Episode 275: Clinician's Corner | Recovery in Unsettled Times

Recovery isn't a linear journey that pauses during chaos—it thrives in the middle of life's mess. In this powerful episode of *Food Junkies Podcast*, clinicians Molly and Clarissa dismantle the myth that healing requires calm, stable conditions. They argue that recovery in 'unsettled times'—marked by global uncertainty, personal crises, and chronic stress—is not only possible but essential. Drawing on neurobiology, they explain how constant exposure to news, economic instability, and trauma erodes the nervous system, making cravings and emotional dysregulation inevitable. Rather than blaming oneself for slipping, they reframe setbacks as signals of a system under load. The real work, they say, is not perfection but 'minimum viable recovery'—tiny, imperfect acts of self-care that keep us tethered to our values. From breathwork and body grounding to boundary-setting with news and leaning into co-regulation, the episode offers a compassionate, science-backed roadmap for staying connected to recovery even when the world feels like it's falling apart. The most radical takeaway? Treading water isn’t failure—it’s survival. And that’s enough.