One of my biggest fears around sharing my journey is that I would come across as “anti-medication”. Or that my belief systems around mindset-work would be taken the wrong way for people who are ill and reliant on pharmaceuticals. This is definitely not the case. I have immense respect for the medical profession. So many people in my life have received life-saving pharmaceuticals and treatment for serious health concerns. I do believe, however, that taking medication is not the only thing we need to do to improve our health outcomes. We must be active participants in our own healing!
I have been able to take my healing into my own hands, in combination with medication, along with the support of other practitioners. But the missing link took me time to uncover, I have gone through many stages in how I’ve managed my illness; beginning with avoidance and eventually leading to education and acceptance. I believe in holistic alternative lifestyle approaches to complement Western medicine which has made a real difference for me. I can say that I’ve empowered my ability towards better health and I want to pass this onto you.
Your Body Speaks Your Mind
There are a number of different “maps” you can use to guide you in understanding the body mind language. Such as the function of the part involved, on which side of the body is occurring, etc. But more importantly than any of these is your own intuition or inner sense of what something means and feels like. This will develop as you become better acquainted with the terrain, and will begin to arise naturally the more you focus your awareness inward and expand your perception. As your physical and mental selves begin to understand each other more completely, you may find (as I did) that the symptoms of chronic disease go into remission.
We all hold different stories in our bodies. Just as we all have our own unique voice, so each body has its own means of expression. For instance, feeling the you are not getting the support you need or that you are weighed down with responsibility may manifest as difficulties either in the back or in the knees, ankles, and the weight-bearing joints. It is different for each of us. The words “weighed down” in itself holds such sustenance of literally being weighed down and can show up as putting on extra weight (I know this one all too well).
Discovering your own body mind means paying attention to the details and listening to the body’s communication. Your body knows what’s going on, and you can learn how to listen and interpret what it’s trying to tell you. Listening to your intuition, your feelings, and your body is a gentle process of opening into awareness. Our everyday life can be distracted or externalized with thoughts flying in many directions at once. To listen to your inward rather than outward. This is essential, for your inner voice may be quite shy, quiet, or subtle and requires your full attention.
With love and patience, nothing is impossible
Patience is also needed here. You need patience to let your body speak to you, as it may not be immediately forthcoming with information. You need patience with yourself in understanding your body’s language, as with each layer of insight your symptoms may vary. Pain may move to a different place, for example.
“Think of it as an onion. There is a lot to you, like the layers of an onion. Just when I think I have figured “one layer” out, I peel off another layer and discover something unexpected. You are complex, and this is a good thing.”
And you need patience with your body as you may have long since released the repressed, denied, or ignored issues, but your body has not yet changed; the symptoms or illness have not yet disappeared. If you think about how your body is manifesting thoughts or emotions that have been repressed over a period of time, sometimes a long time, then it’s not surprising that it takes a while to change, maybe even a few weeks or months after psychological or emotional issues have already been healed.
Listening to your body will help you know what sort of healing you may need. It may be emotional release or perhaps some form of therapy/therapeutic approach, it may be deep-tissue massage or herbal remedies, or it may be surgery or medicinal drugs. If a symptom is a “coming together” then usually each contributing factor will need attention, i.e. both the psycho/emotional and the physical. Uncovering the source of your difficulty and dialoguing with your body will help you determine what is most important.
There are a number of ways you can listen, such as through paying attention, dialogue, writing, visualization, and mediation.
Paying Attention
Also known as mindfulness, paying attention simply means becoming aware, watching and observing the present moment. When you are mindful in this way you notice the ground beneath you as you walk, the sound of the birds, or the feel of the wind. You are in the present moment rather than lost in thoughts of the past or future. You notice pain or discomfort without getting involved in the story surrounding it, and you notice how you function, where your strengths and weaknesses are, what upsets you, where there are resistances or limitations, where your muscles tighten and hold your emotions. It may feel odd at first – you may never have tried being aware in this way before – but such mindfulness enables you to understand yourself more deeply.
“I just try to notice myself, without judgment and I notice that I feel sick, achey and tense across my shoulders, my neck, sore throat, when I don’t speak up, or I overthink what I’ve said, worrying if I’ve overstepped or have said too much. A sadness overcomes me when my legs are massaged. My left arm tends to hurt and pull when I feel my heart centre “malnourished” or neglected. My feet ache when I am having a hard time when making decisions that involve me moving forward.”
TUNE INTO YOUR OWN FREQUENCY
Paying attention means watching, noticing, without comment. It doesn’t mean judging, criticizing, or feeling guilty. You are just seeing yourself as you are. Observing your body, your mind, and your feelings, and how they interact with one another. You will probably notice how much you avoid yourself. In particular, your weak areas. How often do you change the subject, or suddenly get very tired. Do you easily fill your days with things to do so there are no empty spaces.
Pay attention to your feelings by watching how you respond to different situations and people. Watch your anxieties and fears. Notice your desires and how you manipulate events or people to get your needs fulfilled. See how your feelings stimulate different responses. What is happening emotionally before you get a headache or your back starts aching?
“Maybe you have to know the darkness before you can appreciate the light.”
When you possess light within, you see it externally
As awareness grows you may find yourself confronting old patterns of behaviour or lost memories that have shaped your thinking. Bringing awareness to the interactions between your mind, emotions, body, and behaviour can open the door to whatever has been repressed, denied, or ignored. It enables those energies to move out of the darkness and into consciousness, and sometimes that is all that is required. Shining light on what has been hidden means acknowledging it, accepting it, and bringing it into the wholeness of your being.
Becoming aware of yourself as you are is the beginning of accepting yourself. You can’t accept something you are not aware of, and you can’t become aware without paying attention, watching and listening. The deeper levels are most repressed. Becoming aware of and accepting your inner pain brings warmth and softness and release. It may be very hard at times. The tendency is to run away, to cover it up again. But it is there to help you grow. Always remember to breathe and soften.
Your body hears every thought you have and every word you say. It knows your moods, whether you are feeling glad to be alive, optimistic, and hopeful, or depressed, sad, and lonely. In fact, it probably knows you better than you know yourself! So talking with your body is not as crazy as it sounds. There are many ways you can dialogue with your body.
Your body is telling you something. Stay tuned for more ways to tune in on listening to yourself speak and listening to your body speak, including breathing exercises and meditations.