Pushed-down feelings do not disappear. Avoided emotion changes form and finds another way out, usually through the body. Here is where it goes, and a six step somatic body scan you can try in a few minutes.

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Woman in a white dress sitting curled on a wooden dock at a still lake, head resting on her arms

Fear stopped me where I stood, and I didn't talk myself out of it. Here is what I did instead, and the three body-based practices I now teach clients.

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Woman with eyes closed, arms crossed with each hand resting on the opposite shoulder in a self-hug

You're still answering the texts, still making the deadlines, still the first call because you always pick up. And you're tired in a way sleep doesn't touch. What high-functioning burnout costs the strong one, and how the pattern starts to change.

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A woman with her head down on her arms, worn out behind closed doors - high-functioning burnout, Healing Arts Center Virginia Beach

Yes, you can do Reiki on yourself, and it might be the most useful way to learn it. What self-Reiki actually looks like, why a few minutes a day gives your nervous system a chance to settle, and where to learn it in one afternoon.

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We go into rescue mode or start overanalyzing the situation and ignore the internal part of us where fear is showing up. The heart racing, the tension in the muscles, the temperature in our body changing. The reptile brain has taken over and yet we ignore it by focusing only on the problem outside ourselves. Learn how to build the internal capacity you need to regulate your nervous system.

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Delicate purple cherry blossoms against dark background representing calm and nervous system regulation