PART 3: CPTSD Self-Care

That Actually Works

🔮 What We've Covered So Far:

PART 1: WTF is an Emotional Flashback?!

Understanding it.
You’re not crazy, babe. Here’s what’s really happening in your nervous system.

Breaks down:

• The difference between PTSD flashbacks vs CPTSD emotional flashbacks

• Why CPTSD is so sneaky + confusing

• Metaphors (like the starship!) to help you feel like the Captain, not the casualty

• That sacred aha moment: “Ohhh, it’s not me… it’s my nervous system reactivating” 💡

🧠 This part is all education + normalization.

Think of it as your emotional science lesson with glitter pens.

---

PART 2: Interrupting the Flashback Storm ⛈️

Managing it in the moment.
Okay, you’re spiraling: let’s get you out of that emotional riptide.

Breaks down:

• How to track your triggers

• How to interrupt spirals with tools (FIFI, pattern disrupts, grounding)

• How to talk yourself through the storm, not drown in it

• State-shifting techniques for when you're in full meltdown-mode

• Journaling, movement, sensory tricks, silly phrases (yes, “banana pants” saves lives) 🍌

🧘‍♀️ This part is all about real-time tools when the sh*t hits the fan.

It's your "emotional emergency kit."

---

PART 3: CPTSD Self-Care That Actually Prevents Flashbacks

Preventing them before they start.
Let’s build a life that’s flashback-resistant, grounded AF, and juicy with safety.

Will break down:

• Daily regulation rituals (your pre-flight checklist, remember?)

• Managing state like a boss (food, sleep, water, movement, rest, connection)

• How to build inner safety… like turning your nervous system from an alarm bell into a lullaby 🕯️

• Creating a predictable, compassionate inner world that feels nothing like childhood chaos

• Nervous system rituals and sensory sanctuaries

🌿 This is your daily practice zone. Not what to do when it’s bad… its’ what to do when it’s good so it doesn’t get bad.

Let’s get into it, queen! 💗

---

PART 3: CPTSD Self-Care That Actually Works

aka how to not live on the emotional edge 24/7 🧘‍♀️💗🛸

---

👑 Let’s get one thing clear:

Self-care for CPTSD is not about bubble baths and matching journals.
It’s about building a life that your nervous system actually feels safe in.

Not just “not triggered.”
But regulated.
Supported.
Predictable.
Held.

That’s the work, queen. And this is how we do it:

---

🛠️ THE DAILY FLIGHT DECK CHECK

These are the basics. Not glamorous. Not trendy.
But without these? You’re flying blind. Into asteroids. With no snacks.

Check them daily. These are non-negotiable:

---

🍽️ FOOD

Are you fed? Like really fed.
Not just caffeine and vibes.
Balanced blood sugar = calmer brain. Period.

Vegan and gluten-free can still mean deeply nourishing: think lentils, quinoa, sweet potatoes, and leafy greens. These slow-digesting babes stabilize your blood sugar and feed your brain the steady energy it’s begging for.

Low blood sugar = emotional chaos. Stable fuel = queen mode.

Feed your sparkle, not your stress.

---

😴 SLEEP

8 hours, babe. No martyr awards for exhaustion.
Exhausted brains can’t regulate. They panic. They spiral.

Honey, slide into 7 – 9 hours of dreamy shut‑eye nightly.

Skimping under 6  hours? You’re about 2.5 times more likely to get caught in those anxious, “can’t-think-straight” loops

---

💧 WATER

You’re not anxious: you’re dehydrated in a trauma body.
Drink. The. Damn. Water.

Even mild dehydration (just 1–2% of your body weight) can mess with mood, memory, and energy… like, your brain literally shrinks a little.

Plus, your cortisol (stress hormone) spikes higher when you’re low on fluids. Sip like your peace depends on it… because it kinda does. 💦

Your nervous system called. It wants a refill.

---

🧘‍♀️ STILLNESS

You can’t heal in chaos. You need quiet time.

Phone down. Lights low. Breath deep.

Even 10 minutes of stillness a day can lower cortisol, boost your immune system, and help rewire trauma patterns. Your nervous system isn’t being dramatic—it’s just begging for a moment of safety. Silence isn’t empty, babe. It’s sacred.

