DYM: It’s okay to listen to your body

Dear disconnected me,

I want you to know it's okay. It's okay to live slow. It's okay to listen to your body. It's okay to pause. 

Remember not feeling your body ache from exhaustion? Remember being so proud that you played with a broken hand? Remember waiting until the season was over for surgery? Remember everything you did - the food you ate, the amount of sleep, every thought and moment - revolving over the best performance you could offer? Remember your body screaming out and wanting to shut down? Remember feeling so disconnected from your body that you couldn’t cry or be excited? It was terrible to realize you were never excited about anything — it felt like not living. Remember the fear that came when you realized your body had been screaming for your attention, being grateful and terrified it had gotten it as it began to shut down and cause issues in your daily life. 

I wish back then I had a letter to tell me to pause, to truly learn to befriend my body, to listen to my body. Our bodies are designed with so much wisdom, and it’s often wisdom that our intellect misses. So, I am here now to say it’s okay. It's okay to do something new, something maybe not understood by the church or people around you. 

It’s okay to actively notice what your body says. There are many ways to do this — and yes, it will feel odd and probably “new age” at first, but it is deeply good and healing. Maybe you begin by simply asking your body what it feels each day, and you write down what you notice - simple things: it feels tired, tight, etc. 

Maybe you ask what your body needs. Tell it you are listening, and then attempt to respond. Maybe you do this by putting your hand on the place in your body - on your stomach or chest - and ask what it is trying to reveal. Maybe you notice what comes up, whether it’s a picture or a word. 

Then, maybe, you start linking emotions to places in your body. My stomach hurts when I am at this certain thing - what's my body saying? Is it anxious? Unsafe? My chest hurts during this time of day.

The goal is to notice and listen, to talk to your body, to talk to God about what is coming up, to befriend your body. I remember saying to my body, “You are good. Help me be your friend.” It was as if I had made my body my enemy, and saying I wanted to be friends with my body felt so strange. It was a process of recovering from constantly beating my body into submission.

Maybe you begin to notice where you are beating your body and making it perform.

Maybe you begin to notice what feels good in your body - what movement? What foods?

Maybe you seek medical help for food sensitivities, and you honor where your body is. 

Maybe, you begin to do breath work, noticing your breath in your body and noticing God in the breath. Maybe as you do breath prayers you hear your body more clearly as a gift from God. 

Maybe, you begin to befriend your body. Maybe you find new ways to connect that I haven’t mentioned. Maybe you explore what your body needs from you and you follow through. 

I want you to know that, even though this journey takes time and you sometimes might fumble through this, learning to listen to the wisdom of your body and offer your body kindness, will lead to clarity and freedom in deep ways. 

Your body is good and created with care and love, 

Chelsea