Listening to the wisdom of the body becomes essential when you feel overwhelmed, stressed and exhausted.
Yet, it’s in these situations people force things the most, attempting to meet an unrealistic goal, honor a commitment or live up to an unreasonable expectation.
In a culture where being strong all the time and pushing through is expected, listening to the wisdom of the body can seem a bit “airy fairy” or impractical. Add in deadlines and societal pressure to succeed, the choice to step away and take care of yourself is often mired in guilt and feelings of not being good enough to hack it.
There are always ways to push yourself through pain or discomfort. If you are trying to work through a hangover, well, that’s one thing. However, the regular everyday twinges and sensations you feel are more than an inconvenience – they are deep wisdom and intuition speaking to you through your body.
How good are you at listening to the wisdom of the body and discerning what it’s saying?
Decoding Your Body’s Language to Support Creative Self-Care
In the kick off post for my creative self-care blog series, Mindfulness and Crafting a Creative Self-Care Practice, I talked about how the mind gets in the way of our creativity and well-being. I also offered ways to get clear and grounded. When you have clarity around the way your mind works, it’s the first step towards opening up to and hearing your body in a deeper way.
The human body is the way we connect with the higher self, each other and the universe, so it’s a pretty important tool!
No matter who you are, your body is always talking and it does so in a way that’s unique to you. A pain, twinge, gut feeling or a sense of discomfort can arise at any time, giving you very helpful insight. Do you know how decode your body’s language to act on that insight for creative self-care?
Some of physical reactions may be intuitive hits, others may be the sign of illness. For example, a flutter in your gut could mean a certain creative idea is a winner, whereas a queasiness or sense of uneasiness means it’s a “no” or indicates a need for further investigation.
There are also times when you simply feel emotionally overwhelmed and are confused about what to listen to, the head and heart. This can cause a great degree of physical discomfort in the body.
As an empath, I rely a great deal on my body to sense and receive information about my environment, clients, the people in my life, for creative inspiration and to determine if a situation is safe. The intuitive “receiver” of an empath is turned up to the max, which enables us to feel everything on a much deeper level. It’s also why it’s even more essential for empaths to listen to the wisdom of the body and learn to discern what it’s saying before it takes a toll on the mind and spirit as well.
The more you listen to the wisdom of the body, and pay attention to how things pan out, the greater insight you gain about your body’s unique communication style and how to work in concert with it. The gift is in deciphering the information and using it to guide your creative self-care in a healthy way.
During the holidays we spend more time with family, friends and colleagues. This makes it even more essential to listen the wisdom of the body to stay grounded and honor personal needs. It’s the most powerful way to enjoy time with loved ones and be present in the moment to act on clear creative inspiration.
Tips to Help You Understand the Body’s Signals on a Deeper Level
Now that I’ve covered why listening to the wisdom of the body is so important, here are simple creative self-care tips to make it through the holidays or during a stressful period any time of year.
Create a routine and stick to it, from sleep, to eating, to down time. Stress and year-end energy adds on extra societal pressure to attend all the parties, eat all the food and do all the things. This is untrue – don’t believe it. Do the things that fit into your schedule most easily, allow you to stick fairly close to your normal sleep and food routines, and leave you room to “just be” in between. Go ahead and eat holiday treats or be more social, just stick to the times of the day that fit in line with when you normally eat or socialize. Continue with walks or exercise, meditation, journaling and doing all of the things you would normally do any other time of the year.
Ask the body if it wants to do something. When you get an invite, tune into your body and get a sense of what it’s saying to you. Do you feel excited? Annoyed? Overwhelmed? This opens up an opportunity for deeper inquiry into a sensation and match it with a fear or specific feeling in a deeper way.
Don’t feel the need to explain yourself to anyone, even family. Then, drop the guilt. This can be a hard one, but if you aren’t feeling up to something, honor yourself and body by expressing your truth. There is nothing courageous about pushing through if it’s only going wreak havoc with your mental health, energy or overall well-being for weeks afterward.
Take extra time to be still and practice listening to the body. If you want to get a good jump on positive behavior for the new year, this is your best bet. As you transform and evolve, your body also evolves how it speaks to you, so keep up! The more calm and clear you feel, the better you are at listening on a deeper level and noticing unhealthy patterns – which leads to inner healing and better creative self care.
Review how projects or situations feel in your body, then decide if you want to continue them. The great part about the fresh smell of a new year is saying goodbye to patterns, choices and things you already know are not a fit. Use this time to release what feels out of resonance with the body before planning the fresh and new. This is how you make time and space to feel into the creative opportunities on the horizon and listen to the wisdom of the body in a deeper way.
What ways do you practice listening to the wisdom of the body, especially in times of stress?
Want more insight on listening to the wisdom of the body? Check out my previous post called Get Back into the Body to Create Forward Momentum. If you are looking for extra support, connect with me for an intuitive reading to check in on the chakras and see what may be out of sync. For more specific ways to tap into your inner wisdom, check out my podcast, Flirting With Enlightenment. Want a well-trusted book to help you discern the body’s messages? Check out You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay.