I’m feeling a little information overload this month. I think we should all just take a moment here to check in. You know how much I talk about checking in with yourself? I can’t be trusted to do it nearly as often as I should so I’m doing this for me also. It’s going to be good, so stay with me. This is it, we only have this moment. Are you going to show up? You might as well.. come on.. I’m here with you.
Mentally
What’s wrong? Are you worrying? Is there something that has been with you for a few days that you aren’t looking at? Have you let your mind loop in unhelpful ways? Take a moment just to observe the thoughts moving around your mind. Give them the spotlight for a moment. Sometimes that is enough to make them slow or move into something more helpful. Are there any solutions that you can assign to mental stresses? If you don’t have current solutions, just take a moment to let those worries know that you are working on a solution.
Also, what’s right? Give yourself a moment to creatively think of all the reasons life is going well for you. Are you having trouble thinking of any? Before you open your eyes each day there are already hundreds of things that have gone right for you. Go down to a cellular level if you need to. You have a team working for you day and night keeping your body and mind healthy. Let me know what else you come up with.
Physically
Bring yourself fully into your body for a moment and take inventory. Feel any aches or pains and bring your attention to these areas as you slowly take a few breaths into any tense areas of the body. Feel your skin and the sensation of temperatures and any surfaces you are in contact with. Are you thirsty? Are you hungry? Are there butterflies in your tummy? Do you need to stretch? Let your eyes slowly scan the room and notice the lighting, the different textures that surround you, take a moment to be right here in this room. Do even less.
Right here.
Emotionally
As you take a physical scan of the body you may also notice there are parts of the body that emotions can get stuck. I notice personally, that when I am feeling misunderstood my throat tightens and I can feel a heaviness there. Also, if I am feeling dread, I can feel it in my guts. A common place to check in with emotions is the heart. What emotions are you carrying around with you? Give yourself a moment to disconnect mentally from your emotions and simply feel them. Give any emotion that comes up your attention; it’s the easiest way to process and let go. Without a mental dialogue, your emotions have permission to come forth. When we allow our feelings to bubble up, we are dealing with our emotions. It’s not “dealing” with our emotions to push them away. Actually, pushing emotions away is the #1 way to ensure they go deeper and cause more issues down the road. So allow yourself a moment to feel these emotions without figuring them out. It’s a part of you that needs attention just like anything else.
When you do this exercise, try not to attach too much judgement. This is an exercise of beautiful self acceptance when you can check in and simply observe where you are at. There’s nothing extra you have to do. This is it. Keep doing it often even if you have to speed through it. There are smaller variations out there, this is by no means the only way to check in with yourself.
There is part of us all that just needs to be seen. Once we fulfill being seen by ourselves, it’s easier to ask for what we want and need from the outside world. You are building new levels of mature character when you are self aware.
Thanks for taking the opportunity to be responsible and conscious in this simple and enjoyable way.
