Why Does a Hand Lotion Calm Me Down? Nervous System Regulation with Elif Durgel

Why Does a Hand Lotion Calm Me Down? Nervous System Regulation with Elif Durgel

You catch a smell. A lotion, a tea, something cooking. And in under a second — before you've even thought about it — you're home.

That's not nostalgia. That's not weakness. That is your nervous system doing something remarkable.

This week we're joined by psychologist and cross-cultural specialist Elif Durgel, founder of Roots and Wings Academy in Eindhoven, for a warm, science-light conversation about why smell bypasses the thinking brain entirely and connects directly to memory, identity and emotion — and what that means for international parents living far from where they started.

We talk about:

  • Why smell hits faster and deeper than any other sense
  • What nervous system regulation actually feels like from the inside
  • The invisible extra load of living between cultures — and why July makes it louder
  • Why so many of us quietly deny ourselves the things that help
  • Why going to the expat shop isn't retail therapy — it's something more real than that

Whether you're heading home this summer, somewhere completely new, or discovering the Netherlands in July for the first time — this one is your permission slip.

20 minutes. No jargon. Just a really good conversation.


Find out more about Elif: rootsandwingsacademy.nl
Come tell us yours on Instagram

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(213)

What Is Trauma? Big T, Little T, and Why It Might Be You

What Is Trauma? Big T, Little T, and Why It Might Be You

Have you ever reacted to something and thought — why did I react like that? Or carried a weight you couldn't quite name?Today we're breaking down what trauma actually is — plainly, warmly, and without...

8 Juli 31min

Obligation Sex Is More Common Than You Think — Here's What It's Really Costing Your Relationship

Obligation Sex Is More Common Than You Think — Here's What It's Really Costing Your Relationship

This episode is brought to you by MamaSocial, who connect mums across the Netherlands so you actually have a community to lean on. Brunches, mingles, networking, whatever you need — MamaSocial will be...

1 Juli 23min

Queer Parenting in the Netherlands: Why One Dad Built a 250-Family Community From Scratch

Queer Parenting in the Netherlands: Why One Dad Built a 250-Family Community From Scratch

When Aldo's daughter arrived via surrogacy in Canada, he looked around and realised he'd spent 10 years focused on becoming a dad — and forgotten to build a community for her. So he started a WhatsApp...

27 Juni 28min

Raising Bilingual Children in the Netherlands: What Summer Travel Really Does for Heritage Language Development

Raising Bilingual Children in the Netherlands: What Summer Travel Really Does for Heritage Language Development

Your child speaks the school language all year without thinking. Your language — the one you grew up in, the one your parents use, the one you hoped would just stick — has to fight for space. And then...

24 Juni 24min

Coparenting After Separation in the Netherlands: One Dad's Honest Story

Coparenting After Separation in the Netherlands: One Dad's Honest Story

What actually happens after a relationship ends — when you have children together, you're living in the Netherlands, and your village is far away?Niko, a German dad, joins us this week to talk honestl...

20 Juni 29min

Why Becoming a Dad Made Me Finally Realise I Had ADD - Mens Mental Health Week

Why Becoming a Dad Made Me Finally Realise I Had ADD - Mens Mental Health Week

If you became a father and suddenly felt like you couldn't keep up — with the admin, the overwhelm, the switching, the forgetting — this episode is for you.Liam, founder of Dads Do Art and familiar Da...

17 Juni 35min

Buying a House in the Netherlands: What No One Tells You

Buying a House in the Netherlands: What No One Tells You

The Dutch housing market is fast, opaque, and genuinely unforgiving if you don't know the rules — and most of us didn't get the rulebook. In this episode, Eva is joined by Nic, co-founder of Buy Home ...

13 Juni 15min

Populärt inom För unga lyssnare

badfluence
lojsan-buster
rss-vuxna-pa-latsas
rss-ska-inte-ljuga
magiska-godnattsagor
the-power-meeting-podcast
dilemma-2
godnattstund
tabberaset
rss-skilsmassopodden
mammasanningar-med-vivi-och-carin
rss-fran-blojor-till-brollop
rss-2under2
rss-sagor-med-saga
historierummet-i-barnradion
rss-hastnetpodden
rss-pappahjartat
vattnet-gar
tredje-gangen-gillt-med-ida-och-sanna
rss-sagor-i-barnradion