Energy in the Body
In this last lesson of the body theme in Self Loyalty School, I want to talk about noticing your body energetically.
In previous lessons, I have talked about noticing your body when it is dehydrated, anxious, or tired. But I haven't talked about noticing when your body is grounded vs. when it is not grounded.
First, I have a test for you—as you listen to my words, notice how you feel in your body. READING FAST AND HOPPED UP
"You got it. Everything will be awesome!! ; stop worrying. You have done all the things. Now just relax. You got this.
"Sweet Peanut, I get it you are worried (big exhale). Yes, it is stressful getting ready for a big event. You have worked hard and checked everything off the to-do list. Now all that is left is for you to ENJOY it. Get into your body and be present for it.
Did you feel any difference in your body? I call the first one hopped up fake energy vs. the second genuine, more Grounded energy. Grounded energy feels so much better. More genuine, connected, and relaxing.
When I started noticing how I feel in my body when I talk to myself, I could tell when my BFF was talking vs. my Biggest Fan. My Biggest Fan is MUCH more grounded.
Now the second concept to understand when it comes to energy is this: It's super important to let your energy run clean. This means letting your body process negative energy all the way through. A few weeks ago, I was frustrated with a friend. As I was sharing this frustration with Doug, I kept editing myself—it went like this, "I just hate that she is so inconsistent—"You are so needy," my Monger sneers internally, so I change my words to Doug mid-sentence, "but I mean she is busy and has three kids."
"She cancels last minute all the time," I say to Doug.
"What do you care? It's not like you have a busy life. Your calendar is pretty open," My Monger sneers, so I change my words again, "but maybe I should be more flexible." This is an example of Stuffing it Down, which I share in Spiral One, but now in Spiral 3, you can experience stuffing it down in a whole new way. When we don't allow ourselves to express our thoughts or feelings all the way through because we edit them, we can get stuck in our anxiety. At the end of this conversation with Doug, I didn't feel any better, and he felt confused--was I upset or not?! Was it a big deal or not? If I couldn't figure it out, he certainly couldn't. Often this behavior of not allowing your energy to go all the way through is habitual. We might have been taught not to share negativity, so we edit ourselves rather than giving ourselves the loyalty to express thoughts all the way through. Because it is habitual, it is important to get our loved ones involved in catching our edits. Ask your partner, children, co-workers, or friends to lovingly call you out when they notice you doing this behavior. My husband will often simply raise his hand as a high sign that I am engaging in editing, and I will rephrase. Initially, I was shocked when I would see his hand go up, but now I can catch myself sometimes before he does!
Managing our energy is important not just in terms of how we spend our time but also in noticing how we are talking to ourselves feels in our body and allowing ourselves to speak without editing.
Our bodies, the things we have been ignoring and trying to control ALL THESE YEARS, actually have lots and lots of wisdom. Paying attention to your body's wisdom is something you can do in the upcoming implementation week. I will be back in 2 days with more ideas for spending implementation week.