#athome – Rooting to Rise

Comfortable- Cozy- Safe- Loved- Welcomed

These words opened up the previous article, Are You At Home, (link to post here https://rootingtorise.com/?p=3586). We talked about feeling at home in your body by connecting your thoughts- emotions- and physically feelings.

I asked you to track this by jotting down any physical feelings throughout the day, (tightness in your jaw, lower back pain, stomach ache) then also any emotions that arose, (anxiousness, frustration, excitement.) At the end of each day comparing the physical feelings and the emotions and allowing yourself to be curious about any correlations.

What Do I Do Now?

Before we talk about the next action toward feeling at home in your body, I encourage you to continue to sense physical sensations and take note of emotional responses.

Adding to your physical and emotional tracking, begin to be aware of how you speak to your body. Watch and listen to the words you use and your tone.

Have you ever gotten into an argument or heated discussion with another member in your household? If their words and tone were not respectful or kind, how did that make you feel? In my experience, I wanted to leave the house because it became an unwelcoming space. This is a similar situation when you speak to your body in a negative way.

“Why are you so lazy?” “How come I didn’t know that answer- I’m so stupid.” “I shouldn’t have eaten that- I have no willpower.”

versus

“Great job- great effort!” “You look beautiful” “You are so strong to be able to handle this situation”

Words and their tone are powerful tools that you can use to create a loving environment within yourself that will help you to feel safer.

Just as you jotted down physical feelings and emotions, now also notate how you speak to yourself or speak to certain parts of your body. Again, with no judgement, just notice and take a curious approach.

I want to congratulate you on taking this journey of awareness. I also want to encourage you to stay with it. It can be a rough road, but well worth some of the bumps or bruises along the way.

Our next step will be taking a glance into the past.

Live Well,

Maureen~

Comfortable- Cozy- Safe- Loved- Welcomed

These are words we usually say when we are feeling “At Home” in a particular place.

But, what about feeling “At Home” in your Body?

Do these same words, Comfortable- Cozy- Safe- Loved- and Welcomed evoke that sense of “At Home” when you think about being in your body?

I can personally attest to a time that my body was not a comfortable, safe place where I felt welcomed and loved. In fact I still have times that this is still true.

The good news is, we can learn to feel At Home in our Body & our Mind. I’m not saying it’s easy, but absolutely possible.

We have so many stories – memories- emotions- experiences that we store not just in our mind but also in our body that make it difficult or even burdensome to feel At Home. Our mind keeps track of everything and attaches a meaning to each experience and sometimes those meanings land in a space within our body where it lives until we realize it’s there and work on releasing it.

We are meaning makers; this is how we try to make sense of our world. These meanings aren’t always an accurate account. They can be derived from different viewpoints that may not allow us to take in the full understanding of an event; possibly through a child’s eyes, or viewing through the eyes of a painful experience, or something that created a sense of anger.

One of the first steps toward learning to feel At Home is paying attention to how your body feels throughout the day.

Take a piece of paper and fold it in half. On one side write down any physical feelings you notice– if you have shoulder tension, or pain in your lower back or tight hamstrings. Tightness in your chest- throat or jaw. Maybe your arms feel heavy or you have a stomach ache.

On the other side, jot down your emotions as you go through your day (angry, surprised, sad, scared, lonely, peaceful).

When you notice an emotion rising, if you are able to stop what you are doing and turn your mind toward your body to sense if you have a physical feeling, that is a plus.

At the end of the day compare the two sides of the paper and notice if there are any connections between your emotions and physical feelings.

Learning to notice this connection is the first step to understanding the bigger picture of how our Mind & Body relate to one another, and also an act of love toward ourselves for creating an “At Home” space where you can thrive and align with wonderfully, beautifully You.

Stop back next week for another step toward feeling At Home in your Body & Mind.

Live Well,

Maureen~