From overthinking to embodiment: how to let your body guide you

Most of us go through life as a floating head, spending our time analyzing the past or planning for the future. I am no exception to this. From a young age, we are encouraged to value reason over feelings. We are taught that we solve our problems by thinking about them, and that logic is how we navigate ourselves through life.

Many clients tell me that thinking a lot gives them a sense of safety. Life can be messy and complicated and carefully considering all our options gives us the feeling that we can avoid the discomfort of uncertainty. It makes us feel like we are more prepared for whatever may come, because we have thought of it first.

But the thing is, we don´t experience life by understanding it on a rational level, but by feeling. The things we long for most deeply are often emotional experiences: connection, belonging, fulfilment, joy and safety. It is our feelings and emotional landscape that give life meaning, and those experiences are mostly felt in our body.

Embodiment helps you become more attuned to your internal experiences and align your actions with your authentic feelings, rather than being driven by external pressures or the chatter of your mind.

The mind is often caught up in stories, past experiences and other people´s opinions. It can be difficult to hear our own voice under the noise of our scattered thoughts.

The body communicates in sensations. It tells us how we truly feel in any situation, not how we think we should feel.

Our nervous system is constantly scanning our environment for cues of safety or danger. It tends to pick up on the subtle nuances that the mind has difficulty recognizing and reflects them back to us through our felt experience.

When we are connected to our body, we notice that sometimes we enter a room and something feels off, while other times we feel at ease. We might sense a heaviness when we think about work, and a quiet pull of longing when we hear someone speak about a life that feels closer to what we desire.

You may recognize the feeling of meeting someone new and instantly feeling comfortable around them, even when you don´t know them. Or perhaps you have been offered an opportunity that sounded great on paper, but it just made your stomach sink when you thought about it.

We can´t always explain why we feel a certain way, but we just know on a deeper level that something is right or wrong for us. The sensations are the quiet pull of our body towards a life that feels true to us. When we live from the head, we miss the wisdom available to us through our physical sensations.

Awareness of the specific way our body speaks to us can tell us a lot about the people and circumstances we surround ourselves with.

An important part of embodiment is to stay present with or physical sensations, whether they are comfortable our not. We have been taught to avoid uncomfortable emotions by rationalizing or avoiding them, but when we learn to be with them, they become important messengers. They are our body´s guidance to help us make decisions that feel true, nourishing and aligned.

It may take some practice to learn the specific ways your body speaks to you. We haven´t been taught to listen to our feelings, let alone how to take care of ourselves when we feel a certain way. But the more we recognize the way our body contracts when something feels off and expands when something is right, the more valuable it becomes in our decision-making.

Some suggestions that help you with embodied living:

1. A good way to start is to connect with your body a few times a day. Feel your feet on the floor and notice how your body feels. Where does it feel tense? Where do you feel free? Allow yourself to be with the sensations. Are you sitting comfortably? Could you use a good stretch?

2. Embodied living often starts with making small decisions. Instead of forcing yourself to eat what you had planned to cook, see if you can tell what your body feels like. Notice how your body responds to that second cup of coffee, and how you feel after different types of exercise. Rather than relying on apps or data, trust what your body reflects back to you.

3. Notice the sensations that come up when you enter a room, and how you feel after seeing a friend. Are your muscles contracting as if you are bracing yourself, or do you feel a gentle sense of softening in this environment? What does this tell you about that environment or person?

4. When you feel an emotion arise, see if you can stay with it. Trust your body´s natural tendencies, even if they don´t make logical sense. You can read more about this process here.

If you would like to start this journey of embodiment under my guidance, please send me an email.