When I woke up this morning my brain wanted me to write a blog post. My overall being, however, was not in agreement. My thoughts wouldn’t settle down and instead of crafting a blog, I started to think about every single item on each of my to do lists – and then I started to add even more tasks to each list! Panic ensued and I froze. Have you heard of the fight, flight or freeze response to stress? Well I turbo boosted right into the freeze phase. Functioning was no longer an option and I was unable to think about or do anything.
Of course this was far from how I expected my Sunday morning to begin. Any hopes of accomplishing anything substantial were quickly flying out the window. Instead of sitting down to write my blog, I sat down and I waited for my mind to settle down and for my panic to subside. Since this is not my first trip down Overload Alley, I knew it would just be a matter of time before I would calm down and once again become a functioning human being. The challenge for me, what would I do with myself during this period of time?
Before I learned how to listen to my body, my mind would continue to list everything I wanted to accomplish in my lifetime, and I would have a skewed perception that I needed to get it all done, NOW! The stress would build until I had a physical release of some sort, i.e.: crying, yelling, stomping, you get the idea. This would result in an extremely exhausted Debbie. I would be so tired I would forget what was bothering me, pass out, and get nothing accomplished. Again, not the most productive use of my time. Fortunately, in the past 2 years, I’ve learned how to listen to my body.
Our bodies, and how they respond to situations provide a wealth of information. When we understand how to listen to our body and learn to interpret it’s response, we become equipped to make choices that will enable us to lead a life that is best suited to our individual characteristics.
How does this relate to my story? About a year ago I realized that when I tried to tackle a task that just ‘didn’t feel right at the time’, I could spend hours trying to determine next steps, ultimately increasing my frustration while making little progress towards the task completion. When I took a different approach, and gave myself the luxury of doing what felt fun for me at the time, I was able to complete a different task on my to do list, relatively easily.
That’s what it was like for me yesterday. Somehow, in the midst of my panic, I was able to take a moment, to free my mind. I sat quietly and calmed my thoughts. I relaxed and I wondered ‘what would I like to do now? What would be fun for me?’ I decided to paint. I enjoy physical activity, especially creative physical activity. It gives me something to focus on, i.e. taping the wall, cutting in the trim and borders, painting the main surface. It requires concentration, but allows my mind to ponder. Before I knew it, the office was being painted AND the beginning of this blog was rolling around in my head. I had the first sentence, and then the second. I was not sure exactly what would come next, but I had an idea of what I wanted to say. I wanted to share my experience with being overwhelmed and more importantly highlight the benefits of learning how to communicate with and listen to your body. Funny isn’t it? At the end of the day, by listening to my body and doing what felt right to me, by giving myself permission and opportunity to do something fun, I actually got the room painted AND created my next blog post.
When we listen to our bodies, when we develop our ability to communicate effectively with ourselves, life starts to fall into place.
