Arruda Wellness

Happy Sunday Everyone ✨💛

Your vagus nerve is constantly listening: It serves as a vital communication pathway between the brain and body—helping regulate heart rate, digestion, inflammation, stress responses, emotional regulation, and our capacity for connection.

The vagus nerve isn’t just about physiology. It’s deeply connected to how we experience safety, belonging, and relationship. Through the lens of Polyvagal Theory, we begin to understand that our nervous systems are always asking one essential question: “Am I safe enough to connect?”

This diagram offers a glimpse into the remarkable reach of the vagus nerve throughout the body—and why understanding it can transform the way we think about health, healing, and human behavior.

✨ Explore more at polyvagal.org/vagusnerve --where you learn directly from Stephen Porges and trusted experts in Polyvagal Theory and the vagus nerve.

because credit where credit is due ❤︎ because you did it (and because some abusers claim credit for their victims’ victories)





to be clear...

the woundings
didn’t make
her wiser

the traumas
didn’t make
her stronger

she did that

-- and now she's going to create
a wonderful world for herself

❤︎ Emily Rosen

There are days when you can feel it—an unexplainable heaviness, a quiet tension, like something negative is trying to find its way into your peace. But I’ve learned that not everything that comes my way deserves a place within me. I rebuke any negative energy that tries to settle in my mind, my heart, or my spirit, because I’ve fought too hard to become this version of myself. I refuse to let doubt, fear, or unseen weight undo the healing I’ve built in silence. This is me choosing to protect my peace, to stand firm in my growth, and to remind myself that I am not a vessel for negativity—I am a home for strength, clarity, and light.

— Balt

Not everyone who enters your life is meant to stay, and not everyone deserves access to your time, your effort, or your heart. Sometimes we give too much, hoping it will be appreciated, only to realize that some people are comfortable receiving without ever giving the same in return. And in that process, we slowly drain ourselves trying to pour into spaces that were never meant to hold us.

Protecting your energy isn’t selfish—it’s necessary. You are allowed to step back, to choose peace over pressure, and to stop showing up for people who only notice you when it’s convenient. The right people won’t make you question your worth or exhaust your spirit. They will meet you with the same care, respect, and intention you so freely give.

- Hearts Without Home ✨

Happy International Women’s Day!

Riddle 1: Warrior ll
My feet are firm, my arms spread wide,
I gaze ahead with strength and pride.
Still yet fierce, I hold my ground,
Power hums without a sound.

🌿

Thanks for sharing your illustration with us