From Emotional Highs and Lows to Inner Stability
- Trish Heitz
- Dec 15
- 3 min read
How healing unconscious beliefs transforms survival into steady joy
For most of my life, happiness came in moments; flashes, waves, highs. When it arrived, it felt exhilarating, almost euphoric. I cherished it, soaked it in, and hoped it would last.
But it never did.
When the moment passed, my nervous system quietly returned to what it knew best: high alert. Survival. Vigilance. The subtle tension of bracing for what might go wrong next.
At the time, I thought this was just “life.”I didn’t realize I was living from a belief system that kept my body and mind perpetually prepared for danger, even when nothing was wrong.
What I Didn’t Understand Then
What I know now,after years of studying mind-body wellness and doing my own deep belief work , is this:
Happiness spikes when the nervous system briefly feels safe, but sustainable peace, joy and happiness comes when the nervous system no longer believes it’s in danger.
That difference changed everything.
Before, joy felt like an anomaly ;something exciting but fragile. When it showed up, I almost held my breath, waiting for it to disappear. And when it did, my system snapped back into old patterns of stress, self-judgment, and emotional guarding.
I now understand that those patterns weren’t flaws.They were learned responses, rooted in unconscious beliefs formed long before I ever questioned them.
The Turning Point
As I began healing those beliefs; discovering what was true, and what was false, not intellectually, but at the nervous-system level, something unexpected happened.
The emotional highs didn’t vanish.They became more frequent, more grounded, and less volatile.
At the same time, the constant undercurrent of stress began to soften.
And then one day, I noticed something profound:
I wasn’t chasing happiness anymore.I was living from peace.
What Life Feels Like Now
Today, when something unexpected happens, I don’t label it as “bad” or “negative” the way I used to.
Instead, I notice:
What needs to be addressed
What can be changed
What needs to be accepted
And sometimes, and this part is important part, when I recognize that nothing I do will change the situation, and that it has nothing to do with me, its ok to choose acceptance.
In those moments, I don’t panic.I don’t spiral.I don’t judge myself.
I give myself grace.
That calm clarity didn’t come from positive thinking.It came from healing the beliefs that kept my nervous system locked in survival mode.
The D.A.R.E. Process Behind the Shift
Over many years, I organized this healing into what I now call the D.A.R.E. method:
Discover the unconscious belief driving the reaction
Assess where it came from and why it once made sense
Recreate a belief aligned with truth, safety, and self-worth
Expand into living from that new belief daily
Right now, I’m living deeply in the E — Expand phase.
And here’s what I’ve learned:
When you expand into new beliefs, you don’t just feel better.You begin to attract differently.
New people.Unexpected opportunities.Supportive situations.Moments of ease that once felt unreachable.
Not because life becomes perfect, but because you are no longer living in internal conflict with yourself.
From Survival to Sustained Well-Being
There was a time when stress defined my inner world.When struggle felt familiar.When self-sabotage quietly followed every breakthrough because, deep down, I didn’t believe I was meant to live with ease.
Healing those beliefs didn’t make life shallow or unrealistic.
It made life honest, calm, and intelligent.
I no longer live in emotional extremes.I live in a steady, grounded state where joy, peace, and happiness are not visitors; they are home.
A Reflection for This Time of Year
As this year comes closer to a close and the holidays are upon us, I find myself grateful in a way I never was before.
Not because life is flawless.But because I finally know how to love my life and myself through it.
My hope is that by next year at this time, you too are able to say the same. I've been working on my message to you out there for over 7 years, and I ask you: When will it be your turn?
That you don't wait for a crisis.That you don't wait for burnout, illness, or breaking points.That you chose to look within and heal what has been quietly asking for your attention.
You deserve a life where peace is not something you earn,but something you live from.
And when you dare your beliefs, that life becomes possible. Isn't it time?
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