Breathe like your soul’s on airplane mode.

---

🏃‍♀️ MOVEMENT

Shake it out. Walk. Dance. Stretch.

Your body needs to complete stress cycles. Or it stores the stress for later.
(And guess what it comes back as? Yup. A flashback.)

Movement isn’t just fitness—it’s trauma release. Studies show 20–30 minutes of physical activity can flush stress hormones and reboot your mood. Somatic discharge = emotional freedom.

---

💗 SAFE CONNECTION

Text the friend. Cuddle the pet. Make eye contact with a barista.
We’re wired for co-regulation. You don’t have to do it alone.

Even brief social connection lowers blood pressure and soothes your vagus nerve… the chill-out highway of your nervous system.

Isolation feeds the trauma loop. Connection breaks it.

Let someone’s nervous system remind yours: you’re safe now.

---

Plant-Powered Recipe of the Week

🌱 Plant-Powered Recipe of the Week
Zesty Chickpea Quinoa Glow Bowl

✨ We’re keepin’ it groovy with last week’s superstar—quinoa—and adding one of my other ride-or-die protein besties: chickpeas. Parsley and lemon bring the zing, plus a hit of vitamin C and anti-methylation magic. Because yes, babe—your food can fight trauma on a cellular level.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked quinoa

• 1 cup canned chickpeas (drained & rinsed)

• 1 cup chopped kale or spinach

• ½ cup shredded carrots

• ½ avocado, sliced

• Handful fresh parsley, chopped

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 1 tbsp tahini

• 1 tsp maple syrup (optional)

• ½ tsp turmeric

• Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Toss chickpeas with turmeric, salt, and a splash of olive oil. Roast at 400°F for 20 min (optional for extra crunch).

2. Mix lemon juice, tahini, and maple syrup into a creamy sunshine dressing.

3. Build your bowl: quinoa, greens, carrots, avocado, parsley, and golden chickpeas.

4. Drizzle, toss, and taste the healing.

Why it slaps:
Quinoa + chickpeas = protein dream team.
Parsley + lemon = detox, refresh, protect your DNA.

---

🧩 STATE MANAGEMENT IS A SKILL,
NOT A VIBE

You’re not at the mercy of your mood.

You are a whole-ass Captain of Consciousness.
You can train your state like a muscle.

Here’s how:

---

💡 Step 1: Know When You’re Slipping

Flashbacks don’t always start big.

They sneak in.

Start by noticing when you feel:

• Agitated or buzzy

• Checked out or numb

• Helpless, ashamed, paranoid, needy

• Like the world is suddenly Very Dangerous

That’s a cue. Not a flaw.

---

✨ Step 2: GENTLY Intervene

Try one of these soul stabilizers:

• Touch something cold

• Hug yourself tightly for 30 seconds

• Say: “I’m safe. This is now. I am grown. I have power.”

• Slow your breath: in for 4, hold for 4, out for 6

• Put on a song that soothes you

• Change rooms or sit by a window

• Literally shake your arms out. Like a goose.

---

🔁 RITUALS MAKE SAFETY REAL

Your body needs proof that safety is your new normal. Not just vibes. Repetition.

Try making one or two of these daily rituals:

• Morning grounding:
  Before checking your phone, put a hand on your chest + say “I choose calm today.”

• Evening deactivation:
  No screens 30 mins before bed. Low lights. Soothing scent. Wrap in softness.

• Midday pause:
  Set an alarm at 2PM that says “Hydrate & Breathe.”

• Journal dump:
  One page, unfiltered. Let the mess out on paper. Then burn it or bless it 🔥

---

💌 Self-Care Isn’t Cute. It’s Survival.

And for you, it’s also your revolution.
Your refusal to live in freeze/fawn/fight/flight mode forever.

The more consistent you are with these micro-practices, the more trust you rebuild with yourself.

And eventually?
Your system starts whispering:

“Hey… maybe we’re actually safe now.”

That’s when the healing deepens.
That’s when you bloom.

xoxo,
Groovy Girl 🌱💖🌙