How Do You Feel (part 2)?

Last week, I started my blog by asking how you feel. I am curious. Did you check in with your body and pay attention to how you felt?

I want to thank every person who kindly reached out to me. It was unexpected and greatly appreciated. I think this was the first time I truly put myself out there authentically and showed my vulnerability in such a public way. It was not easy for me to do as I tend to be a pretty private person. However, as I was going through my big feelings, I saw it as a moment where I could walk my talk. I saw it as a moment where I could show you how beneficial the mind-body connection can be. So, again, thank you for reading and I hope it sparked an interest in how you might move through difficult situations in your life. Certainly, this year has brought most, if not all, of us a lot of difficult situations to face. (Oy!)

For those of you who did not have a chance to read what I wrote last week, you can find it here. As an update, the situation is still the same, but how I am viewing the situation has changed. I now see the situation as a bit of a wake-up call. By allowing myself to feel the sensations associated with the emotions I was experiencing, I was able to move through, release the stress and the negative self-talk and get to the other side. Once I was able to release the emotions, I was able to think more clearly.

Last week I mentioned that I had the knowledge, that by feeling, honoring, and releasing my emotions, I would be able to see the gifts in that situation. And I know that if I had been stuck in my old pattern of thinking and only focused on the stress and what I considered the negative aspects, my nervous system would still be stuck in a fight-or-flight state. Actually, I was able to see the unexpected benefits pretty quickly. But at first, even though I saw that there could be benefits to what was happening, I was still stuck on my previous idea of what I thought things should look like. I didn’t want to see that the way things had been going were not the best. I wasn’t ready to accept what my new reality was going to look like because I was stuck in that stressful state.

It took about three days for me to help my body work through the situation emotionally. Now, I am not only accepting of what is, but even excited about the impending changes that will need to be made, at least for the short term. And I have a few ideas already about what to do, now that I have my brain back. Moreover, this situation is allowing me to change my priorities in a positive way. This will not only positively impact my health but allow me to be more present for my children. And amazingly, a few new opportunities have begun to present themselves to me that will likely positively impact me and my new business. So, what felt like a bit of a world-rocking situation, now that I am on the side of acceptance, is actually turning out to be more beneficial for everyone involved.

And truthfully, had the situation last week not happened as abruptly as it did, I don’t believe I would have been aware enough to recognize this nor open to making these life changes to gain these new benefits.

Ok, so I know I promised to talk more about the effects of stress this week, however, I felt more called to update you on last week’s experience. I so appreciate your reading this and I do intend to begin to discuss more about stress next week.

In Peace and Kindness,

Jennifer Chu, MS, PT, WCS, Mind-Body Health Coach
Owner, ITR Physical Therapy
Founder, Health Education Your Way