There are times when each of us steps out of a pattern that we feel promotes health and wellness. It could be our bedtimes become increasingly late. We might be spending larger amounts of time with the television or computer. Maybe we get out of the habit of organizing our home or office. Perhaps we have stepped away from an exercise or movement regime. For those of us taking medicine or supplements, we may stop. Maybe our eating patterns have changed.
Often when this “moving away” from something that we feel and believe is healthy, our judgment voice or inner critic begins to holler, ridicule or punish us. We may hear we aren’t good enough, we’re lazy or stupid. What if we play with overriding these voices and simply [private_membership circle]notice what the hiatus fosters in our bodies.
Notice your energy level. Notice your alertness. Notice the degree to which you feel sad, joyful, angry, discouraged or hopeful? Are there other feelings that emerge? Do you feel achy, stiff, relaxed, jittery or calm? What other sensations are you noticing? Are you missing what you have stepped away from? If you are not missing it, perhaps this isn’t something that actually feeds you in the ways you believed. Beliefs can conflict with sensations and feelings or they may be in sync. What are you noticing is true for you?
This is the data that will inform you so that healthy patterns can emerge and continue. Maybe the pattern or habit isn’t really nourishing you anymore and it is time to explore something different. You may need to return to the pattern again later, at a different time or in a slightly different way so that you can get more clarity.
Use any stepping away as an opportunity to learn about what and how you can feed yourself best. You have the internal body wisdom that can guide you. Explore, listen, sense, feel and play. The answers will emerge as you practice the skill of noticing.
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Robin Okun, LMSW, is a coach, therapist, speaker and Founder of Mindful Movement, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Learn more about Robin at http://www.robinokun.com [/private_membership circle]
