Ready to begin or deepen your meditation practice? Join Dan Harris and world-class meditation teachers on the 10% with Dan Harris app here: https://app.danharris.com/membership If your nervous system feels like it's set to "elevated threat" all day for no obvious reason — a bad email, an ambient sense of dread, a body you're mostly at war with — this episode is for you. It's a practical, funny, deeply useful conversation about getting out of your head and into your body, with a guest who came to this work the hard way. Johanna Franzel is a teacher, a somatic practitioner, and the author of Write Yourself Home. She spent years running a network for young producers at PRX and getting an MA at Harvard before a Crohn's disease diagnosis forced her onto a completely different path. Along the way she developed the practices in this book — a mix of somatic tools and short, low-pressure writing prompts — for the rest of us. In this episode: – Why our nervous systems are stuck on tilt so much of the time – Getting "out of your head and into your body" — beyond the cliché – The famous literary line about a character living "a short distance from his body" (and why you probably are, too) – Johanna's Crohn's diagnosis and the pivot from public radio to somatic practice – The concept of "resource" — getting to know what good actually feels like in your body – Ozzy the cat and his generous belly (Dan's real resource, live on the podcast) – Acceptance vs. resignation — the paradoxical dance in the middle of all this – Why treating your nervous system like a toddler works (and staring at it doesn't) – Presence without scrutiny – The practice of "taking inventory" — starting with the classic 5-4-3-2-1 grounding move – "Withstanding" — the white-knuckling most of us do without even noticing – The one-degree-on-a-compass metaphor: how tiny somatic shifts change your whole life over time – "Growth by fatigue" — why change actually happens through can't-anymore, not willpower – Embodied writing (and yes, you can skip the writing part) – The "Museum of Follies" — a practice for the days when everything has gone wrong – The inner friend Dan has cultivated over the years (his catchphrase to himself: "you're good, bro") – Why "healing" might be the wrong frame — and why "growth" fits better Subscribe to watch more 10% Happier videos: https://www.youtube.com/tenpercenthappier Follow Dan Harris on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/danharris/ https://www.tiktok.com/@danbharris https://www.facebook.com/DanHarrisABC https://twitter.com/danbharris https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-harris-91ba5716b/ 0:00:00 Why our nervous systems are on tilt so much of the time 0:02:00 Getting out of your head and into your body 0:03:00 The tea aisle Tetley story 0:04:00 Johanna's Crohn's diagnosis and the pivot to somatic practice 0:09:00 The concept of "resource" — knowing what good feels like 0:10:00 Ozzy the cat and his generous belly 0:13:00 Acceptance vs. resignation — the paradoxical dance 0:17:00 Presence without scrutiny — treat your nervous system like a toddler 0:24:00 The practice of taking inventory 0:37:00 Withstanding — the white-knuckling you don't know you're doing 0:40:00 Growth by fatigue — how change actually happens 0:44:00 Embodied writing (no writing skills required) 0:46:00 The Museum of Follies 0:52:00 The inner friend — Dan's "you're good, bro" 0:55:00 Why "healing" might be the wrong frame #10PercentHappier #WriteYourselfHome #Somatics This episode is brought to you by Northwest Registered Agent. When you're ready to start your business, Northwest gives you all the tools to build a real business identity from day one — a business address, website, phone number, operating agreement, free guides, and more, at no extra cost. Northwest has been helping small business owners for nearly 30 years, with over 1,500 corporate guides who know your local laws. Get started with a free account at https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com/Happierfree. This episode is brought to you by Square. Square helps local businesses keep up and get ahead, whether you're starting fresh or scaling fast. Square's latest tools help you sell smarter, run faster, and stress less. Right now, listeners can get up to $200 off Square hardware at https://square.com/go/happier.