Welcome back to the Dr. Kinney Show!

In this solo episode, I’m talking about what happens in your brain and body when you constantly tell yourself and others, “I’m so busy.” After noticing how often this phrase came up in conversations, I started experimenting with not saying it, and instead talking about calm, rest, gardening, reading, and the things I was doing to protect my peace.

I dive into how the stories we repeat shape our nervous system, why “busy” keeps the body in a cortisol spend state, and how we can begin to train the part of the nervous system that helps us relax. This episode is about shifting the way we talk about stress, stepping out of hustle culture, and building the ability to move between doing and resting in a healthier way.

In this episode, I discuss:

• Why saying “I’m so busy” can keep your nervous system in fight or flight
• How busyness can become a badge of importance or success
• Why your brain responds to the story you keep telling yourself
• How busy seasons can drain your cortisol bank account, even when the things you’re doing are good
• What happened when I stopped telling people I was busy
• Why downtime can actually help you feel like you have more time
• The difference between being a human being and a human doing
• Why exercise can be beneficial, but is still an energy spend
• The stress muscle and relaxed muscle analogy
• Why relaxing can feel uncomfortable if you have not trained that muscle
• How to start building your relaxed muscle with small, consistent reps
• Why a regulated nervous system can help you become a better partner, parent, employee, and person
• How The Cortisol Cure can help you change the way you understand stress, burnout, and recovery

If you’ve been wearing busyness like a badge or feeling like you never have enough time, this episode is an invitation to try something different. Stop telling your brain you are constantly busy and start asking yourself how you actually want to feel. The more you practice calm, rest, and regulation, the stronger that relaxed muscle becomes.

Connect with me:

Visit https://www.drerinkinney.com/the-cortisol-cure to order The Cortisol Cure and learn more about how to support your cortisol bank account, reduce burnout, and build a healthier relationship with stress.