From Awareness to Application: Tools for Regulated Living

Awareness is powerful—but what happens when you understand your patterns and still find yourself reacting the same way?

In this episode of Soul Medicine: Healing Out Loud, we begin the shift from insight to practice. Angela introduces simple, accessible tools to help you start working with your nervous system in real time—not perfectly, but intentionally.

You’ll learn how to:

•  Pause before reacting and allow emotional waves to pass 
•  Use your body to support regulation when your mind feels overwhelmed 
•  Recognize your personal signs of activation 
•  Create space between stimulus and response 

This is not about fixing yourself. It’s about building awareness and learning how to respond differently, one moment at a time.

If you’ve ever felt stuck between knowing and doing, this episode offers a grounded starting point.

Remember: regulation must precede resolution.

Thank you for listening to Soul Medicine: Healing Out Loud.
 This is a space for reflection, awareness, and intentional living.

If this episode resonated with you, take a moment to sit with what you’ve noticed.

Until next time, remember—Regulation Before Resolution™

 If you’re ready to take the next step, you can find more resources and ways to connect at aaspiringwellness.com.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Hello. And welcome to Soul Medicine Healing Out Loud. I'm Angela. And welcome to Episode Four. From Awareness to Application Tools for Regulated Living. I've noticed that when awareness becomes practice, we respond instead of react. We wait for clarity after we regulate our nervous systems. Many of us have insight on what we notice in our lives without application of what to do seems very frustrating. When clients in session with me begin to regulate in real time, I notice a decrease in anxiety and an increase in self-awareness, not self-judgment and not self-help or fixing, but simply self-awareness. Awareness is powerful. However, awareness without practice can also feel very frustrating. It's like knowing what's happening and still finding yourself doing the same thing. Stay with me here. Today we're beginning the shift from understanding your nervous system to working with it in real time. Let's place our feet flat on the floor. And whether you're indoors and the floor is carpeted or hardwood, or outdoors where there's grass or sand, feel the ground beneath your feet. Wiggle your toes a little bit. Notice. For four. We'll hold for four. And then release and exhale until there's nothing left for you to let go. Let's begin in through the nose. Three, two, hold, three, two, exhale. What do you notice? And even understand them, yet still repeat them. When our nervous system is dysregulated, and our brain is under stress of constant thoughts, replaying old conversations that have passed, replaying circumstances and decisions that did not turn in our favor. It limits our access to logic. Simply a skill gap. You're not broken. You were never taught. And what we're doing today, it's not fixing anything. It's simply introducing a different way to respond. These are not techniques for you to master today. These are ways to begin noticing and interrupting what's already happening. You may try one of these tools and still find it difficult. But that doesn't mean it isn't working. As you listen, I want you to simply notice which of these tools does your body respond to? And which one it resists. And notice what happens in your body when you don't immediately react. Speaking before examining our own thought process. And you didn't even realize that you forgot to breathe. Yes, taking a long exhale and sighing, allowing yourself to release that tension. When you feel your shoulders creeping up to your ears, signaled sometimes by that ache in your neck and your shoulders. Dropping your shoulders intentionally. Simply unclench your jaw and allow your mouth to open slightly. Do you find yourself over explaining? Are you anything like me? And you start cleaning aggressively. As children, we didn't understand this activation. However, we knew to stay out of the kitchen when we heard mom banging around those pots and pans and slamming dishes in the cabinet. Remember, we're simply noticing. Or let me think about that. If it's a text or an email, say to yourself, I'll respond later. Let silence do the work. Silence might feel uncomfortable, but discomfort is not danger. And no, this is not avoidance. This is simply giving your system time to regulate before responding. Which of these feels the easiest to try? Which do you notice yourself resisting? And what does it feel like in your body right now as you listen? Has anything slowed down or sped up? Let's regulate feet flat on the floor. If you're sitting in a chair, lying on a bed, allow yourself to be supported. Deep breath in three two hold three two exhale. Drop your shoulders. Just notice. What shifts? Regulation is not about doing this perfectly. It's about beginning to respond differently one moment at a time. You now have awareness and you have tools. You may still notice that in certain moments it becomes harder to use them, especially in your relationships. In the next episode, we're going to look at one of the most common patterns I see. The push pull pattern. Until next time. Remember, regulation must precede resolution. See you next time.