How Are You Honouring Your Body Today?

By Shari Smith

Shared With Permission

I was 27 when I had my first major panic attack.

I was under a lot of stress in my life and finally, my body had had enough. I was driving home from work and all of a sudden, I couldn't breathe. My chest was tight. I began crying so hard that I needed to pull over because I couldn't see the road in front of me. 

It wasn't until I hit my early thirties that I could identify what was happening in my body. I had no idea at the time that I was having a panic attack. 

Many of us who have grown up in a conservative form of faith have been taught since we were children to never listen to our emotions or to our bodies. Many of us were not given proper labels for our emotions or taught how to identify the physical manifestation of emotion in our bodies. 

Emotion, we were taught, could be deceptive and could lead us into sin. And so, for many of us, our mind-body connection was silenced. We were taught to rely on our spiritual authorities rather than ourselves to understand the truth of the situation. 

I've been trying to be more intentional lately in honouring my body and mind and to really pay attention to them. When I feel on edge, that's my cue to take a physical time-out. I need to rest and, likely, I need to do some form of meditation. 

When I find myself feeling lonely or depressed, there's a root cause behind it. I need to take that seriously and figure out where it is coming from in order to find a way to address it. 

I try to note what each of my emotions feel like in my body. Not just the grief or joy in my mind or heart. What does my body physically feel like in these moments?

I also want to honour my body's need to be healthy. I want to feed her right. I want to exercise her appropriately (while still listening to her limitations). 

Our bodies are important instruments. They march us through life. They speak to us if we know how to listen. They communicate things to us about ourselves and our environment. 

How are you honouring your body today?

Shari is a survivor of religious trauma and an advocate for healing and reconnecting with the self. You can find her content on her website.

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