Mental Health Mondays with the Refuge
This week Lauren Scott LPC and ecotherapist shares some thoughts on listening to our bodies in this time of stress.
Questions for personal reflection or (preferably) discussion with someone else...
•Most of us have never been taught to listen to our bodies in day to day life. What were some of the messages you had around your body when you were growing up?
•Lauren talks about “tuning in” to what is going on in our bodies. Have you ever tried to do this when you’re stressed? What are some ways you could remind yourself to slow down and listen to your body under stress?
•It’s important to learn to identify and name what is going on in our bodies because these responses provide us with valuable information. Take a moment to breathe deeply two or three times. Notice the sensations in your body after you do this. Where do you feel tension? Where do you feel ease? Does anything change when you bring your attention to your body?
•Lauren talks about “completing the emotional stress response cycles” and describes how animals who experience trauma will shake or move to get the stress hormones out of their bodies What are some ways you’ve found that help your body process and release stress? If you’ve never thought of it before, what is something you could try?
•How can you “give yourself permission” this week to be just where you are? What does it look like to give yourself permission to let your body process your stress in whatever way you need to?
•Next time you feel overwhelmed by stress this week and are experiencing numbness or agitation, try Lauren’s suggested method of “name it, tame it, claim it.” Take some time to identify what you are feeling in your body (“name it”), do what you need to do to regulate your body and emotions (“tame it”), and give yourself permission to feel good and be okay (“claim it”).
•How can you let yourself fully enjoy something this week? Even if it’s something really simple like eating a strawberry or feeling the sun on your face, what would it look like to give yourself permission to feel good and deeply enjoy something (or a few things) this week?
