Safe in Your Body: The How
As a follow up to my October reflections, I’m sharing three practical tools to help build a sense of safety from the inside out. This may not be an ideal season for a habit overhaul, but when the nudge is simple enough, we start to see there’s always something we can do for ourselves…
1. Respond to your body’s cues for hunger, thirst, and bathroom needs.
Our body is constantly sending and receiving signals. When we first notice and then honor those signals we communicate back to the body that we’re here for the conversation. Of course there are times we need to adjust our response time, but notice when you’re tempted to frivolously ignore a physical cue and instead try to honor it. Over time, with enough repetition, you might see new patterns emerge.
2. Take a walk.
I’m convinced this is the universal cure-all. (Kind of joking, kind of not.) Walking is an incredible tool for both body and mind. It’s one of our most primal movement patterns and promotes blood flow, joint hydration, mental clarity, and connection to our core… just to name a few. Movement in all forms, but especially the familiar and repetitive pattern of walking, gives us the gift of spending time in our body. When we’re present in our body, the nervous system receives signals of safety (in the form of proprioception, interoception, and exteroception), and is a sure way to communicate to the body: “I’m here and I’m paying attention.”
3. Notice, without judgment.
For so many of us, the initial step of noticing can be a novel pursuit. If that’s you, there’s no fault or fixing needed. We don’t want to bombard our system with more threats by looking for problems or judging our experience. Whether your experience involves persistent pain or simply exploring deeper embodiment, an attempt to make sense of everything can cloud the picture. For starters, practice attuning to your experience as it is, while noticing any instincts to judge or urges to seek change.
Questions to consider:
- When was the last time I felt safe and relaxed in my body?
- How do I feel in my body now?
- What simple tool could I fit into my life right now to practice sensing safety from the inside out?