10/09/2025
✨ Wellness Wednesday Check-In ✨
Midweek is the perfect time to pause and ask yourself: Where am I at?
In Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), we talk about 3 emotional systems:
⚠️ Threat – stress, anxiety, “what ifs”
🚀 Drive – striving, achieving, always busy
💛 Soothing – calm, balance, self-care
Many of us get stuck bouncing between Threat and Drive. Worry → push harder → burnout → repeat. That’s when our stress bucket starts to overflow.
👉 The good news? You can tip out the stress bucket by activating your Soothing system — not by waiting for motivation or a “perfect moment,” but by doing small, practical things that reset your body and mind.
✨ Here are 3 ways you can check in today:
1️⃣ Notice your system:
Ask yourself → Am I mainly in Threat ⚠️, Drive 🚀, or Soothing 💛 right now? Awareness is the first step to change.
2️⃣ Move your body for strength, not punishment:
Evidence shows strength training supports mental health and protects your body as you age. Even 10 squats, a short walk, or a few push-ups at home can release stress and give you back a sense of control. Strong body = strong mind.
3️⃣ Reset your nervous system:
Try the physiological sigh (2 short inhales through the nose, 1 long exhale through the mouth). It’s evidence-based to calm the parasympathetic nervous system and is one of the fastest ways to regulate when you feel overwhelmed.
🐝 Remember → self-care isn’t always glamorous. Sometimes it’s making sure you eat properly, go to bed earlier, or say no to one more commitment. These acts are how you empty your stress bucket and protect your wellbeing long-term.
➡️ Take a moment today to check in with yourself.
⚠️ 🚀 💛 Which system are you in, and what’s one small step you can take to restore balance?
