An Emotional Dimmer Switch

When life feels overwhelming, people often tell us to “look on the bright side”. Lovely idea, but not very helpful when your inner world feels more like a power cut. The truth is that moving from dark to dazzling is simply too big a leap for the nervous system.

This is where the idea of an emotional dimmer switch comes in. Instead of forcing yourself to switch straight from negative to positive, which usually leads to frustration, you gently turn the brightness up one notch. That is all. Not bliss, just bearable.

In therapy, we work with this softly, because your nervous system responds far better to small adjustments than dramatic rewrites. A grounding breath, a hand on the chest, a phrase like “I am managing enough for now”, a cup of tea, a reminder of something you handled in the past. Each of these turns the dimmer a little, giving the mind and body permission to settle.

You do not need to flood your system with positivity. You just need enough light to stop tripping over your own thoughts.

🌼 Calm often begins with the smallest possible shift, not a leap into the sunshine.

~ Jumbled Bean