Are You Listening to Your Body…?
If you work in the field of wellbeing or if you’re the kind of person that people turn to for advice, you’re probably used to sharing your thoughts on all kinds of very personal issues. It’s entirely natural. Most of us enjoy sharing our insights and experience and welcome the opportunity to add something beneficial to life’s daily mix of challenges. We like to help and we want to make a positive difference to people’s lives. But whilst we’re offering our advice and well-intentioned suggestions, we might forget that the best source of guidance can often be found in the other person’s heart. What do we mean by this?
We place huge importance on our mental faculties and most of our academic qualifications are based on our ability to memorise data and process information. It’s a subtle reflection of how we function in our culture that we have no reliable measurement and virtually no recognition for our intuitive abilities. Yet, these qualities have served our species for hundreds of thousands of years. We forget that our bodies are reacting to our thoughts and feelings and responding to everything that’s happening around us. That’s why it can be so useful to pause and pay attention to how your body feels in the face of any question or situation.
We refer loosely and often dismissively to gut feelings yet we’re all aware that our abdominal section responds to people and situations all the time. Tuning into this instinctive reaction can be very informative about how we’re perceiving all manner of choices, situations and decisions. It’s the same with our hearts. This is more than a metaphor for our emotions. When you pause to feel how your chest feels in response to any question or decision, you might be surprised to discover the source of this ancient, instinctive wisdom. After all, who knows you better than your own body?
So, the next time you’re preparing to answer someone’s questions about their challenges, choices and difficulties, take a moment to pause and ask them how they really feel about the issue. What kind of advice is being communicated from their bodies? The answers might surprise both of you.