Is it just me, or does anyone else feel like they are sometimes spinning out of control? Sure, we keep up a good front, but inside we sift through our storehouse of memories desperately seeking a patterned response to this pandemic while facing unique challenges of coping with this so-called “new normal.”
How can we help our clients figure things out when we can’t even make sense of what is going on in the world? Our own anxiety level is temporarily disconnecting us from our normally reliable intuition. Our subconscious may be telling us …
I’m scared. What is it going to take to feel safe? How can I take care of myself so that I can better care for my clients? I have no patterns that have prepared me for a pandemic. I constantly question myself – should I or did I wear my mask or wash my hands? Is it safe to work in a public space? Can I request to work from home? Working from home makes me feel isolated and lonely; am I getting depressed? There are no right answers. What do I do?
Take a deep breath, now another. Slow it down. See if you can pause a bit at each end. What are you feeling in your body? Is there an area calling for your attention right now? Bring your awareness there and say hello. Sit with it for a few breaths and listen. What is your body telling you? Are you noticing any tension? Are you noticing any release? If you get distracted by your thoughts, say hello to those as well and redirect your attention back to your breath. Our breath is an anchor to the present moment as it is happening in the “NOW.” This moment is what is real in our lives. This moment, our breath and our senses paying attention to our somatic awareness. How do you feel in your body? Just be.
Wow. When I am in the moment, I feel better. I feel … strong … ready … able. I can hear the voice of my body. I do have answers; they were within me all this time. I just had to give me space to be. I can do this. What else you got?
Now that you have felt the amazing benefits of breath focus, you can take this awareness one step further. Our answers really do lie within, but we do not always know the right question to ask. My question formed itself as “How do I really want to show up in the world?” Using the previous breath exercise, my body began to speak to me to let me know it was tired – tired of being afraid of not doing the right thing. My very cells and muscle fibres were constantly turned on and yelling at me to let go, to breath, to relax.
My next question was, “How do I do this?” and I clearly heard the cells in my body saying “STOP. Stop planning, worrying, projecting, overanalyzing, ruminating, judging – stop. When your body is tight, we don’t get enough oxygen; please BREATH. Take a deep breath, allow it to fill your lungs, abdomen and chest, and then slowly exhale. Do this a few times then “FEEL” the tingle in your body as we are starting to release the fear and come online again.” I am starting to feel more present. I feel like I am coming online again. I understand, I need to connect and trust my own intuition. I can do this when I take the time to slow down and allow my breath to guide the sensations of my body to feel safe. I need to find the me that is hiding inside of me telling me it’s OK to be.
So, I asked my question again and my answer became, I want to be me. It’s OK to be afraid and not have all the answers. I can still be me. And when I feel myself going offline again, I can stop, breath, feel and be. We can do this together, we can help each other get back online. Once we are back online and grounded in the feeling sense of our body, we can use our intuition to help our clients do the same.
