"Life can sometimes feel like a battle to be recognized for who you are,
and not your circumstances".
~Nikki Erlick
I've been in the place of constant frustration and overwhelm from my symptoms, for too many years to count.
I've had disagreeing diagnosis from multiple doctors.
I've tried the physicians, protocols, pictures, pills model and it failed me.
This led me to believe that there was something wrong with me. I was labelled a non-compliant patient because I asked too many questions. I later learned this is what makes a good patient because you are invested in your own healing. You are the one living in your body, no one else. So you get to choose what is best for you!
As you may have noticed life and healing is not a one-size-fits-all t-shirt.
And this is part of what makes one protocol for everyone impractical. You can mix and match tools to support your healing journey based on what resonates with you. And what you need most in the moment which can shift as you continue healing.
Your body's nervous system may need to start low and slow, too, that's ok and the way I do it. Because I don't want to overwhelm you because then you won't keep going. Your body is designed to keep you safe, too much too fast is not the right approach for anyone. So if you've tried it like this and it didn't work now you know why.
Here is one tip you can try today. Whenever you pause, check in for just a moment and see if you feel tense. Do you feel a tightness in your shoulders or chest; maybe like you are carrying the world on your back? Does your stomach feel fluttery or crampy? Is your body bone achingly tired even though you slept for eight hours last night?
There can be other signs, too. This is just a few that I felt everyday and I'm sure you can relate.
It's a sign that your sympathetic nervous system (fight, flight, or freeze) is turned on. This system helps you to get SH*T done but it also can shut you down. Your body reflexively pulls your shoulders closer to protect your neck and get you ready for battle. Its a defensive posture and many of them signal to the body to turn some processes off. Like digestion, restorative sleep and the ability to think clearly or stay cool, calm and collected.
Your nervous system doesn’t understand the difference between what is happening now and what happened last year or five years ago or when you were a child. It just remembers the energetic frequency and what needed to happen for you to survive that experience. The modern day world is extremely stressful to your system and the common coping mechanism leave you more disconnected from yourself and what your body needs.
To work with your body you can stop and stretch gently; go outside and witness Nature. Or just slow things down and connect with your breathing and heart for a few moments. All of these bring you back into the body and break the numbness of living from your neck down.
Do you notice your shoulders drop? Did you sigh or yawn? Or just feel more at ease, calmer and more clear headed? Those are all signs that your parasympathetic nervous system (rest, digest, and heal) has switched on. You can only heal when your body is in this state. Otherwise your body is fighting and you can't heal and fight at the same time.
The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems can’t both be in charge at the same time. They work like a seesaw where if one goes up, the other goes down.
Learning ways to switch your parasympathetic on is helpful for healing!
And it does not always have to be something big.
What small way can you start working on your nervous system today?
If you are tired of countless pills, protocols, needles, appointments and unpleasant side effects; all in the name of relief? Are you willing to try something different? It isn't new, in fact its old and that's why it works because its been around for thousands of years. Ancient healing holds the answers for why you are viewing your body as the enemy and stuck on the merry-go-round of doctors, diagnosis and diagnostics.
Want to read more about the discoveries I made in my decade plus healing journey? You can check out the introduction of my upcoming book The Journey of Unlearning to Regain Trust and Healing in this Kindle Sampler book.
Here's to you making friends with your body again,
Amy
댓글