What Is Nervous System Literacy—and Why Does It Matter at Work?

👏 Mindy Kaling’s life isn’t going at all as planned… and somehow she’s still crushing it. 

🙄 Oh great! Corporate work perks are getting yanked away.

📆 BRB, planning out our “worry schedule.”

😉 Consider this permission to step away from your desk for a sec… 

😭 Remember when a master’s degree guaranteed a job?!

Hone Health

Menopause Is a Workplace Issue 👏

Menopause is normal. Having to silently manage brain fog, chronic fatigue, mood swings, hot flashes, and other symptoms at work with zero support? So not okay.

That’s why Hone Health launched the Menopause Time Off movement, a campaign calling on employers to recognize menopause as a legitimate workforce health issue and respond with stigma-free flexibility, resources, and menopause-inclusive time off. 

Hone is also launching a $50K MTO Microgrant Fund for those without paid leave access, plus an employer toolkit and employee letter template to help turn awareness into actual action.

Join the movement today! 💪

Are We All Nervous System Illiterate?!

We’ve done the work, we’ve gone to therapy, and we can name our patterns and triggers… so why are we constantly still spiraling, overthinking, and feeling overwhelmed AF?! 😵‍💫

According to Dr. Suzanne Wallach, PsyD, LMFT, the founder and executive director of SoCal DBT in Los Angeles, the key is nervous system literacy. 💪 (DW, she’ll explain what that means!) Here, she offers her expert advice for navigating our nervous systems with care. 

What is nervous system literacy?

Nervous system literacy (which we refer to as mindfulness in Dialectical Behavior Therapy) is the ability to recognize what's happening in your body and environment in the moment, and then to understand how those states affect your feelings, thoughts, urges, and actions, and how those actions affect your relationships. 

Why does it matter if we’re nervous system literate?

Most of us move through life without thinking about our nervous systems (sympathetic and parasympathetic). We call ourselves "bad communicators" or say that we're just victims of life's circumstances when, in reality, our bodies are responding to stress, burnout, overwhelm, and chronic fight-or-flight mode. Nervous system literacy helps people identify what's happening to them earlier so that they can respond skillfully and effectively rather than emotionally.

What's your best method for regulating our nervous systems in moments of crisis at work?

One of the most effective things you can do is kick your parasympathetic nervous system into gear:

• 🫁 Paced breathing (where the inhale is shorter than the exhale, such as 4 in and 6 out or 6 in and 8 out). 

• 🛑 DBT's "STOP" skill (meaning, take a beat before reacting) or step away from a dysregulating situation for as little as a few minutes or up to a few hours. 

• 🧠 I also encourage people to practice describing, non-judgmentally, what is happening internally for them. Telling yourself something as simple as, “Right now, I feel anxious because I'm under a lot of pressure, and that makes sense,” can reduce acute feelings of panic and make you feel better. 

Regulation is not about calming all the way down, or even feeling better, but more so about surviving the moment and just not making things worse.

What are some methods we can use to better manage burnout and stress from work? 

Creating small moments of rest and recovery throughout the day is often more effective than waiting until the end of the day for sleep. It can be as simple as avoiding screens for one hour after you wake up, taking a short walk midday or whenever stress creeps in, getting some sunshine during your workday, or talking to other people at points throughout the day instead of focusing solely on work. 

For more mental health chat, read our story on how “good anxiety” can actually be a workplace advantage.

💄 Ooh, ILIA Beauty has a major sale right now: 20% off sitewide! Content Marketing Manager Kamela loves using this serum concealer as foundation because it gives solid coverage while still feeling like she’s barely wearing makeup.

📚 Executive Editor Victoria just finished reading The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston, a #BookTok-approved magical realism romance. It’s available on Book Outlet for only $6.99, where you can find brand-new books for at least 50% off list prices every day.*

👏 ICYMI, a new season of Pop Culture Jeopardy! has arrived on Netflix, with new episodes dropping every weekday. Contributing Writer Lara is so hooked that she ended up going back and watching the previous season on Amazon Prime, too. 

🧧 The viral Adidas Tang jackets (a.k.a. Chinese New Year Jackets) have officially dropped in the U.S.! Scoop one up now before they sell out. 

🎧 Looking for some new music to listen to during the workday? Lara’s hooked on Charlotte Day Wilson’s vibey Patchwork album, released earlier this year.

🎬 Administrative Business Partner, YouTube Marketing, Google

🍿 Technology Communications Specialist (Remote), Netflix

🎙️ Senior Manager, Editorial Communications & Influence, NPR

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