2 months ago
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Posted On: August 25th 2026, 05:00 pm
Comment RELIEF to get my anxiety healing program MBRX 2.0 for 20% off through Thursday.
I created the S.H.O.U.L.D. acronym for what every child needs to feel safe and securely attached. Here's how to give each one to yourself now.
SEEN. If you weren't truly seen as a child, you don't have a template for seeing yourself now. Start by noticing the child still living in you. A photo of your younger self can help.
HEARD. If you weren't heard, you never learned that your voice matters, and you lost touch with it. Revisit a hard moment from childhood and tell yourself, "That must have been really hard." Then listen.
OPENED TO. If you had to suppress parts of yourself to be accepted, you're probably still shutting those feelings down today. See if you can be open to them now, even in a small way.
UNDERSTOOD. If no one tried to understand you, you never learned to understand yourself, and your emotions still feel confusing. Go back to your younger self and tell them, "I'm here now. I want to understand." They've been waiting for that.
LOVED. You may have been cared for, fed, clothed and housed, but never truly felt loved, so love struggles to land in your body now. Try picturing a beloved pet, then pour that same love into your younger self.
DEFENDED. If no one protected you through painful experiences, you learned that pain has no end and that you have to do it all alone, so your body stays on guard. Can you begin to defend that child now, even for a moment?
Each day, take five minutes and say to yourself: I will see you. I will hear you. I will be open to you. I will understand you. I will love you. I will defend you.
You are still that child. Give them now what they didn't get back then. That's how you begin to feel safe again.
👉 This is the work we do inside MBRX 2.0. In honour of National Wellness Month it's 20% off until Thursday. Comment RELIEF and I'll send you the link to join.
👉 Follow @theanxietymd for grounded, compassionate support to heal anxiety from the inside out. With loving support, Dr. Russ * * * * #innerchild #somatichealing #anxietyhelp #anxietysupport #anxiety
SEEN. If you weren't truly seen as a child, you don't have a template for seeing yourself now. Start by noticing the child still living in you. A photo of your younger self can help.
HEARD. If you weren't heard, you never learned that your voice matters, and you lost touch with it. Revisit a hard moment from childhood and tell yourself, "That must have been really hard." Then listen.
OPENED TO. If you had to suppress parts of yourself to be accepted, you're probably still shutting those feelings down today. See if you can be open to them now, even in a small way.
UNDERSTOOD. If no one tried to understand you, you never learned to understand yourself, and your emotions still feel confusing. Go back to your younger self and tell them, "I'm here now. I want to understand." They've been waiting for that.
LOVED. You may have been cared for, fed, clothed and housed, but never truly felt loved, so love struggles to land in your body now. Try picturing a beloved pet, then pour that same love into your younger self.
DEFENDED. If no one protected you through painful experiences, you learned that pain has no end and that you have to do it all alone, so your body stays on guard. Can you begin to defend that child now, even for a moment?
Each day, take five minutes and say to yourself: I will see you. I will hear you. I will be open to you. I will understand you. I will love you. I will defend you.
You are still that child. Give them now what they didn't get back then. That's how you begin to feel safe again.
👉 This is the work we do inside MBRX 2.0. In honour of National Wellness Month it's 20% off until Thursday. Comment RELIEF and I'll send you the link to join.
👉 Follow @theanxietymd for grounded, compassionate support to heal anxiety from the inside out. With loving support, Dr. Russ * * * * #innerchild #somatichealing #anxietyhelp #anxietysupport #anxiety
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