5 Ways to Connect to Your Body Right Now
It can feel impossible to trust your body when the entire world is telling you that your body cannot be trusted to eat, move, rest, and exist in its purest form.
Letting go of dieting means letting go of rules, of body shame, of friendships and relationships, and of pursuit of acceptance in our broken culture. But it means embracing freedom and flexibility with food and movement and learning how to honor your beautiful body and find your identity outside of your external package.
Connecting with your body can be a deeply relaxing and healing experience.
So what does it mean to connect with your body?
To put it simply, connecting with your body involves giving your body your conscious attention. In this article, let’s look at 5 techniques you can use to do this.
Take 5 minutes to stretch
Not only does stretching help with physical health, but it also seems to give a boost to mental health. Everyone experiences stress to some degree — some more than others. Stress can cause muscles to become tense, which in turn causes muscles to tighten, leading to discomfort and chronic pain. When we are struggling with chronic body image concerns, and our relationship with food, this can lead to stress on the body. What is wonderful about stretching is that rather than focusing on external appearance, stretching helps individuals to experience their bodies internally, mindfully, and non-judgmentally. It can also improve sleep and help reduce anxiety and depression.
2. Step outside and breath in the fresh air
Simply stepping outdoors and breathing in some fresh air can have a huge amount of health benefits…
Seratonin promotes a sense of happiness and well-being so the more fresh air you have will help to significantly boost your mood. This is often why you feel better, more relaxed and much more refreshed after being outside!
Additionally, there is something about getting out in nature that is incredibly grounding. This can be helpful when we are stuck in an anxiety spiral.
3. Go for a walk - Minus the distractions
Did you know that walking releases endorphins into our bodies on a regular basis? One of the benefits of walking on a daily basis is that it allows us to unwind. Even if it is only for 15 minutes, going for a daily walk is essential and has a significant impact on our mood throughout the day.
This is an opportunity to move your body in a mindful and intentional way, rather than turning it into an opportunity to “burn calories” or change your body in any way.
Walking builds body confidence; It is accessible to everyone, regardless of physical ability.
Bonus points if you are able to take in your surroundings (minus distractions like your phone).
4. Do a body scan (head to toes - slowly check in with each muscle)
Body scans are a form of mindfulness where you scan your body for tension, tightness, pain, or anything out of the ordinary. It is an intentional way to check in with your body, and bring awareness. Possible benefits of body scans include reduced anxiety, improved sleep, decreased pain, better focusing skills, and greater self-awareness. Which all can directly impact how we feel within our bodies.
5. Put your hand on your heart and focus on your breathing
Stressors are all around us—busy schedules, conflict, challenging jobs, life changes, loss, illness—and sometimes we don’t even notice the effect stress has on us until something forces us to recognize it. Anxiety, depression, panic attacks, and eating disorders are often clear signs that stress has taken a toll on an individual.
When individuals experience stress, the fight or flight response is activated. This physiological response is the body’s reaction when it believes it is in danger, threatened, or under attack. Unfortunately, our bodies cannot tell the difference between actual and perceived danger, so our body’s reaction to being confronted with a dangerous animal may be the same as its reaction to our friend telling us they have something serious that they want to talk to us about.
A way to support our bodies through this stress is by focusing on our breathing. Like anything, using the breath to control negative emotions is more successful with continued practice and focus. By practicing breathing daily, in stressful and non-stressful situations, we can teach our body the skill.
It’s recommended to sit comfortably, close your eyes, and turn your attention to your breathing. Hand on your heart, breath in through your nose…. And out through your mouth. Continue until you feel more centered and relaxed in your breath.
I hope you found these suggestions helpful as you learn how to re-connect with your body!
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