Flowing Into Fall: Building Emotional Fitness Through Mindfulness and EMDR

As the vibrant greens of summer soften into the brilliant golds and scarlets of autumn, nature herself offers a masterclass in transition. The leaves don’t cling; they release with a breathtaking display of color and then let go, making space for a season of rest and renewal.

What if I could learn to flow through my own internal seasons with the same grace? This fall, I invite you to embrace the concept of Emotional Fitness—the practice of building a resilient, agile, and compassionate nervous system that can handle life’s changes without breaking.

Understanding Emotional Fitness

Emotional Fitness is about more than just coping. It’s about thriving. It involves developing the skills to recognize and process emotions as they arise. This practice can help me navigate life's ups and downs with more ease and grace.

The Autopilot Overdrive: When I Stop Noticing

Our modern world often rewards speed and multi-tasking, pushing my nervous system into a constant state of high alert. I operate on autopilot, rushing from task to task, responding to notifications, and managing endless to-do lists. This is what I call functioning in overdrive.

When I’m in overdrive, I stop processing my experiences in real time. Instead of feeling an emotion, sensing a tension, or acknowledging a stressor as it happens, I shove it aside to "deal with later." I override my body’s signals, creating a backlog of stress and emotions.

What does this backlog look like in everyday life? I might experience:

• Mental Fog: Difficulty concentrating or remembering things.

• Irritability: Snapping at loved ones over minor inconveniences.

• Chronic Fatigue: Feeling tired no matter how much I sleep.

• Body Aches: Unexplained muscle tension, headaches, or stomach issues.

• Anxiety: A constant, low hum of worry or a sense of dread.

• Sleep Problems: Tossing and turning, or a mind that won’t shut off.

• Feeling Numb: An inability to access joy or excitement.

  
  

The long-term cost of maintaining this backlog is high. Chronically overriding my stress signals keeps my nervous system stuck in a sympathetic (fight-or-flight) or dorsal vagal (shutdown) state. This can lead to burnout, anxiety disorders, depression, a weakened immune system, and strain on my most important relationships as I become less present and available for connection.

The Bridge Back to Myself: The Power of the Breath and Noticing

The beautiful news is that I have a built-in reset button always available to me: my breath.

From a polyvagal-informed perspective, the breath is a direct line to my vagus nerve—the command center of my parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) nervous system. A long, slow exhale, in particular, signals safety to my brain and body.

From a somatic-informed view, my body holds the story of my stress and my healing. I can’t think my way out of a stress response; I must feel my way out by connecting to physical sensation.

My breath is the bridge between these two. It is both a physical sensation and a regulator of my nervous system. By noticing my breath, I anchor myself firmly in the present moment, creating the safety needed to process what’s happening right now, without adding to the backlog.

A Simple Practice: The 3-2-1 Mindfulness Check-In

This exercise is my first step in clearing the backlog and building Emotional Fitness. I can do it anywhere, anytime.

1. Take 3 Breaths: Gently close my eyes if I can. Inhale slowly, and exhale even more slowly. I won’t force it. I’ll just notice the air moving in and out. No need to change anything.

   
   

2. Name 2 Sensations: I’ll bring my awareness into my body. What do I notice? Perhaps I feel the weight of my body in the chair, the texture of my shirt on my skin, or the temperature of the air on my hands. I’ll name two physical sensations silently to myself.

   
   

3. Identify 1 Emotion: I’ll check in with my emotional landscape. What am I feeling right in this moment? Notice it without judgment. It might be "calm," "rushed," "annoyed," or "tired." Simply name it. "Hello, anxiety." "I feel you, overwhelm."

   
   

That’s it. This 60-second practice builds the neural pathways of awareness, allowing me to process information in real-time.

Supercharging My Journey: How EMDR Fits In

While mindfulness is powerful for managing the present, what about the old backlog—the accumulated stress, trauma, and emotions that are stuck in my nervous system and color my present-day reactions?

This is where EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) acts as a supercharger for my Emotional Fitness journey.

EMDR is a powerful, evidence-based therapy that helps my brain reprocess these stuck memories and beliefs. Think of it as a targeted defragmentation of my mental and emotional hard drive. Using bilateral stimulation (like guided eye movements or taps), it engages my brain’s natural healing processes, allowing me to move through old pain and stress without being retraumatized by it.

The memories remain, but their emotional charge and power to trigger me are dramatically reduced. This means I react less from a place of past hurt and respond more from a place of present-moment choice. It clears the backlog, freeing up my energy for a richer, more connected quality of life.

Flow Into a New Season

This fall, I commit to my Emotional Fitness. I’ll practice noticing the crunch of leaves underfoot, the scent of the crisp air, and the feeling of a warm sweater. I’ll use my breath as an anchor.

And if I find that the old backlog feels too heavy to clear on my own, I know that support is available.

www.soulspace.systems Let this season be one of release, renewal, and returning home to my own resilient, capable nervous system.