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Topic: Chronic Pain & Symptoms

BEST OF 2025: From Spiraling to Soothing

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Welcome to our end-of-year tradition! This week, we're re-airing one of the top two episodes of 2025—and it's no surprise this one resonated so deeply.

Catastrophizing is one of the most common mental habits keeping people stuck in chronic symptoms, fear, and anxiety. It's that moment when your brain jumps straight to the worst-case scenario: "I'm never going to heal." "This always happens." "What if it never goes away?"

In this solo episode, Grace walks through exactly what's happening when you spiral, why your nervous system hits the panic button, and how to catch yourself in real time. She shares from her own journey with fatigue and chronic symptoms, and offers practical tools to help you turn toward yourself with presence and compassion instead of fear.

Grace covers what catastrophizing actually is and why your brain does it, the 90-second rule for emotions, how to name it and ride the wave, calming reframes to use during a flare, and why even a one-second pause is powerful.

Save this one and come back to it—it's an all-time favorite for a reason.

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Why Your Symptoms Spike Around Family (And What To Do When They Do)

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The holidays can feel like the Olympics for your nervous system—and if your symptoms tend to spike around family, you're not alone.

In this episode, Grace explores why your body might still brace for impact around family, even if you've done years of healing work and your relationships aren't "that bad." She explains how your nervous system reacts to old emotional patterns rather than your current reality, and why roles like the peacekeeper, the easy one, or the one who's "too sensitive" can get reactivated during this time.

Grace breaks down the seven F's that fuel symptom flares—Fight, Frustration, Fear, Focus, Fix, Figure it out, and Forlorn—and shares two grounding questions to ask yourself when you're in a high-pain moment. She also offers a reminder: your symptoms aren't a sign you've gone backward. They're just an outdated security system that can be updated.

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100 Episode Celebration: Most Important Lessons So Far

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Grace celebrates 100 episodes by revisiting the most powerful healing lessons from the past two years—the ones listeners say changed everything. She unpacks why healing is never linear (and why your brain needs to hear that on repeat), how recovery stories actually rewire your nervous system toward safety, why food fear keeps symptoms stuck, and how to retrain your brain around eating, and what listener messages reveal about migraine relief, being able to eat again, and preventing caregiver burnout. 

Grace also shares her own journey with the podcast—the mumbling, the doubts, and why repetition is the key to building new neural pathways. You'll leave with a clearer understanding of what this work is really about: reminding your body it's not broken, it's not failing, and that healing is absolutely possible when you have the right tools and support.

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How Your Nervous System Affects Long Covid, POTS, CFS, Lyme, Mold

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In this episode, Grace explores why conditions like long COVID, POTS, chronic fatigue, Lyme disease, and mold illness often persist—not because of the virus or toxin itself, but because the nervous system remains stuck in survival mode. She unpacks the science behind the body's threat response and how symptoms become learned patterns when the brain keeps predicting danger. Grace shares emerging research on POTS reprocessing therapy and the power of emotional coherence, offering a compassionate reframe: your body isn't broken, it's brilliant. This episode invites you to see healing as teaching your nervous system it's safe again.

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When to Rest and When to Push Through Fatigue

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 Ever wonder if you should rest when fatigue hits—or keep going? Grace tackles one of the most common (and confusing) questions in chronic fatigue recovery: how to know when your body needs rest versus when your nervous system just needs reassurance that you're safe.

What You'll Learn:

The Two Types of Fatigue

  • Normal fatigue (proportionate to life stress, activity, or lack of sleep)
  • Nervous system fatigue (disproportionate, often paired with brain fog, body aches, or other symptoms—and doesn't improve with more sleep)

Why "Pushing Through" Isn't the Answer

  • The difference between bulldozing your symptoms and moving through them with compassion
  • How judgment, fear, and self-criticism actually reinforce fatigue by signaling danger to your brain
  • Why your approach matters more than whether you rest or move

The Key Question to Ask Yourself Before deciding to rest or continue with your day, pause and check in:

  • Can I meet this symptom calmly, without fear or panic?
  • Can I reassure myself that this is my nervous system, not something dangerous or broken?
  • Am I responding with compassion—or criticism?

