When you get what you want and still panic

You called it in. Now it’s here—and your system’s short-circuiting. How to hold ease, support, and success without shutting down.

Aug 02, 2025

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This Week’s Good Thoughts

Here are three things I’ve been sitting with this week around what it takes to receive more, why discipline gets easier when you’re ready for change, and the regulation tools that are helping me stay steady in the stretch.

1. The emotional whiplash of manifesting more

Everything we’re told about manifesting sounds great: Create abundance! Do it with ease! But hardly anyone talks about the messy middle and how to navigate it.

When God/Universe starts sending you support with ease, it’s likely your body will resist. And maybe sabotage. Especially if you carry the belief that success must be difficult, or that you don’t fully deserve it.

Nothing reveals your beliefs faster than getting more and more of what you want.

What do you do when it starts coming? Do you welcome it with open arms? Or freak out because it feels like too much?

As you leap to your next level, your nervous system will be tested. Can you sit in the discomfort long enough to fully receive the bigger, better thing God is delivering?

I’ve been tested hard on this for the last two weeks.

What receiving support actually looks like

I’ve been focusing more intentionally on something I’ve practiced for a while: noticing evidence that God/Universe loves and supports me. The cool part? The more I paid attention, the more it appeared.

Family visiting and offering to watch our daughter. Our neighbors gifting us a Peloton bike. A moment of doubt from someone about my new business helped me solidify my commitment and vocalize confidence in myself.

And then, on my tenth anniversary trip with my husband, the support kept growing. It started small—cozy robes and slippers in our room, a couple offering to take our photo at sunset. Then, it got bigger: our favorite appetizer was comped at dinner, a couple’s massage was fully covered, and expensive spa add-ons were gifted to us for free.

It was like the Universe was saying, “I heard you.”

And yet, the more I leaned into this ease, the more uncomfortable I felt. Thoughts crept in: “Enjoy it while it lasts,” “You’re just lucky,” or “You’ll need to work even harder to keep this going.”

When we got home, contrast showed up immediately. My husband had to navigate something stressful at work, and everything suddenly felt confusing. I knew deep down we were still being supported—but it tested my faith. Could I trust that even in challenge, God/Universe was still guiding us to the next level?

Your capacity to receive is everything

This is the part of manifesting no one warns you about. If your nervous system can’t receive the ease, success, or support you desire, then even when it arrives, you’ll resist it, downplay it, or try to earn it.

That’s why these Substack notes resonate so deeply:

We’ve been conditioned to believe that struggle is the only path to success. That ease has to be earned—no wonder we freak out, resist, or downplay when something good happens without overefforting.

My beliefs were put to the test big time. Could I lean into the generosity of that trip without trying to fix, downplay, or earn it? Even as hardship showed up at the same time?

But I reminded myself: we’re only given what we can hold. Sometimes it has to come step by step. Not because we’re not worthy, but because our systems need time to adjust. If it came all at once, it might flood us.

So rather than stewing in frustration, here’s what I’m practicing:

Recognize what you’re feeling. Cry. Vent. Write.
Validate it: Even when you feel sad or angry, love and accept yourself fully.
Use it as information: What are your emotions trying to tell you that you want?
Reframe it: How does this new clarity make you even more committed to change?

By doing this, you’re communicating that it’s safe to experience these emotions. And that you’re willing to give yourself the space to process and learn from what you’re feeling. Then, your nervous system expands what it feels safe receiving.

This process is what expands your capacity. Not bypassing your feelings, but making space for them. Showing your body it’s safe to receive more—even when it’s uncomfortable.

It’s going to be uncomfortable either way. So why not sit in the discomfort of expansion?

2. Discipline stops feeling hard when you’re ready

When we’re ready to grow, life gets painful on purpose. It’s not punishment—it’s a signal. You’re not meant to stay where you are anymore. Dan Koe wrote:

“The way out is to lean in. To become aware of how painful your current life is. Because once the pain of where you are outweighs the pain of where you want to be, discipline is no longer painful, because you don't have to force yourself to do it.”

This is powerful. When it becomes more painful to stay where you are than to move toward where you want to be, discipline becomes a non-issue.

We naturally do what needs to be done—no forcing, no overexerting. The last couple of weeks solidified this for me. I needed to feel the pain of staying the same, instead of continuing to avoid the discomfort of growth.

It also deepened my trust in God/Universe—and reminded me to get out of my own way. With the hot mess express my emotions have been on lately, I’m in no position to see the whole picture clearly. God operates from perfect love and makes decisions from that place. I trust that space more than my own messy, reactive one.

So I’m learning to sit back. To regulate. To not overdo. To take aligned action without micromanaging every detail. My biggest job is to keep regulating, receiving, and feeling joyful, even when it’s chaotic.

3. Regulation rituals for when life stretches you

If you’ve been feeling unusually sensitive lately—or like your stress won’t come down, no matter what—you’re not alone. Tension often shows up right before we level up. My coach said:

“When you break through the old, you hit the contrast head-on. The old and new tug at each other.”

That tug can feel like something’s wrong. It’s not. It’s a sign you’re growing. But growth still needs support.

Here are the simple tools I’m using daily to regulate:

→ Bilateral music with headphones (10+ minutes). I play it while tapping, stretching, journaling, or cleaning. Here’s a playlist I listen to.

→ Breathwork reset: Inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 6. A few rounds between tasks or when I feel overstimulated helps bring me back into my body.

→ Intentional journaling: Let the thoughts spill out, then redirect gently toward what I want to call in. I’ll often add calming music in the background.

→ Bilateral music before bed. Even 10 minutes helps me settle down and sleep better.

These micro-moments of safety add up. When life stretches me, I’m not unraveling—I’m adjusting. If things feel tender right now, be gentle with yourself. You’re not falling apart. You’re evolving.

—Francesca
Founder of The Good Space

P.S. If you’re craving deeper support around nervous system regulation, manifestation, and stepping into your next level—I’m quietly opening a small group starting this September. It’s an intimate 8-week container where we’ll explore these themes together in real time. If this email resonated and you want guidance, clarity, and support as you expand, join the waitlist here. Spots will be limited.

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💭 Regulate + Reflect

It’s safe for me to receive more ease, support, and abundance—even when it feels unfamiliar.

(Save the image below if you need the reminder later.)

🖋️ Feeling curious?

Try this reflection:

Where in my life am I resisting the very thing I’ve been asking for?

How can I soften and allow it in?

No pressure to write. Notice what stirs when you ask.

🩵 Good Finds

Some good things worth mentioning . . .

Read: Why self-discipline gets easier when you align with the pain of staying the same.
Quote: A needed reminder from Jamie Varon to stop justifying joy or shrinking your life for others’ comfort.
“You don’t need to be selfless. You’re not a martyr…You’re allowed a life that feels really good to you. Without explanation. Without condition.”
Tool: In this clip, Barack Obama calls out the mistake of focusing only on what’s wrong with boys instead of investing in what’s right—reminding us how powerful it is to lead with belief, not critique.
Listen: This episode with Taylor Bowling on The Good Space podcast shows how small environmental shifts at home can help you regulate and receive more.

What’s one thing you’ve loved this week? Let’s spread some joy.