Quitting can be liberating when it serves your self-protection. Personal anecdotes reveal different methods of deciding when to walk away, from weighing pros and cons to listening to your body's signals. The speaker shares their journey of letting go of physical therapy and courses that didn’t respect their identity. Emphasizing self-care, they advocate for prioritizing emotional health over societal expectations, showcasing the transformative power of mindful quitting.
Quitting can be a necessary self-care strategy that protects emotional well-being, reframing it as an act of empowerment rather than failure.
The host explores various decision-making approaches, such as somatic awareness and analytical pros-and-cons evaluations, to guide effective quitting.
Deep dives
The Value of Quitting
Quitting can be a necessary part of self-care, especially for those managing autism and ADHD. The host shares how quitting is sometimes vital to protect one’s emotional well-being and avoid unnecessary struggle. For instance, they recounted a watercolor class experience where an incident with non-water-based paint ruined a cherished artwork, leading to the decision to stop attending the remaining classes to maintain their peace of mind. This decision illustrates that quitting isn’t an admission of failure but rather a proactive measure to safeguard one’s emotional space.
Decision-Making Strategies
Exploring effective decision-making strategies reveals two primary approaches used by the host: reactive quitting and a more analytical, pros-and-cons evaluation. In moments when issues become overwhelmingly negative, such as their experience with physical therapy resulting in increased pain, the choice to quit emerges naturally. Conversely, through the math-like assessment of pros and cons, they also weigh the effectiveness and personal alignment of different commitments. Both methods highlight the importance of checking in with one's emotional state and recognizing when to step back for personal well-being.
Somatic Decision-Making
A recent adventure into somatic decision-making has shown the host a new paradigm for approaching choices. During a course where they felt undervalued due to repeated misgendering, the host engaged in a body-focused process that cultivated a sense of internal certainty about their decision to leave. This connection to their body provided clarity and an immediate awareness of what served their emotional needs, enabling a quick pivot away from an unfavorable situation. This experience proved that somatic approaches can facilitate decision-making that feels empowered and aligned with personal values.
Recapturing Personal Energy
Protecting personal energy is a central theme in the decision to quit commitments that no longer serve one’s needs. The host emphasizes the idea that maintaining a manageable schedule often leads to wellness, particularly for individuals with neurodivergent conditions. Quitting unfulfilling engagements allows for the reclaiming of time and energy, fostering space for what truly nurtures growth and happiness. The wisdom shared encourages embracing the act of quitting as a form of self-respect and a necessary step toward living authentically, rather than as a failure to persevere.
Quitting can feel amazing, especially when it's a clear self-protection move. And when we haven't waited until it becomes so terrible we have to get out.
But the decision-making process can feel slow!
This episode covers three ways I've decided to quit things:
Big emotions / the thing got really bad
Math-y pros and cons approach (slow but effective)
Getting somatic info from my body
#3 is great... but at the same time, I've done years of building safety around receiving and integrating information from my body! It's not just about the technique itself.