Signs your nervous system is deeply healing that you may not have considered:

1. Your capacity for rupture and repair is expanded. Conflict doesn't feel like life and death any more.
2. You are able to stay in the unknown, and feel peace. The mystery of life feels like something you are more available for.
3. You feel creative and alive. You are able to imagine and visualize possibilities for yourself and others.
4. You allow all of your emotions and the full spectrum of your humanity. You feel less of the need to consciously or unconsciously minimize or dramatize any part of your human experience.
5. You allow yourself to give and receive. You're able to hold and sustain a receptive state of being.
6. You can remain consistent with taking care of yourself, and also don't beat yourself up when you call off the wagon. You return to the practices that make you feel good, without rigidity and shame.
7. Self compassion becomes easier. You don't turn to harsh self judgement and if you do, it's easier to get out of.
8. Waves of emotions feel more manageable, and you keep returning to the present moment.
9. You feel like you are thriving, not just surviving.
10. You can feel pain without ruminating or suffering as much.
11. The healing starts to feel like it's sticking. You can feel deeper breath and space and presence in your cells and bones. Frozen parts of you are coming alive.
12. You have access to your capacity to speak your truth, protect yourself, and set boundaries if needed.
13. As a leader – you compare less and admire more. You feel more inspired than jealous or triggered by others. You project less onto others and you own your triggers as your responsibility.
14. You feel less afraid of being seen, taking up space, disagreeing, detaching, and being relational.
15. Intimacy and closeness feel less scary and confusing, and more exciting and enriching.
16. It feels good for you to be alone, quiet, and spacious. 
17. You understand the power of pausing, breathing, and feel access to forgiveness, softness, and grace for self and others.
18. You can clearly differentiate your adult self from your inner child.
19. You have compassion when you make mistakes, allow yourself to fail and try again , and have a deeper sense of humor, plant and range of emotions.

When we feel more safe in the world, we come alive.

We live heart-centered, and heart-forward. I created this list because often when people speak of nervous system healing they speak about body symptoms settling, and anxiety settling, as well as restoration and healing of fight, flight, freeze and fawn responses. But there are so many other incredible effects to feeling more safe in this world, so many nuanced ways we can heal, feel more alive, creative, relational, adaptable, forgiving, compassionate to ourselves and others, present, available for life.

Which ones do you resonate with? In supporting people in a strengths based way (if you are a therapist or healer) do you focus on where your clients have deeply healed? What you focus on grows. Try and see what happens when you read this list and find the ways in which you and those around you are flourishing more and more each day.

Healing creates more healing.

How is your nervous system healing in a way you may not have even fully noticed?