MK's Personal Map To Rewiring Her Brain & Nervous System
This is the 3-Dimensional (Mind, Body, Brain) Daily Conditioning That I Will Change You At Your Core. DO NOT Underestimate the Power of These TINY Ingredients Combined. It Will Transform Your Life...If You Allow It To!
Part 1: Rewire Your Default Nervous System (Get Parasympathetic )
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Lesson Resources:
HOW TO HACK INTO YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM
TOOL #1: SENSORY BREATHING
How It Works:
INHALE through your nose: Cool, crisp, blue peppermint-y air
Picture the color, texture, and temperature
Feel it traveling up your vagus nerve highway (tailbone to throat)
Expanding your ribcage, softening your belly
EXHALE through your mouth: Red, hot, fiery, cinnamon-y air
Picture the color, texture, and temperature
Feel it moving down, relaxing your chest, loosening your jaw
WHEN TO USE:
REACTIVELY: When stress is building (at work, around other people, when stress hits, feeling overwhelmed, scrolling social media)
PROACTIVELY: To change your default state little by little.
WHY IT WORKS:
When stress hits, your thinking brain goes offline. Your breath is the remote control for your nervous system. Deep diaphragmatic breathing directly stimulates the vagus nerve, which lowers heart rate, quiets the stress response, and brings the logical, decision-making part of the brain back online.
TOOL #2: CRANIAL NERVE ACTIVATION
How It Works:
Gently touch, tap, or massage your:
Face
Head
Hairline
Jaw
Temples
Earlobes
WHEN TO USE:
Anytime you need to feel more present and grounded
Just a few seconds of intentional touch stimulates these nerves
WHY IT WORKS:
Special cranial nerves connect your brain directly to your face and head. Giving them attention sends a direct signal to your nervous system: "We're safe. We can calm down." It's a direct access point to your Parasympathetic.
TOOL #3: ISOMETRIC SQUEEZES
How It Works:
SQUEEZE every muscle in your body as tight as you can for 5 seconds
Make a fist with your hands and feet
Squeeze your glutes, abs, shoulders
Every muscle, as tight as you can
RELEASE completely and feel the tension melt away
REPEAT 2-3 times
WHEN TO USE:
Anywhere, anytime (no one has to know!)
Standing in line, at a stoplight, sitting at your desk, lying in bed
WHY IT WORKS:
The magic is in the release. Blood and oxygen can now move to the places you were just squeezing, and you can physically let stress get out of your body.
REMEMBER:
You're not just calming down in the moment. You're training your nervous system to have a new default state. With consistency (not intensity), you're shifting from reacting to responding.
WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO COMMIT TO THIS?
Okay, so here's why you absolutely need to commit to calming your nervous system every single day - and trust me, this is going to be a total lightbulb moment for you.
Your nervous system has been stuck in anxious-reactive mode for DECADES. It's been on high alert, constantly scanning for threats - calories, how you look in photos, what people think of you. And here's the kicker - you've been living in this state for so long, you don't even call it anxiety anymore. It just feels...normal.
But when you're in shame, self-rejection, or worrying about food?
You're in fight-or-flight mode. Your nervous system has literally been 'nervous' for years, maybe decades. And when you're stuck there, you CAN'T access your real brain. You can't learn new things. You can't make lasting changes.
So here's what happens when you calm your nervous system daily: Short term, yes, you feel calmer for those 5 minutes. But the compound effect? That's where the magic is. Day 1, you might feel 1% calmer. Day 30, you're 30% calmer. Day 90, your entire default setting has shifted from anxious to peaceful.
You're literally teaching your nervous system a new normal. Instead of defaulting to stress and reactivity, you're creating neural pathways that default to calm and groundedness.
And here's the crucial part - your brain ONLY makes lasting changes when there are positive neuro-associations. When something feels good, your brain wants more of it.
Without this daily practice, you stay stuck in that old reactive state where everything feels like a threat and you can't access the part of your brain that creates real change. With it? You're literally rewiring your baseline from stressed to peaceful, one breath at a time.
That's why. Because you can't build a new life on a stressed-out foundation. You need to turn off the alarm system first.
Parasympathetic Follow-along AUDIOS (& VIDEO):
Parasympathetic Option #1: Combo of All Techniques Together
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Part 2: Take Your Thoughts Captive (And Stop Going Down Rabbit Holes)
Lesson Resources:
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📌 DO THIS FIRST: Build Your Personalized Acceptance Statement
You've learned about Data vs. Drama and accepting the suck. Now it's time to create YOUR personal acceptance statement—the one you'll use when the data sucks and you're tempted to spiral.
