Living for Today: Grounding Beyond Past and Future

Ricky Cortez
Sep 17
3 min read

Updated: Dec 10

If you’re feeling weighed down by the past, it often shows up as depression. If you’re stuck worrying about what might happen in the future, it often shows up as anxiety. For many of us, these cycles are heightened by trauma—our own lived experiences or the pain we’ve absorbed from those around us.

Our nervous system is wired to protect us. But when it gets stuck in survival mode, we can find ourselves trapped in fight, flight, or freeze even when the immediate danger has passed. Sometimes we’re triggered by others, sometimes by our environment, and sometimes by our own thoughts. The result? We lose our ability to live fully in the present moment.

The challenge is real: how do we move beyond fear of the past or dread of the future and anchor ourselves here, now?

Nervous System Resets: What Science Shows

Our nervous system is designed for balance, constantly shifting between activation and calm. But in life, packed with deadlines, devices, and constant news feeds, we spend too much time in stress states (fight, flight, or freeze). Research in polyvagal theory (Stephen Porges) shows that our vagus nerve plays a central role in signaling safety. When it’s engaged, we can connect, communicate, and feel grounded. When it’s offline, we’re more likely to feel anxious, withdrawn, or reactive.

Neuroscience also tells us that our bodies crave regulation as much as food, water, and sleep. Just as we replenish energy through nutrition or rest, we need regular “nervous system resets” to maintain balance. These resets aren’t abstract. They’re embedded in everyday human behavior:

Breathing patterns naturally shift when we move from stress to calm. A deep exhale signals safety.
Sensory awareness (sight, sound, touch, smell, taste) pulls the brain into the present, interrupting cycles of rumination or worry.
Movement helps discharge built-up stress hormones and recalibrates the body after high activation.
Connection with others strengthens regulation. As Matthew Lieberman’s research reminds us: “Connection is a superpower.” Our nervous system literally co-regulates with those around us.

What’s powerful is that these resets don’t just happen by chance, we can train them. Through repetition, the brain adapts (neuroplasticity at work), building pathways that make it easier to return to calm, even under pressure.

Why This Matters Now

We live in a world saturated with stimulation: endless scrolling on social media, breaking news alerts, nonstop email, and the pressure to always be “on.” All of these things keep our nervous systems in a heightened state of vigilance. What gets left behind? Real presence. Real connection. The ability to feel safe in our own skin.

The good news is: regulation can be learned. Just like exercise builds physical fitness, regular nervous system practices build resilience and balance. And when we’re balanced, it doesn’t just change our own lives, it ripples into our families, our partnerships, our workplaces, and our communities.

From Research to Practice with CARE

This is where CARE (Connected And Rooted Everywhere) comes in. CARE is practical, science-informed nervous system training. In individual, couple, family, and group sessions, we translate the science of polyvagal theory, somatic awareness, and breathwork into simple tools you can use every day.

Our work together is about more than calming down, it’s about retraining your system to respond with intention instead of reactivity, curiosity instead of fear, and connection instead of isolation.

✨ Your past doesn’t have to define you, and your future doesn’t have to control you. The present is where healing happens and where connection begins.

👉 Learn more or book a session here: CARE Offerings

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💚 Ready to Root?

Whether you’re showing up solo, with your partner, your kids, or your work team—you are welcome here. My job is to hold space, guide practices, and offer a roadmap for reconnecting to the wisdom already inside you.

I invite you to come curious, come messy, come as you are.

Let’s connect. Let’s get rooted. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE 🌿

Find Your Calm with CARE. If you’re not able to participate directly, I’d be deeply grateful if you’d share CARE with friends, family, or colleagues who may benefit.

🌿 CARE Mantra