JPotter Health

come check out the grinch and

Join us TOMORROW 11/30 for pet photos with the grinch!!! ALL types of pets welcome (as long as they won’t eat our grinch). Simplicity Photography will have digital & print options available, Grateful Dog Bakery will be selling dog treats, J Potter Health will have great info for fosters and adopters about animal decompression, and Leslie Yerkes will be signing books! We also have TONS of dog clothes (Xmas gifts!) and a cash bar so come on down and hang out!!!
*pets not required to have a drink and do some Christmas shopping!

As promised on Wednesday here is an “Inner Script Reset” exercise.
Your inner voice can be your biggest ally — or your harshest critic. If you’ve been running the same unhelpful script for years, it won’t disappear overnight… but you can interrupt it and start rewriting it today.

Here’s the 2-Minute Inner Script Reset:
1️⃣ Catch it. Notice the exact words you’re saying to yourself. Example: “I can’t believe I messed this up. I’m such an idiot.”
2️⃣ Pause it. Say (out loud or in your head): “Stop. That’s not helpful.” This interrupts the pathway your brain is about to run.
3️⃣ Replace it. Choose a reframe that’s true and useful. Example: “I made a mistake. I can fix it, and here’s the first step.”

Why this works:

Catching it builds awareness
Pausing it disrupts the old neural pathway
Replacing it starts wiring in a new, more helpful route

Want more examples and language swaps to help you rewrite your inner script? They’re all in this week’s newsletter —
grab your free copy here ➡️ https://jpotterhealth.com/landing/newsletter-sign-up

On Tuesday, I shared about a client whose inner critic showed up over one small mistake.
Here’s why that happens — and how you can change it.

Your brain is like a trail system. Every time you have a thought, you walk down a path. The more often you walk it, the more worn-in and automatic it becomes.

In neuroscience, these are called neural pathways. In NLP, we think of them as mental programs — learned patterns that run automatically in response to certain triggers.
Pathways can be helpful or unhelpful:
Helpful pathway: You make a small error and automatically think, “Okay, fix it and move on.”
Unhelpful pathway: You make the same error and instantly hear, “I’m such an idiot, I always mess this up.”

Here’s the important part: Your brain doesn’t label a pathway “good” or “bad.” It simply strengthens whichever one you travel most often. This is why repeated criticism — even from yourself — wires in so deeply.
But here’s the good news: In NLP, we use reframing and state change techniques to interrupt the unhelpful pathway mid-run and redirect you down a different one.
Each time you do that, you make the new path easier to find — until, over time, it becomes the automatic route.

It’s not about “pretending everything is fine.” It’s about installing a more useful program so your inner voice helps you solve the problem instead of punishing you for it.
On Friday, I’ll share a simple Inner Script Reset exercise you can try — it only takes two minutes and it can start rewiring your brain from the very first time you use it.

Story of internal narrative sabotage → shift.

He stared at the email, his jaw tight, the cursor blinking back at him like it knew. One small mistake. One missed attachment. And before he could even hit “send again,”
the voice was there — sharp and familiar:
“You idiot. You can’t even get the simple stuff right. They’re going to think you’re useless.”
It wasn’t his boss talking. It wasn’t a co-worker. It was him —

his own inner script, reciting lines he’d been hearing for years.
The thing about that voice is, it doesn’t care if you’ve just done a hundred things right.
It will grab the one wrong thing, the one stumble, and put it on repeat.

But here’s what I told him: That voice is not you. It’s just an old story your brain learned somewhere — maybe from a critical parent, maybe from a harsh coach, maybe from years of trying to be perfect. And like any script, it can be rewritten. This week, I’ll show you how to catch that story mid-sentence, change the lines, and finally start speaking to yourself like someone you actually respect.

Each morning, complete three tiny actions — each under 5 minutes — before you do anything else.
Here’s why:
✔ Each action gives your brain a dopamine boost, jumpstarting motivation
✔ Physical movement sends your nervous system a “we’re safe” signal
✔ Stacking small wins builds momentum for bigger tasks
Need ideas?
Try:
Make your bed - Drink a glass of water - Step outside and take 5 deep breaths -
Send a quick thank-you text - Put one thing away in your home or workspace

By Monday, notice:
Is your morning mood different? Did you start your day with more focus? Did bigger tasks feel easier to begin?

In this week’s newsletter, I’m sharing my full list of 15 stress-busting small wins you can rotate all month long. It’s free, and you can sign up here ➡️ https://jpotterhealth.com/landing/newsletter-sign-up

On Tuesday, I shared how a few tiny actions completely shifted my morning.

Here’s why that works — and why your brain loves small wins.
When you complete even a simple task, your brain releases dopamine. Most people think of dopamine as the “happy chemical,” but it’s more than that — it’s also a motivation signal.
That quick hit tells your brain: You did something. You’re moving forward. Keep going.
And there’s another layer… Small wins also help your nervous system find safety.

