Your body is telling you how to feel safe - can you hear it?

%95 of our communication is nonverbal.

But what if our nonverbal communication is also meant to communicate something to us, too?

What if we’re so unaware that it goes under our radar? So many missed opportunities to provide some self-care and support.

Start paying attention to what your body does automatically in different situations.

Maybe you’re talking to someone and you realize you don’t feel safe. You might take a step back, or you turn your head away.

Maybe someone tells you something sad and you put your hand on your heart.

Maybe they share something that elicits empathy and you put your hand on your heart as a way to stay connected.

Maybe you bring your hands together as you’re telling somebody something upsetting. 

Maybe you’re rubbing your hands on your legs when your head is feeling a bit spacy. 

Maybe you’re having a hard moment and you find yourself rocking. 

All those things? 👆🏻That’s your body giving you support through gestures, touch or movement. 

It’s mind blowing that our bodymind provides all this free support. 

And get this …  

You can get a bigger bang for your buck if you actually allow yourself to notice these moments and feel their effect on you. 

These expressions provide a self-regulating affect on your nervous system. 

Part of my job as a Somatic Therapist is to notice when my client body is providing support as they’re sharing with me, or experiencing something challenging.

I  bring it to their awareness as a way to create safety for themselves. Because when they feel safe, they can stay with the discomfort or even go further in so it can be processed and healed. 

The more a client practices this skill, the more they can do it on their own -  in and out of session. And this is deeply helpful when they’re dealing with adversity. Listening to how your body supports you can help you stay balanced. 

The advanced level would be to intentionally initiate these supportive gestures on a conscious level as soon as we realize we need support. 

Try it out this week and let me know how it goes.