EASE OUT of Chronic Tension, Pain, Fatigue & Overwhelm
Week 3: The Dimmer Switch
How To Avoid The "Fix-it" Trap
False Belief: "If symptoms get louder, shouldn't I try to fix it?"
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What you experience today:
What it feels like to apply the Dimmer Switch method
You also learn:
✓ Why we have a tendency to want to fix-it
✓ How trying to "figure it out" is another form of trying to fix it
✓ How the temptation to attach meaning to things can add another layer ON TOP OF what we're already going through
✓ How the Dimmer Switch is key to getting the most out of this journey
The goal today is not get rid of symptoms.
It’s just to be curious what might happen if your body does just 5% less than usual.
TODAY'S INSTRUCTION:
Once or twice today, pause and notice:
Where is my body adding effort right now?
Maybe it’s your jaw.
Your shoulders.
Your hands.
Your stomach.
Your breath.
Your back.
Or maybe it’s the way you’re trying to figure everything out.
When you notice it, don’t force it to relax.
Don’t try to fix it.
Don’t make it into a big exercise.
Just ask:
What would five percent less feel like here?
Not zero effort.
Not full release.
Not limp.
Just five percent less.
Then notice what happens.
Maybe something softens.
Maybe nothing changes.
Maybe you feel the sensation a little more.
All of that is information.
You are not doing it wrong.
The practice is simply learning that your body does not need to be treated like a switch.
Sometimes the way out begins with a dimmer.
Check In With Me
To get the most out of this program, reply by TEXT at
(469) 290-2531
-or- Email
And tell me:
"What was your biggest takeaway from today's session?"
And answer this question:
"Where did you notice your body adding effort, and what happened when you tried five percent less?"
Examples:
• Brushing teeth
• Washing dishes
• Driving
• Walking
• Sitting at the computer
• Cooking
• Getting ready
• Helping someone
• Trying to learn something
• Thinking through a problem
The win today is not perfect ease.
The win is noticing how your system approaches the moment.
When people begin paying closer attention to their body, they may notice sensations that were already there but previously outside of awareness.
This can feel uncomfortable at first.
The mind may quickly try to interpret, explain, solve, or eliminate those sensations.
That response is understandable, but it can also add more load to the system.
The body may then receive more urgency, more threat, and more pressure to change.
A gentler approach is to create a small pause and reduce unnecessary effort slightly.
Not as a technique to control the symptom.
But as a way of giving the system new information:
“I don’t have to force this.”
“I don’t have to solve this immediately.”
“I can notice without escalating.”
This is why today’s practice is small.
Five percent less is not dramatic.
But it can be enough to interrupt the old pattern of symptom → fix → strive → more load.
Selected References
Brosschot, J. F., Gerin, W., & Thayer, J. F. (2006). The perseverative cognition hypothesis: A review of worry, prolonged stress-related physiological activation, and health. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 60(2), 113–124.
McEwen, B. S. (1998). Protective and damaging effects of stress mediators. The New England Journal of Medicine, 338(3), 171–179.
Moseley, G. L., & Butler, D. S. (2017). Explain Pain Supercharged. NOI Group Publications.
Sterling, P. (2012). Allostasis: A model of predictive regulation. Physiology & Behavior, 106(1), 5–15.
Stay With The Process
This session will be available for the next 7 days.
Not because you're behind.
Not because you need to rush.
But because small, consistent moments of awareness tend to create more change than occasional big efforts.
If you need access again after the timer expires, just text or email me and I'll make sure you have what you need.
For now, remember:
Not on or off.
Not fix or fail.
Just five percent less.
That’s enough for today.
