Dear Beautiful Soul,
Wherever today finds you — surrounded by family, sharing a quiet meal, navigating co-parenting schedules, missing someone you love, or simply trying to hold it all together — I want to offer you a moment of true grounding.
Thanksgiving has a way of stirring both abundance and scarcity at once. You might feel grateful for what you have while suddenly sensing what’s missing. You might feel connected to some people and tender around the ones who feel distant. You might feel thankful but also overwhelmed, overextended, or stretched thin in ways you can’t easily name.
None of that means you’re ungrateful — it simply means you’re human, sensitive, and alive.
Lately, I’ve been reading Scarcity Brain, and it put words to something I see every day in my coaching sessions — something you’ve probably felt in your bones:
So much of our overwhelm, rushing, comparison, and “never enough” thinking isn’t personal failure. It’s scarcity cues hijacking your nervous system.
A scarcity cue is any signal that tells your brain: “Something is running out. You’re falling behind. You’re not safe. Hurry.”
And when your brain receives that message, it reacts instantly: Grabbing. Overthinking. People-pleasing. Hoarding attention, validation, time, or affection.
The problem?
Most of the “threats” we feel today aren’t life-or-death. They’re social. Emotional. Psychological. And yet the response is the same: panic → grasp → self-abandon.
Here are a few common scarcity cues we rarely name — yet all of us feel:
đź“Ś The Scarcity of Time
When your schedule is packed or you feel behind, your nervous system goes into urgency mode. You rush, you push, you override your body. This often leads to burnout, resentment, and shutting down your intuition.
đź“Ś The Scarcity of Love or Approval
When someone pulls away, delays a text, or feels inconsistent, your inner alarm rings: “Connection is slipping — fix it.” So you over-function, overgive, or over-attach… even when it costs you your peace.
đź“Ś The Scarcity of Worth
This is the voice that says: “If I don’t do more, achieve more, prove more… I’ll lose my place.” It shows up as comparison, imposter syndrome, or perfectionism — all masks for the same fear.
đź“Ś The Scarcity of Security
Any time life feels unpredictable, your brain scans for danger, even when none is present. This is why you might cling to routines, relationships, or habits that no longer support you. Stability feels safer than change — even when the change is what your soul wants.
But here’s the truth:
Scarcity cues don’t mean you’re unsafe.
They mean your nervous system is asking for regulation, reassurance, and a return to presence.
When you learn to notice these cues — instead of reacting unconsciously — you reclaim your power.
This week, try meeting your scarcity cues the same way you’d greet a frightened child:
With steadiness.
With grounding.
With compassion.
Here’s how to start:
1. Name the scarcity cue.
“I’m feeling time scarcity.”
“I’m feeling connection scarcity.”
“I’m feeling worth scarcity.”
Naming it takes you out of fear and into awareness.
2. Ask your body: What am I afraid I’m losing?
Time? Approval? Certainty? Connection?
Let the answer arise without judgment.
3. Offer reassurance instead of reaction.
A simple phrase can shift your whole system:
“I’m not losing anything right now. I can choose my next step.”
“I don’t need to rush.”
“I’m safe to slow down.”
“I don’t have to hustle for my worth.”
4. Come back to the present moment.
Scarcity lives in the past or the future.
Abundance is always here, in the now.
When you regulate your nervous system, your choices become grounded, aligned, and powerful. You stop acting from fear and start acting from truth.
And that, beautiful soul, is how you stop giving your power away.
🌸 This Week’s Practice: The Abundance Pause
Once a day, pause for 10 seconds.
Place a hand on your chest or belly.
Take one slow breath.
Then ask:
“What is actually true in this moment?”
Let your system settle into the safety of now.
🪩 Reflection Questions:
– What scarcity cues show up for me most often?
– How does my body react to them?
– Where am I rushing, grasping, or people-pleasing out of fear?
– What would it feel like to respond from grounded presence instead of urgency?
If there is one thing I hope you hold close today, it is this: you are not behind, you are not lacking, you are not too much, and you are not not enough.
You are growing, expanding, softening, and strengthening in ways that may not always be visible but are deeply real.
And I am grateful for your presence in this community — for your courage, your honesty, and your willingness to look within. Thank you for letting me walk beside you.
With love and deep respect,
Em
P.S. Scarcity isn’t solved by doing more — it’s healed by returning to yourself.
If you feel called to step deeper into this work, I’d love to support you inside Own Your Life — a 6-week journey to stop giving your power away, regulate your nervous system, and step into the woman you’re meant to be. We begin January 1.
https://www.emilybrownconsulting.com/spring-2026-cohort-own-your-life
📸 Photo by Andreas Rasmussen on Unsplash
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