I've built an interactive tool that walks you through it step by step. It takes about 5 minutes. You'll pick the language that resonates with YOU, and at the end, it'll generate your full statement and email it to you.
It takes about 5 minutes. Once you've built it, save it, use it, and if you need help refining it, send it to me on Voxer.
(You'll find the guide AND the builder below...)
HOW TO FIRE YOUR BRAIN AS THE NARRATOR
TOOL #2: DATA VS. DRAMA (SEGREGATE)
How It Works:
DATA = What actually happened (the facts, the indisputable truth)
I ate a cookie
I weigh X right now
The scale went up 2 pounds
I'm feeling shame right now
I walked into the room and that woman looked at me
DRAMA = The meaning, story, or justification you're adding on top
"That was bad. What's wrong with me? I ruined everything."
"I'm disgusting. I might as well give up."
"She was judging my body. Everyone thinks I'm a failure."
"This isn't working. I'm broken. I'll never change."
The Practice:
Notice the drama (become a master drama detector)
Bring yourself back to the data (become a master data collector)
Wash, rinse, repeat (over and over, all day long)
ACCEPT DATA THAT SUCKS:
There's going to be data you don't like. You don't have to like it. But pretending it didn't happen, wishing it away, blaming yourself, or shaming yourself is a waste of your time and energy.
The Belief to Borrow: "I don't have to LIKE [fill in the data that sucks]. In fact, it makes me feel [fill in how you're feeling: angry, frustrated, sad, disappointed, ashamed, defeated, annoyed, etc.—and you're going to feel different things at different times, and that's okay]. But this IS the reality right now. And the sooner I can accept that [repeat the data], the sooner I can move forward and actually go DO something about it and focus on the SOLUTION. And in the meantime, I refuse to let this take me down an emotional rabbit hole. I refuse to become a victim to my circumstances. I refuse to let [the data] define me or rob me of my peace." Because when I argue with reality-- when I tell myself 'it shouldn't be this way' or 'why is this happening to me' or 'this isn't fair'---all I'm doing is adding SUFFERING on top of the SUCK.
Practice this belief when data shows up that you hate. Memorize it like your social security number.
WHEN TO USE:
ALL DAY LONG. This runs in the background of your life.
When you catch yourself spiraling
When shame shows up
When you're beating yourself up
When you're making something mean something about you
When you're adding suffering on top of what already happened
WHY IT WORKS:
Drama is optional. Data is not. The circumstance (data) doesn't change. But your thoughts about the circumstance create your feelings, which drive your actions, which create your results..
WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO COMMIT TO THIS?
Okay, here's the truth about why you need to put on those data vs drama goggles every single day - and this is going to blow your mind.
Right now, your brain has a fast track straight to drama. Every time something happens - you eat a cookie, see the scale, look in the mirror - your brain automatically runs this program: Event → Drama Story → Shame Spiral → Find Food → Feel Worse.
It's like having dirty glasses on 24/7. Everything looks distorted through the lens of drama. And here's what most women don't realize - this drama program is running ALL DAY LONG, creating that stressed cascade in your body (remember the Tale of Two Cookies?).
So why daily practice? Because you're literally installing a new operating system. Instead of that fast track to drama, you're building: Event → Data → Acceptance → Peace. But here's the thing - your old drama program has been running for 40+ years. It's STRONG. It's automatic. It's your brain's default.
The only way to override it is through daily repetition. Every time you catch drama and bring yourself back to data, you're weakening that old neural pathway and strengthening the new one. It's like wearing a path through the grass - the more you walk the new path, the clearer it becomes.
And here's what's at stake: Without this daily practice, you stay trapped in those drama spirals that lead straight to the pantry. One cookie becomes a binge. One "bad" weigh-in becomes a week of self-punishment. One comment becomes days of shame.
But WITH daily practice? The compound effect kicks in. Week 1: You might catch the drama after an hour of spiraling. Week 4: You catch it after 10 minutes. Week 12: You catch it immediately and flip to data. Week 52: Data becomes your new default - drama barely shows up anymore.
You're not just managing your thoughts - you're literally changing your brain's automatic response system. And when you stop adding suffering on top of the suck? When you can see clearly without the drama distortion? That's when you stop needing food to cope with stories that aren't even true.
That's why. Because you can't solve problems you can't see clearly. And you can't see clearly through drama-stained glasses.
