"Would you believe us if we told you that your anxiety lives, breeds and grows in your body, and has had its seeds planted in your physiology long before memory can trace? Polyvagal theory teaches us that our early childhood experiences, particularly social interactions with our families, tone and shape our autonomic nervous systems. Hence creating a "pre-determined" way of reacting to stress, changing circumstances, etc. Sounds bleak, right? The good news here is that, despite this "molding" if you will, there is a way to change how our nervous systems operate! Yay science.

Ongoing experiences, particularly ones that help bring us calm, have the capacity to continue to shape, and re-pattern our nervous systems. We often "can't shake off our anxiety" because we exist in environments that keep the anxiety "stuck". We surround ourselves with people, places and things that bring us a sense of overwhelm, we assume that a little 2 day staycation will do the trick. The reality is - your staycation may offer you momentary respite and relief, but it doesn't take away the source of the stress. Sometimes we can't break away from the thing that causes us stress, but we can change how we react to it, how often we engage with it, and the level to which it impedes our day-to-day functioning. Short answer, anxiety is not just "irrational thinking" rather it is your mind interacting with a dysregulated nervous system. Get yourself into a routine, engage with people you identify as "safe" and "restorative", if you can afford it - go to therapy, create a daily wellness practice (meditation, breathwork, morning yoga, evening run), and check in with your body constantly"