Overwhelmed? In so many ways we all have some sort of tension and stress in our lives. Whatever it is, we’ve become so used to just dealing with it. Many people who come in for treatment state that it’s just the “normal” day to day stress, not realizing all the tension we are building in our bodies until it shows up in headaches, stiff necks and shoulders, and many other ways our bodies handle the stress. Many times, when working with clients, they’ll ask what they can do to avoid building tension to such a degree. My response has been to take the time to check in with yourself periodically to see if you notice where you are tense.
Sometimes it seems like it’s easier said than done but in reality, we all should be able to take a few minutes a day to reconnect and center ourselves. Yes, stress is unavoidable, but it’s how we handle the stress that matters. Why wait until our bodies are in such a state that we need to seek help. As a therapist I remember learning a great motto; we aren’t healers, we help to facilitate the healing. Our job is one that works best when we work together to achieve the goal of healing. A couple of ways to check in and reconnect us to our bodies to create awareness is:
- Breathing exercises; I often share the box breathing technique with clients. The technique consists of inhaling 4 seconds, holding the breath 4 seconds, exhaling 4 seconds, and holding breath for 4 seconds. Starting 1 minute and increasing as needed.
- Scanning ourselves; once our bodies are nice and relaxed cycle through the body. Start from the head and pay attention to where the tightness is. Move your head slowly to loosen things up. Next, move into the neck and continue the process of mindfully letting go of the areas you feel holding tension throughout the body. Work your way down the body until you get to your feet so that you can feel yourself becoming lighter.
These techniques can be used regularly to help between any therapeutic treatments. Once you realize how much it helps to be so aware of the body, you’ll start to pick up on the tension as it begins to build in the body. The awareness and connection can make such a difference to the overall outcome of your treatments and how much you benefit from it, in all aspects of dealing with your day-to-day stresses as they arise. Taking a little time to give yourself the love your body needs and deserves.
Much love,
Monique & The Moment of Truth Team
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