Why We Numb: Self-Sabotage, Coping Strategies, and "Bad" Habits
You Make Sense28 Okt 2025

Why We Numb: Self-Sabotage, Coping Strategies, and "Bad" Habits

Do you find yourself using things to cope like doom scrolling, eating late at night, or drinking in excess? If so, you’re not alone. This episode unpacks the science behind why we numb and engage in “bad” habits. Whether it’s excessive social media, food, sex, alcohol, or work, these are all intelligent survival responses to unresolved trauma or pain.

You’ll learn how to tell the difference between coping strategies and regulating resources, why you can’t just “stop” addictive behaviors, and the steps to begin bringing regulation to your nervous system. Sarah also shares her personal journey of healing from OCD, over-eating, and workaholism, proving that true freedom comes from befriending — not battling — your nervous system and protective parts.

Episode Highlights

[00:00] The truth about coping strategies, and why we all use them
[02:11] The role trauma plays in our need to numb
[03:12] Why shame perpetuates the coping cycle
[05:27] How society normalizes certain numbing behaviors
[09:29] You can’t just “stop” a coping behavior
[10:52] Coping strategies from a Parts Work lens
[15:54] Why battling your protective parts never works
[21:04] How to replace coping with regulating resources
[24:48] Question 1 - Why quitting smoking can feel worse before it feels better

[30:24] Question 2 - Why does my addiction cause more dysregulation?

[43:28] Question 3 - Am I using coffee to regulate or cope?

RSVP for Sarah’s FREE Live Training:

Ready to take the next step on your healing journey? Nervous System Starter Kit is a free, 75-minute live training to help you regulate your nervous system, understand your attachment style from a somatic lens, and get into the driver’s seat of your experience.

Click below to save your spot (replay available for a limited time):

YouTube: https://bit.ly/yt-nssk

Spotify/Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/sp-nssk

Connect with Sarah on:

Email Community (YouTube): bit.ly/yms-yt-newsletter

Email Community (Apple/Spotify): bit.ly/yms-sp-newsletter

Instagram — instagram.com/sarahbcoaching

Website — sarahbaldwincoaching.com

Free Quiz:

YouTube: https://bit.ly/yms-yt-quiz

Spotify/Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/yms-sp-quiz

Submit a Question:

sarahbaldwin1.typeform.com/podcast

Quotes:

“You can’t battle a protector. They will always win because they love your vulnerable part too much to stop.” - Sarah Baldwin [0:14:14]

“Forward doesn’t always look like forward in healing. Sometimes it looks like finally facing what’s been waiting to be held.” - Sarah Baldwin [0:29:47]

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(99)

Is It My Intuition? Or Is It a Trauma Response?

Is It My Intuition? Or Is It a Trauma Response?

Through personal stories and practical examples, Sarah offers a compassionate framework for recognizing when the past is shaping your perception. She explains the importance of nervous system regulati...

11 Aug 1h

Suppressed Emotions & Moving Feelings Through Your Body

Suppressed Emotions & Moving Feelings Through Your Body

Rather than trying to rationalize your way through difficult emotions, Sarah explores the science of why healing begins in the body. She unpacks how the nervous system learns to disconnect from emotio...

4 Aug 42min

Your Nervous System Creates Your Perception

Your Nervous System Creates Your Perception

In this episode, Sarah explores how our nervous system works in tandem with our younger parts to protect us. We must first learn how to recognize who is in our experience at any given moment before we...

28 Jul 1h 1min

How Do I Know if I Should Leave or Stay In a Relationship?

How Do I Know if I Should Leave or Stay In a Relationship?

In this episode, Sarah explores what it means to anchor into the truth of your adult self and explains why protective parts can make it difficult to see your relationship clearly. You’ll learn why rom...

21 Jul 56min

Understanding the Trauma Feedback Loop and How We Subconsciously Create Our Own Reality

Understanding the Trauma Feedback Loop and How We Subconsciously Create Our Own Reality

Sarah unpacks how the autonomic nervous system drives repetitive cycles in the way we think, behave, and relate to others, and why simply trying harder is not enough to create lasting change. She expl...

14 Jul 41min

Finding Your People and Navigating Adult Friendships

Finding Your People and Navigating Adult Friendships

For many of us, navigating friendship in adulthood can feel surprisingly complicated, especially when healing starts to change how we connect with people. Sarah unpacks how our nervous system shapes t...

7 Jul 53min

Living a Full Life Without Sacrificing Ambition

Living a Full Life Without Sacrificing Ambition

So many of us get trapped in these unhealthy cycles because we learned at a young age that achieving was how we earned and received love.  But it’s absolutely possible to shift this. By falling in lov...

30 Jun 1h 19min

How to Attract and Create the Relationship of Your Dreams

How to Attract and Create the Relationship of Your Dreams

Drawing on somatic healing and parts work, Sarah shares how early experiences and family dynamics become our blueprint for connection and why lasting change requires more than simply trying to choose ...

23 Jun 48min

Populært innen Fakta

fastlegen
dine-penger-pengeradet
relasjonspodden-med-dora-thorhallsdottir-kjersti-idem
treningspodden
foreldreradet
jakt-og-fiskepodden
mikkels-paskenotter
rss-strid-de-norske-borgerkrigene
rss-kunsten-a-leve
sinnsyn
hverdagspsyken
gravid-uke-for-uke
babyverden
ryddepodden
fryktlos
rss-var-forste-kaffe
tomprat-med-gunnar-tjomlid
rss-sarbar-med-lotte-erik
dopet
lederskap-nhhs-podkast-om-ledelse