09/01/2026
Greetings Love,
Recently, I've been noticing something I do when I'm activated in conflict.
My nervous system starts sounding the alarm, and I stop listening to what's actually being said.
Instead, I start filling in the blanks.
Someone says one thing, and somewhere inside me, the story starts growing.
What do they really mean?
Where is this going?
What's coming next?
What is my best line of defense?
Before I know it, I'm no longer responding to what they said.
I'm responding to what I'm afraid it might mean for me.
And suddenly there are three people in the conversation:
Me.
The person in front of me.
And the version of them my nervous system has constructed.
Oof.
I think this is deeply human.
When we feel threatened, uncertain, or out of control, our nervous systems want to get ahead of the danger.
If I can figure out where this conversation is going before we get there, maybe I can protect myself from whatever is coming.
But in trying to stay ahead of it, I've left the conversation we're actually having for the one I'm afraid is coming.
So I've been practicing catching myself in the story and asking:
What did they actually say?
And then:
What did I add and why?
Sometimes my fear is giving me important information.
And sometimes I've taken one sentence and written an entire f**king screenplay.
Either way, once I realize I've left the present moment, that's my cue to come back—to my body, my breath, what's actually happening—before I try to keep talking.
Maybe that means taking a breath or stepping away for a few minutes—whatever helps me settle enough to actually hear the person in front of me.
The work isn't to never get activated.
It's learning to recognize when I am, tend to what's happening inside me, and return to the conversation when I'm able to actually be in it.
So here's a little Maven Medicine for the next time you find yourself defending, explaining, shutting down, or preparing for battle:
What did they actually say?
And what did you add and why?
There might be a whole lot of freedom in the space between those two things.
If conflict has a way of becoming bigger, faster, or more frightening than what's actually happening, you can learn to catch yourself before the story takes over—and find your way back to yourself before trying to find your way back to each other.
Perhaps that's a good place to begin.
Fierce Love,
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