I really appreciate the idea of looking at our own wellbeing as an “active” choice instead of the passivity which typically surrounds that idea. It is easy to just be the observer when it comes to out own wellbeing and yet when we are only the observer we are also abdicating the choice around our wellbeing… our happiness. Within the choice of change and action there is also the importance to remember; celebrate the small successes! Enjoy the moment which may seem simple and insignificant at first and yet may have the greatest impact on your wellbeing.
When l think about my own wellbeing, my own happiness… and how I have come to understand the process of my own withdrawal which then leads to disconnection with those around me, l have learned to pay attention to how my body is responding to the situation. What brought that awareness to the forefront was an old injury on my wrist. I have noticed in times of stress the pain and numbness in my wrist and up my arm will increase. What is also fascinating is that once I started to really pay attention to this stress “flag” I found that my body was showing my stress level even before I was consciously aware of what was causing the rise.
This reminds me of a story I heard once. It was about a “Study” that was done which focused on the idea of looking at peoples responses to certain stimuli presented through pictures. Each subject was connected to a EEG machine which measured their brainwaves, as well as having a camera trained on the Subject to catch any physical and/or visual responses. The pictures then came up on the screen in front of the person. These pictures ranged from the “warm and fuzzy” to the “devastating and horrible.” What was observed was that after a time, the subject responded the the next picture a fraction of a second prior to the picture actually being shown. Each time the response was accurate to the type of picture. What does this mean for you and I? Our bodies know before we do. If we can learn to pay attention to the “flags” which show within our body; we will learn (perhaps before something actually occurs) that we are under stress or responding to something we may not be fully aware of and can take appropriate action.
If listening to your body as a new idea then start by going into the feeling… if you are feeling angry, where in your body does that anger sit? is it in your stomach? chest? once you can define the where, then ask; “if this feeling had a word, what would it be?” I have found that by naming the emotion and then letting it “speak” gives me the ownership of what I am feeling and also the ability to process what is occurring a little easier.
Remember anything new can be scary and challenging and… you are worth it!!! If you would like, share your own experiences, what you felt, what you found… how has this idea helped in your life?
