Agnes Van Buren, MA

05/14/2026

Mental Health Awareness Month reminder 💚

Stress, anxiety, emotional overwhelm, burnout, and chronic tension can affect your nervous system and emotional well-being in powerful ways.

Learning about the vagus nerve and nervous system regulation can help support stress relief, emotional balance, relaxation, and mental wellness.

✨ Your mind and body both deserve moments of calm, rest, and recovery.

Read here:
https://reachoutrecovery.com/what-is-the-vagus-nerve/

05/10/2026

When worry or rumination takes over, it can feel like you’re solving a problem—but research shows these patterns often create more distress than they relieve.

Psychologists like Dr. Douglas Mennin help patients step out of these loops and respond to emotions more effectively.

Learn more: https://at.apa.org/82f824

05/07/2026

Cognitive shuffling is a technique to help a person fall asleep by guiding the mind to shift away from stressful or repetitive thoughts. It works by engaging the brain in a simple and neutral mental activity that promotes relaxation. The process involves choosing a random letter and thinking of objects that start with that letter. For each object, the person creates a clear mental picture, imagining its details like shape, color, or texture. After some time, the person switches to another letter and repeats the process. This method helps the mind move away from overthinking and into a calm, dreamlike state.

Like, follow, and share our page for more. Thank you, CogNation!

05/05/2026

You're an adult now. You know how to manage. How to survive. How to show up. But there's a part of you that's still 7 years old.

Still waiting for someone to say: "You matter. You're safe. I see you."

And when that inner child doesn't get what it needs, it shows up in your adult
life in ways you might not recognize.

WHAT YOUR INNER CHILD ACTUALLY NEEDED:

Safety. Consistency. Validation. To be seen. To be heard. To matter.

• But maybe your childhood couldn't provide those things.
• Maybe there was chaos instead of safety.
• Maybe there was criticism instead of validation.
• Maybe there was abandonment instead of consistency.
• So that young part of you learned: "I have to figure this out alone."

And now, decades later, you're still running that program.

That young part of you is just been waiting for someone to come back and say the things that were never said.

"You were worth protecting."

"Your needs mattered."

"What happened wasn't your fault."

Your inner child doesn't need you to fix your past.

She needs you to become the parent she never had. The parent who validates her. Who protects her now. Who tells her she matters. Who creates safety. Who says: "I'm here now. You're not alone anymore."

When you start parenting that young part of yourself, everything changes.

05/05/2026

🌿 Unusual ways to regulate your nervous system

https://recoverytraumaltd.gumroad.com/l/apntepd

Not everything has to be deep breathing or meditation.

Sometimes your body needs something unexpected, sensory, or simple to feel safe again.

✨ Take a shower in the dark
✨ Layer sounds to create a cocoon effect
✨ Use scent as an anchor
✨ Press something cold to your chest
✨ Talk to yourself in the mirror
✨ Do small repetitive movements

Regulation isn’t about doing it “perfectly.”
It’s about finding what actually works for your body.

Be curious. Try something new. Notice what shifts.

💛 Small shifts. Big impact.

🌿 www.recoverytrauma.com

⸻

Hashtags

04/30/2026

Most people are not “overreacting”. They just do not yet understand what they are actually feeling.

What looks like anger can be shame.
What feels like anxiety can be fear of rejection.
What shows up as withdrawal can be loneliness.
What gets labelled as “too sensitive” is often someone feeling overwhelmed or not good enough.

Teenagers and adults are often expected to just “manage” emotions without ever being shown how to understand them. So feelings come out sideways - in conflict, shutdown, avoidance or self-doubt.

When you can name what is really going on underneath, everything starts to shift. Better conversations. Healthier relationships. More control over reactions.

Emotional awareness is not optional. It is a life skill most people were never taught.

Free HOW EMOTIONS SHOW UP WHEN… – FEELINGS WHEEL POSTER

LIKE the photo and comment "EMOTIONS" and we will send you a message with a link to a free PDF of this resource.

04/27/2026

04/03/2026

03/29/2026

Close game threatening to bust your bracket? This mindful breathing technique can help lower stress.

03/27/2026

Handwriting benefits attention, cognitive health, and more.

03/14/2026

Subtle feelings of discomfort are important indicators.