If the answer is yes, you can gently move forward. If the answer is no, it might be time to pause, regulate, and build safety first.

What True Rest Actually Looks Like Rest isn't helpful if you're spending it in shame, guilt, or panic. Grace shares how to rest with permission—fully, compassionately, and without the mental spiral.

Trial and Error Is Part of the Process It takes time to learn the difference between types of fatigue. Grace walks you through how to experiment kindly with yourself, adjust as you go, and notice what your body is actually telling you.

Your New Mantra: "Symptoms are evidence of my brain perceiving danger—not proof that I'm broken."

Find the links below to learn more or reach out with questions.

Resources Mentioned:

Why Journaling is Important and How to Use It

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Why Having Multiple Symptoms Is A Good Sign

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If you’ve ever felt like your body is playing whack-a-mole with symptoms—pain, fatigue, gut issues, headaches—you’re not alone. In this episode, Grace explains why shifting symptoms, known as the “symptom imperative,” are actually a hopeful sign of neuroplastic pain. You’ll learn how to recognize this pattern, why it means your body isn’t broken, and how to respond so you can move toward healing.

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Perfectionism, Productivity and Pain

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In this episode, Grace explores the hidden costs of perfectionism. She reflects on how the drive to achieve and stay productive can often be rooted in pain, and how these patterns affect both mind and body. Grace unpacks the cultural narratives around productivity, the toll they take on our well-being, and what it looks like to step into a more compassionate, sustainable way of living.

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What Your Test Results Don’t Show You

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In this episode, Grace unpacks why your scans, labs, or diagnoses don’t always explain your symptoms—and what might be going on beneath the surface. She explores how many chronic conditions are driven not by structural damage, but by nervous system dysregulation and unresolved emotional stress. If you’ve been told “everything looks normal” or have a diagnosis but still feel stuck in symptoms, this episode offers a new way forward.

You’ll learn:

  • The difference between structural issues and functional patterns
  • How chronic stress and emotional suppression impact your body
  • Why your nervous system may be the root of persistent symptoms
  • How healing happens when we stop chasing diagnoses and start working with the body

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Simple Morning Routine for Chronic Pain and Illness Relief

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In this solo episode, Grace walks us through a powerful yet flexible morning routine designed specifically to support those healing from chronic symptoms. Whether you're dealing with pain, fatigue, or nervous system dysregulation, this grounded, heart-centered practice can help you gently anchor into your day with more ease and intention. Grace also shares insights from her own recent experience being sick while traveling—and how she’s continuing to meet herself with compassion.

Full Morning Routine in Writing Below

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No phone/screens
Stay off devices to protect your nervous system and stay grounded in your body.

Ground + Breathe (1–3 min)
Hand on heart and belly. Inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth (5–10 breaths). Signals safety and presence.

Gentle Somatic Movement (2–5 min)

  • Neck and shoulder rolls
  • Seated cat-cow or spinal twists
  • Light tapping down the body
  • Fascia release: slow arm squeezes
  • Vagus nerve activation: hum, sigh, or “vooo”

Journal or JournalSpeak (10–20 min)

  • Free-write raw emotions or daily triggers
  • Use prompts:
     What part of me is here? What does it need? What truth needs to be spoken?
  • Follow with affirmations to rewire beliefs
     (e.g. I am safe. I am enough. I deserve peace.)

Short Meditation (1–5 min)

  • Breath focus, somatic tracking, or loving presence
  • Start small — even 1 minute is powerful

Get Outside (if possible)

  • Walk, breathe fresh air, sit in sunlight or nature
  • Ground yourself in the environment

Adapt to your needs

  • Low energy? Skip movement, extend breath and journaling
  • Overwhelmed? Focus on grounding only
  • Let it be supportive, not rigid

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