog
I've been slooooowwwww to pick up writing regularly in 2025. But whether you're feeling some slowness like me or bouncing around in January at a good clip, let's take a moment to embrace and normalize some sloooowwwww.
Learning from a Puppy's Pace
My Miniature Australian Shepherd puppy Millie is teaching me about the power of different speeds. Sometimes she's in full bullet mode, darting around to herd her human sisters.
Other times, she's completely still, taking in the world around her. Both states are equally valuable and necessary.
The Myth of "Gone"
Something I notice in my therapy practice, especially this month, is clients hoping their challenges would be metabolized, resolved, or gone by now. They're frustrated when anxiety still shows up during mom's phone calls, or when difficult memories still bring up challenging emotions and body sensations.
But here's what I tell my clients from the start (though they may not be able to hear it until later): GONE is not actually the goal.
Why We Need the Process
Healing, metabolizing painful experiences, increasing self-knowledge, reconnecting with our bodies – these are all practices and processes. If challenging things just disappeared, we wouldn't build resilience or develop the skills that equip us for future difficulties.
Just like Millie needs both her bullet-speed moments and her slow, sniffing explorations, we benefit from embracing different paces in our healing journey. Without the slow moments, we'd miss essential information our bodies are trying to share.
Take a quick audit of your speeds this month. Do they align with what you tell yourself about who you are and how you are in the world? Do they match the values you want to live by?
Do you feel like you have stress and trauma lingering in your body, holding you back?
Do you want to know how to let it go?
Grab my FREE guide: Foundations for Somatic Release
In this FREE guide you will:
Envision how you want to feel so you know what you are working toward
Recognize how you are feeling in your body right now so you know where you are starting from
Identify your body sensations to build your mindbody connection (a list of sensation words is included!)
Express these body experiences to help them release and complete their cycle
Let it Flow by learning to identify your body's natural ability to tell you what it needs to heal
Repeat the steps provided to get to know your body's patterns and needs
