Secular Shepherdess

The Emotional Tide node of the Life Support Paradigm focuses on how the world impacts our emotions and how we experience and regulate our emotions.

How do you know you're able to connect with others?

The art of reciprocal relationships requires us to ask for and expect what we need while adjusting how we show up so that we can honor our relationship partners' needs as well. Reciprocal relationships require a mix of rigidity and flexibility from both parties.

We connect to one another in myriad ways, and each point of connection represents ways we can be rigid and flexible with each other. Overly rigid systems have limited degrees of freedom, and each instance of imperfect attention or human error has the potential to break something. Overly fluid systems have too many degrees of freedom and can't stand up to the winds of life on their own.

While we may have some gnarly connection needs, there are folks in the world willing and able to work with us to create a stable enough relationship - whether friendship, partnership or something else.

As we look at our connection points within a relationship, we begin by identifying what works and what doesn't work for us about that connection in the present. As we look at the connection, it's helpful to understand how flexible we can be in how this connection need can be met.

Then, we get to use our words to express what's working, what's not, and what shifts we think could make it work better. As relationships are works-in-progress, it's normal to have these conversations multiple times as things shift (or don't) and each person discovers more about themselves.

Keys to these conversations include both people being clear on what needs to shift, being clear on what shifts they're willing to make, and being clear about what cannot change about their approach.

Despite popular sentiment, making changes in isolation is rarely the answer. A coach can provide just the support you need to begin making those changes that feel just out of reach. Contact me today through the link in my bio for more information.

Small changes in how we speak to ourselves can crack old habits.

The Material Interaction node of the Life Support Paradigm focuses on how the physical objects in our lives impact our experience.

How would you describe a good enough maintenance regimen?

The ubiquity of media makes it difficult to see its impact on our lives. Because it permeates our lives in so many ways and spaces, figuring out where it's souring how we tell our stories about ourselves and the world can be hard to spot.

All media - whether social media, television, or my beloved books - are used as ways to escape from our daily lives. There is a time and place for distraction; it's a favorite tool of mine. Respecting the influence media exposure has on our thinking and our nervous system requires regularly checking in on the cost of our distraction habits.

With practice, awareness, and discipline, we can become more intentional about the media we choose to consume. These practices can also mitigate the impact of the ambient media we're exposed to.

We can also curate media sources that increase our felt sense of hope, joy, and connection. Not every story revolves around people being ugly to each other.

So, take half an hour and consider what you choose to consume. Reflect on how it impacts how you think about yourself. Consider how your nervous system responds when you consume that media, remembering that being able to connect with others is a sign of a non-activated state.