When school ends and summer begins, many parents expect a break—but what often comes instead is a spike in stress. In this episode, we explore why summer can feel more dysregulating than restful and how to support your nervous system through the transition. Learn how small, intentional shifts can help you move through this season with more calm, connection, and compassion—for yourself and your kids.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why the transition into summer can overwhelm your nervous system
• How loose rhythms, not rigid routines, support regulation for both you and your kids
• What co-regulation looks like in everyday moments (yes, even when it’s chaotic)
• Why repair after rupture is more important than getting it “right” all the time
• Simple somatic tools to anchor your body in overstimulating moments

3 Takeaways:

1. Loose Rhythm Regulates: A flexible but predictable rhythm can soothe your nervous system and create calm for your kids.
2. Regulation Doesn’t Have to Be Quiet: Even brief body-based practices—like shaking, orienting, or a breath reset—can make a real difference.
3. Repair Builds Safety: You don’t have to be perfect—just willing to come back and reconnect when things go sideways.

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Looking for more personalized support?

• Book a FREE discovery call for RESTORE, our 1:1 anxiety & depression coaching program (HSA/FSA eligible & includes comprehensive bloodwork)
• Join me inside Regulated Living, a mental health membership and nervous system healing space (sliding scale pricing available)
• Order my book, Healing Through the Vagus Nerve today!

*Want me to talk about something specific on the podcast? Let me know HERE.

Website: https://www.riseaswe.com/podcast

Email: amanda@riseaswe.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandaontherise/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amandaontherise

This is a simplified version of the conversation we had last week about how it's common for trauma survivors to feel anxious or scared when they finally experience moments of calm or regulation. This episode explores why this paradoxical response happens and offers gentle ways to help your nervous system learn that regulation doesn't have to mean danger. We dive into the "safety-danger equation" and how to build your capacity for feeling safe, one small moment at a time.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why your nervous system might interpret safety as a threat after trauma.
• How past experiences can make you feel like you've "lost your ability to protect yourself" when you relax.
• Practical strategies to start feeling safer with regulation, even when it’s uncomfortable.

3 Takeaways:

1. Feeling anxious when calm isn't a sign you're broken; it's a learned protective response from past trauma.
2. Your nervous system is always balancing "cues of safety" against "cues of danger"—trauma can make safety feel unfamiliar and thus threatening.
3. You can teach your nervous system that safety is okay by starting with small, anchored moments of regulation and validating your protective instincts.

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Looking for more personalized support?

• Book a FREE discovery call for RESTORE, our 1:1 anxiety & depression coaching program (HSA/FSA eligible & includes comprehensive bloodwork)
• Join me inside Regulated Living, a mental health membership and nervous system healing space (sliding scale pricing available)
• Order my book, Healing Through the Vagus Nerve today!

*Want me to talk about something specific on the podcast? Let me know HERE.

Website: https://www.riseaswe.com/podcast

Email: amanda@riseaswe.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandaontherise/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amandaontherise

Have you ever felt anxious about not feeling so anxious? Or had a moment of regulation trigger anxiety? In this follow-up we explore a counterintuitive but common phenomenon in trauma recovery: when finding safety and regulation actually triggers fear and anxiety. Drawing from research by Bessel van der Kolk, Stephen Porges, and Deb Dana, we examine why the regulated "green zone" can feel threatening to trauma survivors.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

→ Why trauma survivors often feel most vulnerable when regulated

→ How to identify what specific cues of safety and danger influence your nervous system

→ Techniques for building regulation capacity without triggering protective responses

→ The importance of "both/and" thinking: maintaining protection while exploring regulation

Three Takeaways:

1. Regulation happens when cues of safety outweigh cues of danger—but trauma rewires this equation, making the nervous system hypersensitive to potential threats and misinterpreting safety cues.

2. The fear of regulation isn't a failure or resistance—it's an intelligent adaptation that protected you in the past and deserves respect even as you work to expand your capacity.

3. Recovery isn't about eliminating protective responses but gradually creating reliable "islands of safety" that demonstrate regulation is survivable and eventually beneficial.

—

Looking for more personalized support?

• Book a FREE discovery call for RESTORE, our 1:1 anxiety & depression coaching program (HSA/FSA eligible & includes comprehensive bloodwork)
• Join me inside Regulated Living, a mental health membership and nervous system healing space (sliding scale pricing available)
• Order my book, Healing Through the Vagus Nerve today!

*Want me to talk about something specific on the podcast? Let me know HERE.

Website: https://www.riseaswe.com/podcast

Email: amanda@riseaswe.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandaontherise/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amandaontherise