taking time for yourself

I don't know about you, but I have a hard time listening to my body. Well, I don't know if it's that I have a hard time exactly; it's that I've never really liked to do it. I've never trusted my body or the information it provides. It was my mind that was in charge; my body was just a tool for my mind to use.

My body seemed to be the most contrary thing. It wanted me to rest when I had things to do. It got hungry when I had just eaten or when I was right in the middle of something or when I just did not have time to stop and eat. It was always pointing out nagging aches and pains. It had problems that I could not get rid of - like allergies or a lack of energy.

Over the years, I learned how to ignore it. When I did listen to it, I treated it like this annoying thing that didn't really know what it wanted. "No, you're not in pain. I don't have time. No, you're not hungry. You've eaten enough. No. No. No."

I spent most of my time living in my mind. The only thing I really did that consistently took me out of my mind was trail running. That was why I loved it. Everything was quiet and all I could think about was my feet on the trails. Even then, I never really focused on how my body was feeling other than to appreciate that it could run.

After I took my first Reiki class, I started giving myself a Reiki treatment every day. Those treatments were the first time that I really took the time to sit and pay attention to myself at all. (Which is not to say that I didn't sit, just that I never paid attention.)

As I paid more and more attention, I began to realize that my body was not out to get me. In fact, it was actually more loving and supportive than my mind. While my mind was saying, "You're fat," my body was saying, "Sweetie, you're hungry; you need to eat." While my mind was saying, "You need to do/be/have more," my body was saying, "Sweetie, you're burnt out; you need to rest." While my mind was saying, "You can't do the things you want to do," my body was saying, "Sweetie, you're on the wrong road; you might want to rethink this."

When I started listening to my body, it was like finding this great new way to get information on myself. 

If you've read about my Reiki services or done a session with me, you know that I like you to treat the sessions like an experiment. I like you to set aside the hour to relax, to pay attention to yourself, and to see what you notice.

I do this because it's a very good way to evaluate something and to decide whether it's helpful or not.

I do this for other reasons as well. One of them is because it gives you the opportunity to set aside time to relax and pay attention to your body. When you do this, you're telling yourself that how you feel (physically, mentally, emotionally) is important. It is important. It's nice to do something that affirms this. And this also gives your body the chance to talk to you a little.

If Reiki isn't your thing, no worries. There are lots of other ways to do this. You can try yoga or meditation. You can dance around to music and lie quietly afterwards. You can set aside a little time and just notice what's going on with your body. All you really need is a little attention and curiosity.

Comments

[Josiane]

What a wonderful post! Thank you for sharing this thoughtful gem, Elizabeth.

[Laurie Gay]

Oh, how we let our minds rule the roost. Run the show. Steamroll. Roll play? No, that one doesn't fit.

My mind has made a mess of things, which is not exactly what you're saying, but I mean that when I learned to start listening to my body, a whole world started opening up for me.

What's interesting is how easy it is to STOP doing. I think this is especially true for us thinking types. I like analyzing! Logic! It needs to make SENSE!

But our bodies know so much more -- listening is key.

Next tremendous challenge I face: TRUSTING body enough to act.

It's a wild leap... do I dare?

[elizabeth --]

@Laurie: Logic! Sense! Yes! {In other words, I know that well. It is so easy to stay there.} I am working on the trusting. It is hard, and my body doesn't trust me to listen yet. I wish you strength for the challenge!

@Josiane: You are welcome! Thank you. xoxo