Whether you are up all night studying, staying overtime for work, or coming home from work to spend more time taking care of the home - it is common for many of us to lose a significant amount of time in the day to our responsibilities. While spending time invested in the areas of our life that we care about is not necessarily a bad thing, many of us can struggle finding a balance between external responsibility and nurturing our inner self. When this balance is not attended to, it can lead to a disconnect between our mind, our body, and our expert internal messaging.

There are tons of signals our body regularly sends us to alert us of what it needs. When we’re feeling dehydrated, our mouth and throat may feel dry. When we’re hungry, our stomachs may grumble or ache. However, for many of us who struggle to find time to listen to these signals our body sends us, we can miss the messaging altogether. Somatic Therapy offers the idea that these signals aren’t just related to our physical needs, like thirst or hunger. These signals can be tied to our emotional and mental well-being too. Through creating more intentional awareness around these signals, we can begin to better understand our emotional experience.

In some cases, long-term experiences of trauma or chronic stress can leave physical impacts on the body. An example of this can be seen in how individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder are more commonly impacted by chronic pain (Rometsch-Ogioun El Sount, et al., 2019), or in how individuals who experience chronic traumatic stress in childhood become more likely to develop autoimmune disorders in adulthood (Dube, et al., 2009). While these statistics aren’t guarantees for every single person, they emphasize the importance of taking the time to reconnect with ourselves and our bodies, especially when in periods of stress.

After experiencing trauma, chronic stress and anxiety, or any feeling that feels challenging or hard to process, it can be easy to want to push it aside and not sit with it. It is understandable to want relief from the difficulty these signals can bring up. However, from a Somatic perspective, these signals offer the opportunity to meet these areas of ourselves that desperately want relief, and offer it a bit of compassion. The next time you feel anxious, think about what signals typically come up for you. Maybe you notice your heart beating faster. Maybe your palms feel sweaty, or your muscles feel tense. Take a deep breath, and try to get curious with these signals. Something you can say to yourself to get this process started can be, “I notice that my shoulders, my back, and my arms feel really tense right now. I’m feeling overstimulated, and I’m having trouble feeling grounded. What are these signals telling me?”

Recognizing these signals offers you an opportunity to not only sit with them, but potentially change your experience with them. If we typically respond to sensations of anxiety with a desire to escape or avoid, we aren’t getting in touch with the messaging the body is sending regarding what we need. If you’re experiencing anxiety in social situations, maybe the signals that are coming up for you are emphasizing how important inclusion and connection are to you. If you’re experiencing challenging feelings after periods of chronic trauma, maybe your nervous system wants reminders that you are safe in the present moment. If your head hurts and you feel overstimulated after a long day of work, maybe your body is asking for you to spend some time prioritizing self-care.

Through recognizing and becoming familiar with the messaging our body sends us, we can learn how to meet all of our needs in a more well-rounded way. Although this is a journey that can have ebbs and flows, even attempting to get curious allows us to meet our needs with greater compassion. So, the next time you notice your body sending you a signal, whether it's a pang of hunger, a flutter of anxiety, or a twinge of pain, take a moment to pause and listen. What is your body trying to tell you? How can you respond with kindness and care?

References

Dube, S. R., Fairweather, D., Pearson, W. S., Felitti, V. J., Anda, R. F., & Croft, J. B. (2009). Cumulative childhood stress and autoimmune diseases in adults. Psychosomatic Medicine, 71(2), 243–250. https://doi.org/10.1097/psy.0b013e3181907888

Rometsch-Ogioun El Sount, C., Windthorst, P., Denkinger, J., Ziser, K., Nikendei, C., Kindermann, D., Ringwald, J., Renner, V., Zipfel, S., & Junne, F. (2019). Chronic pain in refugees with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD): A systematic review on patients’ characteristics and specific interventions. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 118, 83–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2018.07.014

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