Ep4: Hello Trauma

There’s no denying that the pandemic has hit hard, but the toll isn’t limited to the thousands of deaths, sick people, and emergency room chaos - it’s also about what’s going on in our heads. After months of isolation, confusion, and fear, the negative thoughts and feelings we all experience have become a plague of their own, leading us to experience extreme stress, full-blown burnout, and even death. Two plagues at once? Yep - it’s a lot, and while no one has felt the strain more keenly than our healthcare workers, adults and families everywhere are struggling. The thing about trauma is that it’s bigger than fear or anxiety alone and more difficult to handle. It affects our development as people, and if we aren’t careful about managing it, we also pass it down to our children. Don’t panic, though - there is some good news: with the right techniques, you can come to a better understanding of how your mind works and how you can give yourself the support you need.The relationship between trauma and burnout, the importance of listening to all three of your “brains”, and the power of creating a positive narrative - these are the cornerstones of anti-burnout. Don’t believe me? Just ask Diane Spindler. Diane is a psychotherapist and founder of Gentle Processing Resources with experience in managing the effects of PTSD. With over 30 years of experience in clinics, agencies, and private practice, she knows a few things about managing emotions and external influences - for your own good and the good of your family. In this episode of the She Burns podcast, Diane drops some hot tips on managing trauma, reducing anxiety, and looking after yourself during tough times.   So what’s this episode really about?  The four elements of trauma and how you can deal with it more effectivelyHow other people can cause and contribute to your burnout, and how you can counteract this by rethinking your own beliefs about yourself The importance of learning to listen to your gutCommunicating in the language of your subconscious mind A simple analogy for the relationship between trauma and energy and how you can create more of the latter in your lifeWhy you should listen They say life goes on after traumatic experiences, but sometimes we need a little help to shift our brains back into a productive state and clear out the dark matter bogging us down. Like the Marie Kondo of the subconscious mind, Diane Spindler is an expert in the art of clearing, and in this episode, you’ll pick up a handful of tips on understanding your own body and mind so that you can make burnout a thing of the past. LinksGentle ReprocessingShe ShattersYou can quote me on that… The back of your brain is your reptilian brain - your primitive brain - and it doesn't have a future or past; it only has a present. So that trauma gets put in the back of your brain waiting for you to process it, but life is so quick these days that you get a lot of those traumas put in the back of your brain over and over and over again. - Diane Spindler You have your brain, which is your logical brain, your heart is your emotional brain, your stomach, your gut, is your intuition. Now, when all three brains agree on something, the decision is easy. If you have two out of three, agree, it's not quite as easy, but it's better. But what we usually do is we listen to our logical brain, and our gut, in our gut in our heart is going, what about us? - Diane Spindler I think a lot of people...