Edge Note: Why does chaos feel like home?

Why can peace feel more uncomfortable than the crisis you spent years trying to escape? Lisa Lacy, trauma educator and host of Notes From the Edge, explores one of trauma’s strangest contradictions: the nervous system can mistake what is familiar for what is safe. In this solo episode, Lisa gets personal about becoming extraordinarily good at functioning inside chaos, from building a high-pressure career around competence and crisis management to constantly monitoring the emotional weather around her. She explores what happens when the emergency finally ends, but your body is still waiting for the next one, and why ordinary moments of safety can become part of retraining the nervous system. In this episode: Trauma, hypervigilance and the nervous system Why peace can feel boring, suspicious or unsafe When competence and productivity become survival strategies Overfunctioning, caretaking and monitoring other people’s emotions The difference between connection and intensity Why stable relationships can initially feel unfamiliar Learning to tolerate other people’s disappointment Resting without feeling like you have to earn it Teaching the nervous system that calm is safe How ordinary can eventually begin to feel like freedom Connect with Lisa: www.lisalacy.com What did you perform in order to survive? Welcome to the Edge.