It has been about 3 months since we’ve been on “high alert” receiving new information, warnings and regulations that are altering the way we live and interact with each other and our environment. It seems each day we are being told how we are to best conduct ourselves in order to keep ourselves and those around us “safe”. The underlying message at the root of most of what we see or hear is fear. There is fear for our own health and wellbeing, and there is fear for the health and wellbeing of those that we love. Carrying this underlying fear for the past few months can take a toll.
I know that my sleep has been interrupted, my ability to concentrate has diminished and my emotions have been all over the place. I was taking all this stress in and not giving myself a chance to let any of the stress out. On the surface it’s not such a big deal, I mean we are being asked “to stay home to stay safe”. At a deeper level, I was thinking about my own mortality and that of those that I love. I was having to deal with the financial impact on my business along with feeling disappointed for not being able to do a job that I love doing. I realized that when I didn’t like what I was feeling, I stopped myself from feeling anything. I was not feeling but was still carrying the stress that the underlying fear was carrying. I started feeling more like myself when I took a moment to allow myself permission to feel.
If the body is “stuck” in a defensive state as a result of a stress (be it physical, chemical or emotional), it can impact you both internally and externally. Your body and your brain communicate with each other via the nervous system located in the spine. When your body and brain are not communicating optimally it can impact you both in the way you feel and what you feel. You may experience physical pain or tension, anxiety, low energy or overwhelm. Sometimes just acknowledging how and what you are feeling can allow you to let your guard down. There isn’t a “right” way to feel. So give yourself permission to feel, without judgement of what it means about you. You may find that a great weight is lifted, you may cry or simply be able to take a deep breath.
In the past 3 months I have seen patients that were in need of immediate care. Like myself, these people had that underlying level of stress and tension in the body. Most of these patients described performing routine movements and subsequently experiencing physical pain. At BodyMind Wellness Studio, I focus on optimal communication between the spinal cord and the brain. When the body is better able to interpret and adapt to their current circumstance, a greater sense of awareness is attained. The correct information is being relayed between the brain and the body so it doesn’t respond in defense (out of stress) unless there is an actual need.
Allowing the body to release the hold on the underlying tension can also allow the mind to pause and to become aware of how you’re really feeling.
“There is no right or wrong way to feel. Part of what makes you uniquely who YOU are is your ability to feel. Give yourself permission to feel all the feels.”
Dr. Julie Doobay
Copyright 2020 Dr. Julie Doobay
