Welcome to the world of somatics, Cortney! It's the place that I live these days. After being sooooo cut off from my feelings and my body for most of my life -- overriding ALL their signals, actually lecturing to myself that I "shouldn't feel a certain way" (as if our nervous systems obey a moral code), I now listen to my body intently, all day. It's been so enlightening. And freeing. And validating.
I've also learned to just pay attention to those bodily signals and not necessarily respond to them with a decision or action right away ... but to honor them, observe them, acknowledge that they are real. I then try to listen for the story my mind is trying to tell about those feelings. Often that story is just me trying to make sense out of a feeling my body is having, that I would rather not have. And the story often dates from a long time ago. Regardless, there is great power in just observing the feeling, letting it move through the body, detaching it from the story, and still acknowledging the truth: "This (whatever it was) made/is making me feel uncomfortable. That's a real feeling. What's that about?"
I'm finding I'm spending a lot more time with people and activities that make me feel good and alive, and feeling less frozen and repelled by things that don't. I do want to reduce the impact of those things on my life, but I'm not overriding my bodily sensations. There's so much wisdom there ... I hate how we are conditioned to override those signals.
Welcome to the world of somatics, Cortney! It's the place that I live these days. After being sooooo cut off from my feelings and my body for most of my life -- overriding ALL their signals, actually lecturing to myself that I "shouldn't feel a certain way" (as if our nervous systems obey a moral code), I now listen to my body intently, all day. It's been so enlightening. And freeing. And validating.
I've also learned to just pay attention to those bodily signals and not necessarily respond to them with a decision or action right away ... but to honor them, observe them, acknowledge that they are real. I then try to listen for the story my mind is trying to tell about those feelings. Often that story is just me trying to make sense out of a feeling my body is having, that I would rather not have. And the story often dates from a long time ago. Regardless, there is great power in just observing the feeling, letting it move through the body, detaching it from the story, and still acknowledging the truth: "This (whatever it was) made/is making me feel uncomfortable. That's a real feeling. What's that about?"
I'm finding I'm spending a lot more time with people and activities that make me feel good and alive, and feeling less frozen and repelled by things that don't. I do want to reduce the impact of those things on my life, but I'm not overriding my bodily sensations. There's so much wisdom there ... I hate how we are conditioned to override those signals.
Thank you so much for these wise and kind words <3
Great post, enjoy Portugal, one of my top faves!