In neuroscience, this is sometimes called “bottom-up regulation” — using physical actions (like making your bed or drinking water) to send calming signals to your brain.
When your body says, We’re okay, your brain is far less likely to spiral into fight-or-flight mode. It’s not just about getting more done.
It’s about rewiring the stress loop so your mind and body trust that you’re in control.
On Friday, I’ll share The Small Win Challenge so you can feel the shift for yourself this weekend.

Some mornings, it feels like the world starts before I do.
The alarm goes off, and before my feet even hit the floor, my phone is already lighting up. Emails waiting. Notifications blinking.
My to-do list is playing in my head like a drumbeat I can’t turn off. My shoulders creep up. My breathing goes shallow.

The hum of stress gets so loud I can’t tell where to start. And that’s exactly the problem —
when your brain feels behind, it wants to chase everything at once… which means you end up doing nothing.

That’s the moment I paused. Made my bed. Poured a glass of water and drank it slowly. Opened the window to let in the cool morning air.
It wasn’t magic.

But each tiny action turned the volume down a little more, until I could hear myself think again. Sometimes, calm doesn’t start with a breakthrough — it starts with the smallest shift.

This week, I’m sharing why those little wins matter more than you think.

On Tuesday, I shared my grocery store stress spiral.
On Wednesday, we talked about the brain science behind it. Today — let’s talk about how to stop it in its tracks.
Here are 3 quick tools you can use the moment stress sneaks up:
1️⃣ Name it out loud.
Say, “I’m feeling anxious” or “I’m feeling tense.” Naming the emotion helps your brain shift out of autopilot and into awareness.
2️⃣ Breathe in 4, out 6.
Inhale slowly for a count of 4. Exhale for a count of 6. This signals your nervous system to stand down.
3️⃣ Find one physical anchor.
Feel your feet on the ground. Notice the texture of an object in your hand. Anything that roots you back in the present moment.
None of these require special tools — just a few seconds, and your willingness to pause. If you want my full guide to stopping stress in its tracks, grab this week’s newsletter. It’s free, and you can sign up here ➡️ https://jpotterhealth.com/landing/newsletter-sign-up

On Tuesday, I shared how stress hijacked me right in the middle of the grocery store.

Here’s what was happening in my body — and why it can happen to you, even in a “safe” place. Your brain has a built-in security system called the amygdala. It scans for danger constantly, even when you’re not aware of it. If it spots a potential threat — real or imagined — it hits the panic button.
Your body responds instantly: adrenaline surges, heart rate spikes, muscles tense, and your thinking brain takes a back seat.
This is the fight-flight-freeze response.

The tricky part? The amygdala doesn’t always get it right. It can misread everyday moments — a stray thought, a smell, even a memory — as danger.

The good news? You can retrain your nervous system to tell the difference between stress that protects you and stress that sabotages you. On Friday, I’ll share 3 quick tools to shut down a stress spiral before it takes over.

Ever feel like your brain has a mind of its own under stress?

I was halfway down the produce aisle, the hum of the refrigerators in the background, the citrus smell of oranges in the air.

One moment, I was deciding between Honeycrisp and Gala apples…
and the next, my chest clenched. My heart raced. My palms slicked with sweat.
Thoughts I’d been holding a second ago scattered so fast it was like someone had yanked the plug on my focus.

Nothing dangerous was happening — just a Tuesday at the grocery store. But my nervous system didn’t care. It had already slammed the alarm button, flooding me with fight-or-flight energy as if I were under attack.
That’s the thing about stress: it doesn’t always knock first. It can come out of nowhere, triggered by a thought you didn’t even notice.
This week, I’m breaking down what’s happening in your brain and body when stress hijacks the controls — and how to get your calm back before it spirals.

🌟 Life at Light Speed 🌟
In today's fast-paced world, stress often feels like an unwelcome companion, and it's all too easy to find ourselves teetering on the edge of burnout. But even in the midst of chaos, small, consistent changes can ignite profound transformation. Meet Sarah, an inspiring example of resilience and growth.

Sarah is a dedicated accountant, a loving wife, and a caring mother of three. With her husband traveling for work, she often juggles her demanding career alongside family life. Stress was becoming an uninvited fixture in her life, affecting her relationships and well-being.

When Sarah reached out to me, her path was leading straight to burnout. Together, we embarked on a journey using JPotter Health’s four-prong approach:

NLP Coaching: By altering her internal dialogues, Sarah harnessed the power of NLP techniques to transform negative thought patterns, enriching her communication with both herself and her family.
Mindfulness Practices: Embracing mindfulness, Sarah cultivated a deeper sense of clarity and calm. This daily practice served as her armor against stress, nurturing emotional well-being and present-moment awareness.
Food: Moving away from the fast-food trap, Sarah embraced the art of meal prep, making thoughtful decisions for her family's nutrition and fueling her life with energy and vitality.
Movement: With regular physical activity, endorphins became Sarah’s natural mood lifters. Evening walks with family members turned into cherished moments of connection and joy.

Sarah's journey is a powerful testament to the fact that with guidance and determination, we can reshape our lives. If you're feeling overwhelmed, remember—change begins with small, mindful steps. Embrace the journey, one step at a time.