How many of us actually pay attention to how we are feeling physically? Not just when we’re carrying an injury but in general day to day life?
My Garmin watch gives me updates on my training readiness which adjusts for sleep quality, stress levels and recent activity etc and this is the closest I get to listening to my body.
My ADHD coach has really encouraged me to listen to my body, we even had a short meditation online today as part of my session which was great. I concentrated on my breathing, noticing the sensation in my chest then in my nostrils, the rhythmic sound of the inhalation and exhalation reminded me of waves crashing against the shore at the beach on a sunny, blue sky day. Then all I could do was think about the seaside. That was calming as the sea normally is for me.
Another reason for concentrating on how you feel is to regulate when feeling dysregulated. Think of it as having a neutral gear where you’re not in drive or reverse – you’re in your restful state. Dysregulation for me often feels like fight or flight (occasionally freeze) and I zone out or get agitated or just want to get away and escape how I feel. Often dysregulation is triggered by RSD, so the sense of failure/rejection/criticism etc where I can really spiral unless I interrupt it.
Checking in with your breathing and scanning your body for how you feel can be really helpful and I’m in the very early stages of working with this.
Helping the nervous system to return to a healthier place is crucial to mental wellbeing going from the sympathetic to parasympathetic system (divisions of the autonomous nervous system) – in short from stress to calm.
Writing is another way of calming the nervous system down when in stress hence why many people journal.
I recommend that people think more about how to get into a regulated state when they are spiralling and knowing how your body feels. The mind and body are connected and often the body shows what the mind is blocking, often in survival mode. For some it’s stomach cramps, others headaches and sometimes skin conditions and exacerbations of ailments.
My homework for next week’s coaching is to come up with a routine to use when feeling dysregulated to get back to a better place.
We can’t improve how we feel without paying attention to our body.
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