The Power of Nervous System Regulation in Owning Your Truth

Everything changes when you trust yourself.

Yet, for the first year and a half of my business, I didn't truly trust myself.

In fact, the first 6 months, of my business, I actually struggled to call my business a business, because it all felt beyond me. After years of resigning myself to working for other people in jobs that I never truly loved, the idea that I could create a business on my own terms, offering services that felt truly aligned for me to put out in the world (especially "woo" services that I sensed not everyone would understand), felt out of reach, even when I was in the midst of doing it.

I had so much anxiety about truly owning the spiritual side of me. I don't come from a spiritual family. My dad is an atheist and my mom is agnostic. Many of my friends weren't into the spiritual world.

So, when I decided to start a business centered around Human Design and the Akashic Records, two very "woo" topics, I was scared to truly own my truth. Speaking about these topics on social media was terrifying. And not just speaking about them as topics of my own interest, but topics that I was branding and commodifying for money.

I didn't have imposter syndrome (a term that is, apparently, the top SEO word out there today). In fact, the more I went down the spiritual rabbit hole, the less I felt like an imposter in my own life. I felt imposter syndrome as a classroom teacher more so than in any of this work I was drawn to spirituality.

What I had was what I'll call ownership syndrome. I was afraid to own myself truly to the world...not because I felt like I was an imposter, but because I was afraid that my world wouldn't want to see the real me. And thus, I suffered...and my business suffered.

Knowledge for the Sake of Knowledge is Meaningless

It's been a journey to truly own my truth. I've gone deep into past life trauma, ancestral trauma, and experiences in my current life that have held me back. And yet, in all honesty, knowing all of that in itself hasn't had an impact in truly owning my truth to grow my business. It simply hasn't. Has it been a waste of time to do all of that introspection? No, I wouldn't say so. Yet, obtaining more knowledge--whether about ourselves or the outside world--means very little if we aren't doing anything with it. Furthermore, I've seen how more knowledge can actually be a distraction to true growth. I, myself, have a history of getting caught in the knowledge at the expense of actual growth, and I've become pretty skilled in noticing when other people are in this trap, as well.

Because here's the thing - knowledge is simply knowledge. Yes, knowing that such and such an experience happened in a past life can help me understand why I've struggled with owning my truth in this life at an intellectual level and even support me in healing a long-held wound. Yet, if I'm not doing anything with that knowledge to change my life externally, what even is the point? Even my Human Design has only taken me so far in my intellectual understanding of my life, because knowledge for the sake of knowledge does nothing to truly move the needle forward in how we live our day-to-day lives.

This is problematic now, more than ever - we live in SUCH a content heavy world. Never in human history have we had so much information at the tips of our fingers. Even in the Human Design space, which touts itself as being the science of differentiation, there are thousands of content creators out there bombarding Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube with their interpretation of how to live your design. And while I don't have a problem with content creators feeling the pull to share information that they are passionate about from their own lens, I do believe this means we, as consumers, must be more and more discerning about what we are giving attention to.

Because knowledge for the sake of knowledge is meaningless...and do we really need 100 different content creators in our feed telling us more about our favorite topic, if all we're doing is ingesting that information and doing nothing with it?

The Sweet Spot: Where the Knowledge Meets Nervous System Regulation

Over the past few months, nervous system regulation has been coming more and more into my awareness. The more I've been contemplating the importance of nervous system regulation for true growth and embodiment, the more I've been seeing that reflected outside of me in the content I've been consuming.

What I've been recognizing over the past few months is that, for all the knowledge I've gained about what's been "blocking" me from growing my business - the unresourceful stories I've been telling myself, the elements of my Human Design that show up in this struggle, the past life and ancestral healing I've dived into - none of it is going to make a wink of a difference in my external reality if my nervous system isn't at a place to receive more.

Nervous system regulation has been my top priority for the past 3 or so months as I grow my business. What does this look like for me? First of all, becoming aware of my self sabotaging patterns, and seeing how my nervous system has allowed me to continue to enact those patterns, because they feel safe.

It includes pausing when I notice my old patterns crop up and doing something to move that energy - I love tapping, and this is my go to tool when I recognize that it would benefit me to move some energy. I also love getting out into nature. Breathwork is also another great tool to move energy, though I tend to prefer tapping overall. What works for me may not work for you.

Once I have moved the old energy out of my system, I am calmer and more able to make a choice that will empower me and make real impact. It's not always the biggest actions that make a difference. Sometimes, it's the small, everyday actions - continuing to show up when it seems like no one is looking - that truly has the biggest impact. Or choosing to take a break and go for a walk instead of plowing through another work task from a place of anxiety and need rather than a sense of true alignment.

Learning to regulate my nervous system has been the real mover and shaker for me in being able to own my truth as a business owner. It has allowed me to flip the script I've been carrying of failed early thirty something that had to move in with her parents to strong, courageous entrepreneur who keeps persevering, even when things seem to be falling a part. It has allowed me to truly believe that my struggles are my greatest gifts, that I have learned so much from them, and that I wouldn't be who I am today with them. It has allowed me to trust myself and my path with unwavering confidence, even in the face of unknown outcomes.

Knowledge is power - I truly believe in the power of Human Design and the past life and ancestral knowledge and healing I've gained from my own Akashic Records, which is why I utilize these tools with my own clients.

However, knowledge also loses it's power when we are inundated with it, and when we use it as a crutch instead of a tool to support us in moving forward with our lives.

I'm seeing how crucial nervous system support is in being able to use that power from a useful, balance place within me...a place that allows me to own my truth and step into my own power and confidence with more ease and trust. Because, despite how much we can learn about ourselves through tools like Human Design and the Akashic Records, their power is moot when coming against an unregulated nervous system that wants desperately to keep us safe.

A recent weekend soaking up the natural world. The more I work to regulate my nervous system, the more confident and trusting I become of myself.

Looking for community-oriented nervous system support? Check out my amazing colleague, Zieda Diata!