Episode 38 - Reset & Reconnect: Nervous System Healing and Emotional Mastery with Anat Peri
By Jessica Garrison
Anat Peri is someone who understands the nuances and intricacies that come with embracing our layers. Sometimes she’s silly and sometimes she’s serious, but she is always doing her best to live unapologetically and authentically. We’ve heard from her on our YouTube panel show in the episode, “The Power of Mental, Emotional & Physical Health Alignment,” but now we get to dive a little deeper with Anat.
I love how Anat talks about self care during this episode, and it wasn’t until a few years ago that she realized she was living in survival mode. She says it wasn’t self care that she was doing, but it was self repair (what a mic drop moment). Rather than filling her cup in order to overflow and share with others, she was doing the bare minimum to keep herself going, and that will lead you directly to burnout.
It was on a retreat that everything changed for Anat. She figured she’d end up working in her free time, but she wasn’t even worried about touching her laptop. Rather, she enjoyed her time of rest and relaxation, and the world didn’t end when she took some time for herself. It was a reset for her, particularly for her nervous system. Most people have heard of fight or flight, a physiological reaction to a perceived threat. Even if we aren’t in danger, our bodies can still be reactive like we are, and Anat needed a way to reset her nervous system so she wasn’t constantly feeling that intensity. She came back from the retreat well rested and thought, I can be like this every day. You don’t have to keep pushing through, just getting by week after week. It’s important to take the right steps so you aren’t constantly trying to play catch up with your self care.
When Anat talks about retraining the nervous system, she also talks about that inner child work, which has been a recurring topic with the network. The fact that we are hearing this more and more from people is a step in the right direction because our childhood really is the foundation for how we act the rest of our lives. This inner child work isn’t a walk in the park Anat says, and the transformation won’t come overnight, but it’s worth it to put the work in to reap the rewards.
Anat speaks so confidently about the experiences that have come with her embracing layers journey and the hope in her voice is encouraging for others to do the same. She is an advocate for people to feel all of their emotions instead of pushing them away, and Anat is definitely walking the talk.
Ways to Engage: Take steps to practice resetting your nervous system, such as mental, physical, or sensory grounding. An example of physical grounding would be clenching your fist tight and releasing it, noticing the difference in sensations.