Part 3: Rewire Negativity (And Teach Your Brain A NEW Way)
Lesson Resources:
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HOW TO rewire your identity
TOOL #3: past, present, future journaling (SEGREGATE)
BEFORE WE BEGIN, A NOTE ABOUT FRAMES (AND MEETING YOUR BS METER WHERE IT IS)
Here's the thing: If your brain reads something and says, "Yeah, I'm not there yet," it will call BS. And when your brain calls BS, the whole thing falls apart. You stop writing. You stop practicing. You abandon the work because it feels fake.
So we use frames.
A frame is a bridge between where you are and where you're going. It meets you in the doubt. It doesn't ask you to believe something you don't believe yet. It just asks you to be in the process of believing it.
Instead of:
"I trust myself."
Try:
"I'm learning to trust myself."
"I'm committed to trusting myself."
"God is showing me every single day that I can trust myself."
"I'm practicing trusting myself."
Do you see the difference? The frame makes it true right now. You ARE learning. You ARE committed. You ARE practicing. Your brain can't argue with that.
So if you write something in your journal and your brain says, "That's not true yet," add a frame. Make it true by putting yourself in the process of becoming it.
That's how you rewire without bypassing your BS meter.
How It Works:
Every single day, you're going to practice gratitude and celebration by journaling in three directions: PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE.
This isn't just "being positive." This is literally rewiring your brain's default lens.
PAST: Heal How You Look Back
What to write:
What you're grateful for from your past
What you survived
What shaped you
What you learned
How you grew
Why it matters:
If you're talking about your past like you're a failure ("I messed everything up, I wasted so much time"), your brain believes that. And it assumes everyone else thinks that about you too. That's what creates insecurity.
The shift:
"I survived that. I grew from that. It was hard, but it shaped who I am."
PRESENT: Notice What's Good Right Now
What to write:
What IS working
Who you ARE being
What you DID do right
What you're proud of today (even tiny wins)
Why it matters:
If you don't train your brain to look for what's going well, it will automatically look for what's going wrong and keep you stuck in negativity.
The shift:
Your brain learns to notice progress, effort, and wins instead of only seeing flaws and failures.
FUTURE: Rewire How You Anticipate
What to write:
What you're grateful for in advance
Who you're becoming
What you're looking forward to
What you believe is possible
Why it matters:
If you're talking about your future like it's not going to work, your brain anticipates failure. Future gratitude teaches your brain to expect stability, possibility, growth, and courage.
The shift:
Your brain anticipates hope and belief instead of doom and failure.
WHEN TO USE:
EVERY SINGLE DAY. 3-5 minutes minimum.
This is non-negotiable. This is how you rewire your self-image at the root level.
WHY IT WORKS:
The story you tell becomes the life you live.
If you wake up every morning as the old version of you—the one who doesn't trust herself, who feels broken around food, who's always starting over—then that's the lens you're seeing everything through all day long.
But when you regulate your nervous system first thing, separate truth from drama, and narrate your new story before your feet even hit the floor...
THAT changes the distorted lens so you can see yourself (and your life) CLEARLY.
You're literally rewiring your identity with:
Every truth you write
Every win you acknowledge
Every time you thank your past self instead of shaming her
THE GOAL:
Rewire your brain away from fault-finding and toward self-endorsement.
Every time you count blessings, feel proud, or celebrate yourself, you're teaching your brain that you ARE worthy, capable, and enough—right now, as you are.
This is how confidence moves from your head to your heart.
WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO COMMIT TO THIS?
Okay, so here's the real deal about WHY you want to radically commit to journaling every day - and I promise this will click for you.
Your brain is like Velcro for negative experiences but Teflon for positive ones. That's not your fault - it's literally how we're wired. So right now, your brain is automatically collecting evidence all day long about what you're NOT doing, who you're NOT being, and what's NOT working.
Think about it - what do you usually think about at the end of the day? The 50 things that went right or the one thing that went wrong? Exactly.
So here's what's happening whether you journal or not: Your brain is ALREADY anticipating all day long. It's either negatively anticipating ("I've always failed, I'm struggling, I'll probably fail again") OR positively anticipating ("I survived that and got stronger, I'm learning, I'm becoming free").
There's no neutral. You're doing it either way.
The journaling isn't just writing nice things - it's literally installing a new operating system. When you write those gratitudes and proud moments, something called reciprocal inhibition happens. Your judgy, critical brain literally has to shut off. It's like flexing your bicep - your tricep HAS to relax. Same thing in your brain.
