My Stories
My blog, essays and articles feature stories on healing from trauma, coping with disorder and practicing mindfulness
10 Ways to Connect to Our Interoceptive Sense to Help With PTSD
Jenna Grace2022-10-31T15:35:21+00:00October 31, 2022|Categories: Essays|
I didn’t know I was having a fight-or-flight response. For 23 years. A response that sent me flying outside of my body — dissociating — every time I became triggered. When there was too much sensory input. When I became too overwhelmed. Every time something took me back to my childhood. To my trauma. While living in a fight-or-flight state, I wasn’t connected to my body. Which led to many extreme complications. Complications like fainting, having high fevers, rashes, hives, [...]
Anxiety, CPTSD, Depression and PTSD: Taking Mental Health Breaks (+4 Tips)
I’ve been on hiatus. It’s summer, so I haven’t been teaching. Plus, I’m pregnant. And I haven’t felt like doing anything. But instead of beating myself up over my lack of motivation, I’ve decided to embrace it. To take the [...]
Anxiety, Depression and Trauma: Exploring the Wonders of Journaling (+ 7 Tips)
I typically journal every morning. Often when I wake up, I have the day weighing on my mind. As I’m sure most of us do. If I jump right into my day without journaling, I feel rushed. Scattered. Overwhelmed. Journaling [...]
Anxiety and OCD: Finding Ways to Release Control (+ 7 Tips)
I’ve been struggling lately. My semester is over, which means summer projects are upon me, and I’m feeling overwhelmed. Everywhere I look in my house, something needs to be fixed or cleaned. And it’s making me feel immobile with anxiety. [...]
CPTSD, PTSD and Trauma: Distracting Yourself from Fear (and 6 Tips)
Fear is inevitable. And when you’ve suffered a trauma, it’s everywhere. If I’m not careful, I could let fear rule my day. My life. But I’m finding there are ways to distract myself from my fear. If you think about [...]
Anxiety, OCD and Trauma: Taking Time to Adjust to Newness (+ 4 Tips)
I got new glasses. I hadn’t bought new frames since 2007. Needless to say, they were long overdue. But adjusting to new things is never easy for me. I don’t know what it is about newness that’s difficult. Sure it’s [...]
Anxiety, OCD and SPD: Navigating The Difficulties of Task Switching (and 6 Tricks)
Task switching is difficult for me, and it has been ever since I was a child. Moving from one thing to the next. Alternating between tasks. It’s something I still struggle with today. But I’m finding ways to ease the [...]
CPTSD, OCD, SPD, and Trauma: Tolerating Discomfort (+ 5 Tips)
My husband was upset with me on Easter. A holiday that isn’t always easy. And I was struggling to sit with myself while he was upset with me. It was too uncomfortable. I tried to make it better. I hugged [...]
CPTSD, Self-care and Trauma: Learning Self-efficacy (+ 8 Journal Prompts to Reflect on Your Self-efficacy)
Recently, I decided to join Noom. Noom is a weight loss app designed to help you understand the psychology behind weight loss. They take in factors such as how you eat and what your motivations are for eating. But they [...]
Bipolar, PMDD, PTSD, SPD: Regulating My Nervous System (and 6 Tips for Regulating Yours)
Regulating my nervous system is something I struggle with on a daily basis. No matter what the reason, I find myself over-regulated or under-regulated often. Like I have too much energy or not enough. Like I can’t sit still or [...]
Anxiety, PTSD, SPD and Trauma: Learning to Accept Change (+4 Tips)
I usually see the same hygienist at the dentist. Because when it comes to getting my teeth cleaned, I get a lot of anxiety. Not only do I have sensory processing disorder and PTSD, but I’ve had issues with my [...]
CPTSD, PTSD and Trauma: Learning How to Make Things Better (+6 Tips)
Since I’ve learned to regulate my nervous system enough so that I’m no longer living in fight-or-flight mode, I’ve started to notice the ways my life feels better. It was an adjustment. One that’s been hard to make. Because things [...]
Chronic Pain, PTSD and Trauma: Using Yoga to Let Go of Pain (and 5 Tips for Getting Started)
When I first started yoga, I would cry. Every time I was challenged with a new pose my body didn’t know how to hold, the tears would flow. I would feel defeated. Like I couldn’t do it. Couldn't get it [...]
“Loved reading this Jenna, what a great explanation of how your OT helped you. I have taken a few tips for a client of mine I am treating at the moment! Great post. Cheers!”
JAYNE OT