Frequently Used Resources / Exercises

What are some springtime activities that support our nervous systems in slowing down and reaching our integrated and regulated state?

(feel free to share your ideas & favourites with me in-session) Spring is one of my favourite seasons and these are some of mine:

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  • Sky gaze from a backyard or a nature place you like on a blue sky day

  • Find yourself out walking and see how many differently coloured flowers you can find - take pictures of them so you can see them again later if desired

  • Flower art in any type of art medium: collage, paint, drawing, crochet, embroidery

  • listen to the birds and the wind

  • Start seeds or slowly weed a garden

  • Repot houseplants

  • Walk in some woods - Meditate in some woods

  • Try out a new movement based class or supportive workshop in the community

  • Plan summer events to look forward to

Validation exercise - this is one of my earliest and most frequently shared skills for couples. Revisit whenever is helpful:

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A lot of conflict results from our need to feel heard and understood and hear confirmation that how we feel makes sense, but not because the need is problematic, it’s just that we have to take turns and that can be very difficult when we’re activated. Sometimes we need a pause first to regulate our systems, but when you’re ready to


This is the practice model:

It sounds like you are feeling _________and that makes sense because_______.

When you are trying to validate someone, listen for their feelings and try to name them. You’re just making a guess, it’s okay for them to let you know they re actually feeling a different feeling if you didn’t get it on the first try.

The second part is making 1-3 educated guesses about why their feeling exists and why you think based on who they are, and what you know of their personal and emotional history their feeling is understandable for them to feel, to your mind.

This is one of the hardest parts to integrate: you don’t have to agree with them or feel the same as them in order to tell them that their feeling makes sense.

Yay! Let’s go practice this!

My top resource for emotional regulation I’ve been sharing about lately, is the Emotional Freedom Technique.

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https://www.thetappingsolution.com/eft-tapping/
Here is a link with a great explanatory video and more resources.
While I look forward to taking a training soon, in the meantime, I can guide you through the basics.

Self compassion - it’s a skill we can develop with practice!

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https://self-compassion.org/self-compassion-practices/
Dr Kristin Neff studies self compassion and has many free resources to offer