So for those 5 minutes, you're not just writing - you're rewiring. You're teaching your brain to look for evidence that you're doing great INSTEAD of evidence that you're failing. You're building neural pathways that make self-acceptance your new default instead of self-rejection.
But the compound effect is where the real magic happens.
Day 1, it might feel fake and weird.
Day 30: You catch yourself thinking differently throughout the day.
Day 90: Your entire default setting has shifted from self-rejection to self-acceptance.
Day 365: You're literally a different person with a completely different self-image.
Without this daily practice, your brain just keeps running the old program. With it...you're literally becoming a different person, one journal entry at a time.
That's why. Because your brain is collecting evidence either way - might as well make it evidence that serves you.
P.S. I want you to connect with a bit of a deeper reminder of WHY this matters so much, so go back and watch the Pour Gasoline on Your Daily Ritual Part 1 AND Part 2 - they'll reignite your commitment to this process
Resources From the video:
**The most important thing is that you are using words/language that resonate with YOU! Choose the words that speak to you and run with them. This is YOUR ritual, so make sure it resonates**
Examples:
★ Gratitude/Grateful
★ Thankful/Give Thanks For
★ Appreciate/Appreciation
★ Pleased/Happy About
★ Feel Fortunate/Feel Blessed
Examples:
★ Celebrating myself
★ Proud of myself
★ Humbly bragging on myself
★ Honoring myself
★ Acknowledging myself
USE THESE: Never stare at a blank page. "Borrow" examples to get the wheels turning in your brain (and then run with it)...
Click on the button to download a PDF of the cheat sheet.
CONNECTING DEEPER TO THE JOURNALING PROCESS
Click on the button to download a PDF of the guide
BONUS: Pour Gasoline On The Entire Process
Lesson Resources:
Prefer to listen to the audio Part 1?
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Like To Follow Along Visually?
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Prefer to listen to the audio Part 2?
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📌 Why We Practice Past Gratitude (And How to Do It Skillfully)
You might be wondering: "Why do we have to go back to the past in our gratitude journal? Wouldn't it be more effective to just focus on the present and future?"
Great question. And here's the answer:
🧠Your Brain Is Already Recalling the Past
Here's the reality: Your brain is already recalling the past. It's already telling you stories about what happened and what it means about you. And if you're not actively choosing how you recall the past, then your brain is going to default to the negative. It's going to default to victim mode. It's going to default to "I'm broken" or "I'm damaged" or "That thing ruined me."
And every time your brain recalls the past that way, it's wiring that story in deeper. It's undermining everything you're trying to rewire. It's keeping you stuck as a victim to your circumstances.
So this is a choice you have to actively make. It's not going to happen by accident.
✨ We're Not Digging Up the Past—We're Reframing It
I typically say it's not skillful to go back and dig up the past, and that's still true. We're not doing regressive therapy where we're going back and trying to connect with your inner child or digging through every traumatic memory to process it. That's not what we're doing here.
What we ARE doing: We're actively choosing to recall the past in a way that serves you. We're choosing to reframe it so that it aligns with who God has called you to be. We're not letting your brain run on autopilot anymore. We're taking control of the narrative.
If you don't actively choose to reframe the past, you will subconsciously recall it in a way that undermines what you're rewiring in your brain. You'll be doing all this beautiful work in Phase 2, planting all these seeds, building all these new beliefs, and then your brain will go back and recall the past in a way that says, "Yeah, but remember that thing that happened? That proves you're broken. That proves you're not worthy. That proves you can't change."
And all of a sudden, you're back in victim mode.
So this is a choice. You have to actively choose to recall the past in a way that serves you. You have to actively choose to reframe it so that it aligns with who you're becoming. And when you do that, you're no longer a victim to your circumstances. You're no longer stuck. You're free.
🚫 We're NOT Slapping Positive Affirmations on Top of Trauma
We're not saying "I'm so grateful that traumatic thing happened" because that would be a lie and your brain would call BS.
But we ARE saying: "Even though that traumatic experience was awful and it was the hardest time and I wouldn't wish it upon anyone, I'm grateful for who it shaped me into. I'm grateful for the strength I found. I'm grateful for what I'm choosing to make it mean about me now."
And we're giving all the glory to God because He's the one who walked with you through it and is shaping you into who you're becoming.
Do you see the difference?
We're not being grateful for the trauma. We're being grateful for who we're becoming in spite of it. We're being grateful for the lessons, the strength, the resilience, the compassion, the wisdom that came from it. And we're actively choosing to recall it that way so that it serves us instead of keeping us stuck.
