Monthly Collection - March
This month, I’m sharing:
Something to listen to
Many of us recognize that we land somewhere along the spectrum of anxious or avoidant when attached and in relationship. These two conversations explore what each style truly needs in order to feel safe, understood, and able to thrive in connection. I hope they offer a little clarity and compassion for the ways we relate to one another.
What Avoidant People Need to Thrive in Relationship (Apple)
to listen on Spotify
What Anxious People Need to Thrive in Relationship (Apple)
to listen on Spotify
The next podcast is very dear to me as I have been training with Ariel Schwartz. She is a gentle and skilled psychologist. I hope you learn to enjoy her work as I share and bring this into the therapeutic space.
Why You Overthink, People Please and Fear Abandonment (Apple) (Spotify)
Something to read
Wild Geese by Mary Oliver
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting -
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
Something to nourish
In This Is Your Brain on Food, Dr. Uma Naidoo explores the close relationship between anxiety and the health of our gut. She explains that the balance of microbes in the digestive system plays an important role in mood regulation, and that foods like fermented vegetables and fiber-rich plants can help support a healthier microbiome. Rather than focusing only on individual nutrients such as tryptophan, she encourages a broader view of nourishment, showing how gut health, inflammation, and overall eating patterns influence the brain’s ability to regulate mood and anxiety.
At its heart, the chapter is a reminder of the deep connection between the gut and the brain. By supporting the microbiome through whole, nutrient-dense foods, we can gently support emotional balance and resilience from the inside out.
Reference
This Is Your Brain on Food. Naidoo, U. (2020). This is your brain on food: An indispensable guide to the surprising foods that fight depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, ADHD, and more. Little, Brown Spark.
“The greatest gift that you can give yourself is a little bit of your own attention.”
Something to try
Lately, I’ve been curious about small ways we can gently help the nervous system settle when things feel heightened or overwhelming. One practice that keeps appearing in both research and conversation is something called the physiological sigh. It’s simple and natural, and something our bodies already know how to do. It can also be helpful for people who find that slowing the breath brings up feelings of anxiety.
The physiological sigh is a breathing pattern the body naturally uses to regulate stress. It involves taking two short inhales through the nose followed by a long, slow exhale through the mouth. Research from scientists, such as Andrew Huberman, show that this pattern helps reopen tiny air sacs in the lungs (alveoli), improve oxygen–carbon dioxide balance, and rapidly activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which reduces physiological arousal.
Unlike paced breathing, which focuses on maintaining a steady rhythm over several minutes, the physiological sigh works as a rapid reset. Even one or two cycles can quickly lower stress and bring the nervous system back toward a calmer state, making it a useful grounding or resourcing tool during moments of acute anxiety or overwhelm.
If you’d like a gentle way to experience this in practice, the guided meditation below offers a supportive place to begin. Sometimes it’s easier to explore these tools when someone is guiding the rhythm and holding the space. Take a few quiet minutes if you have them and simply notice what shifts as you breathe.
