S4-E2: My Top 10 Insights & Distinctions 5 years into my recovery from C-PTSD

I'm taking an episode (or two) to get real about what life is life 5 years into my own recovery from C-PTSD using nervous system regulation.  Kind of like a before and after as I reflect on 10 of the more obvious (for me) insights and distinctions.  

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1. Survival Mode Can Look Like Success
You can be sharp, fast, productive — and still be running entirely on stress hormones. Just because it’s working doesn’t mean it’s well.

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2. You’re Not Broken — Your Nervous System is Braced
The exhaustion, disconnection, and inability to “bounce back” aren’t flaws. They’re signs your system is over-capacity and doing its best to protect you. 

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3. Burnout Isn’t a Mindset Problem
You can’t mindset your way out of nervous system depletion. More grit, more goals, and more gratitude lists won’t fix a body that’s stuck in overdrive. And holy gawd did I ever get the t-shirt on the mindset effort. 

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4. Rest Is Not a Reward
It's not something you "earn" once everything’s done. Rest is a biological need — and the gateway back to creativity, clarity, and joy and.. more productivity.  Who knew? 

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5. Emotional Intelligence Isn’t a Skill — It’s a State
EQ isn’t something you do. It’s something you Be. It's a by product of a healthy nervous system. Dysregulated = disconnected.

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6. You Don’t Heal by Thinking — You Heal by Feeling (Safely)
No amount of insight replaces what your nervous system needs to feel. Healing is about experiencing safety in your actual nervous system. That stringy bit of anatomy is what needs to feel safe.  

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7. Boundaries Aren’t Walls — They’re Regulation Tools
Saying no isn’t selfish. It’s how you teach your system that you matter too. And when you do, your Nervous System can trust you and start to relax. 

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8. You Can’t Cope Your Way Into Aliveness
Coping got you here — and that matters. But at some point, surviving becomes its own kind of stuck. Aliveness needs capacity, not just coping strategies. 

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9. Your (Body) Nervous System Isn’t the Enemy — It’s the Compass
It’s not trying to ruin your life — it’s trying to keep you alive. Learning to speak its