🌱 This Is How You Rewire Your Brain
When you intentionally recall the past in a positive way, you're literally rewiring your brain. You're creating new neural pathways. You're teaching your brain to look for evidence of your strength, your resilience, your growth, instead of evidence of your brokenness or your victimhood.
And that changes everything.
💡 Examples: How Clients Have Reframed Their Past
Here are some examples of how clients have reframed traumatic or difficult experiences in their past. These are the kinds of things you can write in your journal.
Take anything that resonates. Tweak it. Roll with it. We're not trying to bypass your BS meter. We're trying to meet you in the doubt and give you language that feels true.
Example 1:
I'm grateful that even though my childhood was chaotic and unstable, it taught me resilience. I learned how to survive, and now I'm learning how to thrive. God gave me the strength to get through it, and He's using it to shape me into a woman who can handle hard things. And because of that, I'm a better mother. I'm teaching my kids resilience by showing them what it looks like to heal and grow.
Example 2:
I'm grateful that even though my marriage ended in divorce, it taught me what I will and won't accept in a relationship. I'm learning to honor myself and set boundaries. God is teaching me that I'm worthy of love and respect. And because of that, I'm modeling healthy boundaries for my kids. I'm showing them what it looks like to honor yourself.
Example 3:
I'm grateful that even though I struggled with disordered eating for years, it brought me to this program. I'm learning to heal my relationship with food and my body. God is using my struggle to set me free. And because of that, I'm breaking the cycle for my kids. I'm teaching them to honor their bodies instead of hating them.
Example 4:
I'm grateful that even though I was sexually abused as a child, it didn't define me. I'm learning that I'm not broken. I'm learning that I'm strong and capable and worthy. God is redeeming my story. And because of that, I'm a fiercely protective mother. I'm teaching my kids that their bodies are sacred and that they have a voice.
Example 5:
I'm grateful that even though I lost my mom to cancer, it taught me to cherish the people I love and not take time for granted. God is teaching me to live fully and love deeply. And because of that, I'm more present with my kids. I'm showing them what it looks like to love well.
Example 6:
I'm grateful that even though I grew up in a home where I was constantly criticized, it taught me the importance of self-compassion. I'm learning to speak kindly to myself. God is teaching me that I'm worthy of love, even from myself. And because of that, I'm a more compassionate mother. I'm teaching my kids to speak kindly to themselves instead of tearing themselves down.
Example 7:
I'm grateful that even though I struggled with addiction, it taught me humility and the importance of asking for help. I'm learning that I don't have to do life alone. God is teaching me that He's with me every step of the way. And because of that, I'm teaching my kids that it's okay to ask for help. I'm showing them that strength isn't doing it all alone.
Example 8:
I'm grateful that even though I was in an abusive relationship, it taught me my own strength. I survived. I got out. And now I'm learning to rebuild my life. God is showing me that I'm capable of more than I ever thought possible. And because of that, I'm teaching my kids what healthy love looks like. I'm showing them that they deserve to be treated with respect.
Example 9:
I'm grateful that even though I was bullied as a kid, it taught me compassion for others who are hurting. I'm learning to use my pain to help others. God is using my story to bring healing to others. And because of that, I'm raising compassionate kids. I'm teaching them to stand up for the underdog.
Example 10:
I'm grateful that even though I've struggled with my weight my entire life, it brought me to this work. I'm learning that my worth isn't tied to my body. I'm learning to honor myself. God is teaching me that I'm fearfully and wonderfully made. And because of that, I'm breaking the cycle for my kids. I'm teaching them that their worth has nothing to do with their body size.
🎯 The Bottom Line
You have to actively choose to recall the past in a way that serves you. You have to actively choose to reframe it so that it aligns with who God has called you to be. Because if you don't, your brain will default to the victim story. And that will undermine everything you're building.
So yes, you could just do present and future gratitude. But when you add past gratitude and you actively choose to reframe it, you're giving your brain even more evidence of your strength, your growth, your resilience. You're teaching your brain to look for the good, even in the hard stuff. You're no longer a victim to your circumstances. You're free.
And that's powerful.
USE THESE: "Borrow" examples to get the wheels turning in your brain (and then run with it)...
Click on the button to download a PDF of the cheat sheet.
Simply listen to this every single day for 5 minutes a day before you go to journal, it will condition your brain in a whole new way:
Click on the button to access the 5 Minute Magic Audio