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The kitchen clock says three in the morning. You are standing in the glow of the open refrigerator, looking at a jar of olives and some leftover pasta you don’t even want. You are not hungry. You are just awake, and the house is completely silent, and the noise in your head is louder than it was at noon.
You want to turn the noise off. You want to slide into sleep, but your brain is busy rebuilding a conversation from three years ago, or planning an argument that might happen next Thursday.
I know that kitchen. I know that cold floor under your bare feet.
When I sat down with three different guests on the podcast recently, we ended up talking about this exact spot. Not the kitchen specifically, but the moment right before everything shifted for them. They all came from different backgrounds. One was an executive who had everything on paper. One was a creative who felt like a fraud every single day. One was recovering from years of numbing himself with substances.
But when we got down to the root of their turning points, they all described the exact same three seconds.
It was the second they stopped trying to fix the feeling, and just looked at it.
Most of us spend our lives running from the empty space inside. When that emptiness shows up, we reach for something. A drink, a phone, a project, a relationship, a snack at three in the morning. We treat the emptiness like an enemy that needs to be conquered or filled.
This comes from a very simple place. Your nervous system is designed to keep you safe. When you feel a heavy emotion, your brain registers it as a threat. It treats sadness or loneliness the same way it would treat a wolf outside your tent. It tells you to run, fight, or hide.
So you try to think your way out of it. You tell yourself positive affirmations in the mirror. You write gratitude lists. You plan a new morning routine that starts at five am.
None of it works for long. The willpower runs out by Thursday, and you are back at the fridge.
It fails because you are trying to change the behavior without changing the story underneath. You are trying to paint over a cracked wall without fixing the foundation.
What actually works is much simpler, but it takes courage.
You have to do it at the moment the pain comes up. Not next week in a therapy office. Right there in the kitchen.
Instead of reaching for the phone to scroll, you stand there. You feel the cold floor. You notice where the tightness is in your chest or your throat.
You ask yourself a very simple question. When was the first time you felt this? As a child? What was the situation?
One of my guests told me about his moment. He was about to pour his third drink of the night. He stopped, looked at the glass, and realized he was trying to quiet a voice that had been telling him he was useless since he was eight years old. He didn't drop the glass and start crying. He just saw the connection. He realized the drink was not the problem. The story was the problem.
He changed the story. He realized he was no longer that eight year old boy. He was a grown man who was completely safe.
Change the story, change the feeling. Change the feeling, change the behavior.
With the right tools, healing does not have to take years. It does not have to hurt. A lot of doctors and healers say months and years of bullshit. It is just not true. It can change in one second if you just realize what the key is.
The next time you feel that urge to run, to numbing, or to overthinking, just stop for ten seconds. Feel your feet on the floor. Bring your consciousness back into your body.
Your brain takes you to the past and the future. Your presence brings you home.
Which part of this story hits closest for you? Tell me in the comments.
DM me the word READY on my Instagram (@chenzo.holistic.coaching) and I will send you the link to book a free 30-minute discovery call.
<h3>Listen to The Purpose Path Podcast</h3><div style="position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UQMreB557H4" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:12px;" allowfullscreen loading="lazy"></iframe></div>
More episodes and free resources: <a href="https://www.chenzoholisticcoaching.com/en/the-purpose-path-podcast">The Purpose Path Podcast</a> and <a href="https://www.chenzoholisticcoaching.com">chenzoholisticcoaching.com</a>.
With love, Chenzo Holistic Coaching Founder of The Purpose Path Podcast

The kitchen clock says three in the morning. You are standing in the glow of the open refrigerator, looking at a jar of olives and some leftover pasta you don’t

The exact second everything changed

Read essays on somatic healing, emotional trauma, sensitivity, and finding purpose. Written by Chenzo, holistic coach, empathic healer, tarot reader, and founder of The Purpose Path Podcast. New posts weekly.


Chenzo Holistic Coaching Blog: Somatic Healing, Sensitivity & Purpose

Read essays on somatic healing, emotional trauma, sensitivity, and finding purpose. Written by Chenzo, holistic coach, empathic healer, tarot reader, and founder of The Purpose Path Podcast. New posts weekly.

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The exact second everything changed

The exact second everything changed

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