Keeping Your Frequency High When Everything Around You Is Pulling It Down
Rethinking The “More, More, More” Season And What Alignment Actually Looks Like Right Now
The Myth of More
We’re currently in a season built on one message: more.
More buying.
More planning.
More performing.
More managing.
More everything.
Often without the capacity to hold it.
And underneath it all sits a quieter belief: that fulfillment is something we can acquire.
That if we keep up, show up the “right” way, or match the pace of the world around us, we’ll finally feel grounded.
But alignment doesn’t come from accumulation.
It comes from capacity - your ability to stay connected to yourself when everything around you is designed to pull you out of it.
So how do we make sure we have the capacity to hold this season and all that comes with it?
A Season That Pulls You Under
If you’re feeling tired or scattered right now, it’s not just you.
This stretch of the year is energetically expensive:
The logistics.
The disrupted routines.
The emotional labor.
The budgeting.
The travel.
The sleep interruptions.
The invisible load that somehow always finds its way to you.
I find this especially true if you’re a parent. Or if you’re holding multiple roles.
At least, that’s been my experience these last few weeks, stretched between work, kids, the holidays, and the pressure to “fit everything in” before the year ends.
So then the question becomes: how do you keep your frequency high when everything around you is pulling it down? And what does alignment actually look like during this period? Here’s a radical thought ~ it’s not by doing more, but by choosing differently.
A Framework for Choosing Differently
‘Choosing differently’ is easier said than done. We need to approach this with a strategy. Enter step 1 of said strategy - a simple framework you can filter decisions through for the rest of the season, like when things feel rushed, heavy, or overstimulating.
Questions that are meant to help you choose from alignment, not habit:
1. Does this support my capacity or drain it?
Not: Is this productive?
But: Is this sustainable for me today?
2. Am I saying yes from pressure or from intention?
Obligation, guilt, comparison, and expectations pull you out of alignment faster than anything else.
3. What is the simplest version of this that still honors my values?
Alignment often lives in the simplest option, not the most optimized.
4. Will this matter in a week? Or am I reacting to the season’s pace?
Most urgency this season is artificial urgency.
5. What does my body need right now, not just my mind?
Regulation is the foundation of alignment. And a regulated body leads to clearer choices.
The Frequency Toolkit
The framework above creates the internal space that the season often takes away. The toolkit below is meant to help you keep that space open. Each practice is grounded in science, easy to implement in the moment, and accessible to everyone.
1. Grounding (literal, 2–3 minutes)
Feet on grass or earth. Helps reduce cortisol, calm inflammation, and signal safety to the body. A fast way back into yourself.
Science: Research suggests grounding can influence cortisol rhythms and autonomic balance, with measurable effects on inflammation and stress response (Journal of Inflammation Research, 2015).
2. The 4-7-8 Breath Pattern
Inhale 4 → Hold 7 → Exhale 8. The extended exhale activates the parasympathetic nervous system and helps the body downshift out of stress.
Science: Slow breathing with an elongated exhale increases vagal tone and lowers heart rate within minutes (Harvard Medical School, 2020).
3. Cognitive Offloading
Write down every thought, task, loop, or mental burden currently taking up space. This frees working memory and reduces the sense of overload.
Science: Offloading reduces cognitive load and improves focus and decision-making (Journal of Experimental Psychology, 2021; reviewed in Grinschgl et al., 2023).
Advanced version: Do this at night and burn the paper. This symbolic release practice popularized by Dr. Habib Sadeghi.
4. Morning Light Exposure (3–5 minutes)
Go outside (no sunglasses) and let natural light hit your eyes. This anchors your circadian rhythm, stabilizes energy, and boosts morning alertness.
Science: Morning light is a primary zeitgeber for the circadian system and influences sleep timing, alertness, and mood (Blume, Garbazza, & Spitschan, Somnologie, 2019).
5. Movement
A stretch, a walk, or slow mobility work. Gentle movement releases tension, supports circulation, and shifts your body out of a stress state.
Science: Light-intensity movement can lower cortisol more effectively than high-intensity exercise during periods of stress (Stanford Lifestyle Medicine, 2025).
One Thing I’ve Learned
Capacity is an undervalued metric. When we protect our capacity, everything else (clarity, creativity, patience, and presence) comes back online.
Your 963 Prompt
Choose one question from the framework and one practice from the toolkit. Commit to them this week and notice what shifts.
Looking Ahead
Next month, I’ll be reflecting on the first full year of 963 - what it’s taught me, what it’s becoming, and what’s ahead for 2026.My hope is that we continue building this work together from a place of alignment, not urgency.
Until then, stay present where you can.
And remember, one grounded choice can be enough to shift your entire week.
More soon,
Jamie