Are You Tired Or Traumatized?

Written by: Sarah Kneebone, Executive Contributor

Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.

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We are living in tiring – and trying – times. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the topic of mental health has had more time in the spotlight than ever before. The impact of chronic stress, fear, uncertainty, instability, and grief is also hitting home harder than ever before. It’s exhausting.

But have you stopped to consider the fact that your energy was already being zapped by old traumas you’re still carrying subconsciously? The stored memories, emotions, and stories you’ve assigned to events that happened in your past - no matter how small or seemingly insignificant.

Do you resonate with feeling habitually overwhelmed, disconnected from yourself, or caught up in draining and self-sabotaging patterns that don’t serve you? If so, this message is for you.

You aren’t lazy or crazy. Let’s go beyond the surface to see what’s really driving your fatigue (and no, it’s not just those late nights watching Netflix!).

The body craves balance

Trauma and chronic stress are the 1 root cause of almost all autoimmunity, chronic illness and dis-ease in the body. Why? Because it causes us to live in perpetual fight/flight/freeze mode (the sympathetic state) rather than rest/digest mode (the parasympathetic state). In essence, it prevents our bodies from coming back to homeostasis, with consequences for everything from our hormones to our happiness.

Our nervous systems need our help.

Wondering whether this applies to you? Well, trauma has less to do with what’s happened to you and more to do with how you perceive what’s happened to you. That means whether you have been subjected to physical abuse or you’ve simply taken on the cruel words of a little kid at school, you have some sort of trauma. All of us do, whether we consciously remember it or not.

All talk, no action

Many of us seek the assistance of a therapist to work through our “stuff”, and that can be incredibly powerful. I’ve personally seen the remarkable results of talk therapy during my own healing journey with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.

However, in many cases, it is also necessary to go beyond the rational, conscious mind and tap into the body, where trauma is stored. This is where the magic happens.

The power of somatic healing

Somatic healing bypasses the brain (great for busy minds!) and allows us to access and process buried emotions that we haven’t felt safe enough to release. It is a body-oriented approach to trauma healing that helps bring sensitive nervous systems back to baseline.

Everything in this world is energy, and emotion is just energy in motion. It needs to be moved through: You’ve got to feel it to heal it.

How breathwork can help

Breathwork is the 1 somatic wellness tool used to improve mental, physical and emotional wellbeing. And why is it so wonderful? Because it’s simple and accessible. We all have the ability to breathe consciously, so we can all benefit from this ancient healing modality that:

• Reduces stress and anxiety

• Increases alertness and energy

• Boosts your immune system

• Awakens your body’s natural healing systems

• Elevates your mood

• Activates greater states of consciousness

Breathwork tones the vagus nerve, which is a set of nerves that reports to the brain what the body is experiencing. When you have good vagal tone, you recover quickly from stressful or traumatic events. You easily access the parasympathetic state. You experience life with a greater sense of calm.

And doesn’t the thought of that make you breathe a little easier?

If there’s one thing I want you to take away from this article, it’s that you have been carrying a heavy weight. It’s okay that you’re tired. But now, armed with this information, you can begin to change things for the better.

It’s time to get your mojo back!

If this article inspired you, be sure to browse my breathwork and health coaching services and resources via the links below. It would be great to see you at one of my virtual breathwork sessions soon (posted here).

I would love to connect with you and support you in reclaiming your energy and zest for life. Find me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and the “More Mojo” podcast, or via my website.

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Sarah Kneebone, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine

Sarah Kneebone is a Certified Holistic Health Coach and Breathwork Facilitator. She combines dietary and lifestyle optimization with deep emotional healing practices to help busy, tired women uncover the root cause of their symptoms, reignite their energy, and get their zest for life back.

After being hospitalized with sepsis and diagnosed with autoimmune thyroid (Hashimoto's), Sarah realized that her unsustainably fast-paced lifestyle and unprocessed trauma needed to be resolved. She began a transformative healing journey that led to the remission of her condition and a career change from Marketing Manager to Holistic Health Coach.

Mojo Health Space was born out of a deep desire to help others get their mojo back, and Sarah now dedicates her life to supporting women through coaching, digital courses, and her podcast: "More Mojo". Her mission: "For all women to feel truly vibrant + thriving."