Hidden ways your body helps you through emotional stress.
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Have you ever wondered what those little twinges, flutterings or discomfort in your gut could be about? How many times have you passed them off as nothing and just carried on?
I used to disregard all of those things and eventually experienced the consequences.
One time in particular I recall, I was making a decision that directly affected someone I love. A very strong ache in my gut made no logical sense to me at the time. Instead of noting the significance of that feeling, I held onto a belief that my logic was a higher authority.
So I pushed aside the feeling and carried on.
Have you ever felt this way?
"You need to listen to your body because your body is listening to you." –Phil McGraw
About a year later, I learned that what my body was telling me was very important. The outcome of that decision a year before ended up causing me so much emotional stress. It was a cascade of regret, shame, blame and guilt.
I gave more importance to a belief that wasn’t necessarily true over the importance of the message my body was telling me.
The message was to take the time to tune in and put my beliefs aside in order to know what was true for that moment.
We’re taught our brains have all the right answers when in fact, our entire body can sense information, seemingly hidden messages, and it can communicate them back to us.
It’s up to us to learn how to tune into it.
The thing is, I didn’t have this wisdom or the tools to know how.
We are not our bodies, yet our bodies carry us through this world and do magnificent things for us. They are much more than machines to get us from point A to B, or made up of parts to be removed or replaced.
All our senses plug us into this world. Without them we’d be floating in space.
Our five senses give us information about our outer world. Our brains automatically interpret them. However, in order to understand the hidden messages our bodies send us, it takes a little more effort because it’s been trained out of us.
What makes it so important to pay attention and connect to the meaning of those messages is just like with our other senses, our bodies give us information. Information we can use to help guide us through our lives.
"Our body is our partner. When there is pain or a symptom - physical, mental or otherwise - it's our body's way of communicating and telling us something." – Dr. Elizabeth Rodgers
Learning how to tune in to the messages your body gives you a range of benefits for physical, mental and spiritual well being. For example:
Stress management
Confidence in yourself
Trust in yourself
Identify and process emotions more effectively
Better decision making skills
Greater mind-body connection
Early awareness of health issues which can be addressed with optimal timing
Optimize performance for physical improvement and to avoid injury
Improved sleep
Imagine what it could be like to be able to trust yourself to tune in to the information your body is picking up so you can feel confident making tough decisions. Rather than dropping into regular patterns of stress or looking for validation from others, the answers would be spot on for you.
Other people can only give you advice on what they would do. Or they’ll give you answers that fit their own agenda.
You leave yourself open to being swayed and making choices you’ll later regret.
That can lead to a build up of emotional stress. This stress left unattended can develop into health issues, relationship problems and depression.
The beauty is that we’re already equipped with ways of sensing those messages so they’ll be hidden no more. We can learn how to interpret them, like a graceful dance, to help us feel confident, centered and harmonized.
The moment I sensed that ache in my gut was a turning point for me. It woke me up to take the steps required to honor that moment in time and make the changes required to learn the skills of interpreting what my body tells me.
It also helped me be aware of the underlying emotions that had gone underground. That made them undetectable on the surface, yet detrimental in my life if they’d stayed there. The emotions of shame, blame, regret and guilt were adding to the stress that was building in my life.
Has your body ever been screaming to be heard at a crucial time?
Imagine if you could learn to be aware of the hidden messages your body gives you at times when you make decisions and choices that affect your life path or someone else's.
Think of how it could feel to trust yourself that you’re making good choices and be confident to move forward in new ways.
Having an intimate relationship with your body’s communication system can bring you a feeling of freedom. Just think of it!
Learning those skills is only one part of my new program, “Harmonized Living™ A Program to Break Stress Patterns and Make More Time For You!”.
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