[Episode 20] Three Steps To Help You Connect With Yourself

This episode we’re going to be having a deeper look at connecting with our bodies.

I know I’ve shared about this in the past but I wanted to spend some time looking at how exactly you can begin to build that connection.

It’s one thing to just talk about connecting with our bodies but a total other thing when it comes to actually taking the steps to create it.

It can be really easy to switch off from feeling our bodies. This is so common for folks that are experiencing dysphoria.

The more we can connect with and feel what’s going on in our bodies, the more we can begin to do things that help our bodies and therefore our hearts and minds feel good.

Developing a connection with our bodies can help us experience gender euphoria as we explore our identities during transition.

It helps us understand which practices we have that help us feel good physically and which ones cause us to feel not so good physically and it helps us take care of ourselves.

It can begin with practices as small as taking a moment and just asking ourselves how am I feeling and then taking notice. Do you feel energetic, tired, grumpy, anxious?

All of these feelings will usually come with a physical sensation in the body. Finding the area that connects with the feeling can be an interesting little practice and is super helpful in teaching you a little thing about your body you may not have noticed.

What are the actual steps to follow to develop the connection?

Let’s break this down into three small steps.

1. Take a moment where you can be free to focus without distractions.
2. Ask yourself: How am I feeling, right now? and what am I feeling right now?
3. Take notice of the answer your body gives you. Be open to experiencing whatever sensation or feeling that may come up for you.

Remember, it’s ok to feel things, even if they aren’t good feelings at the time. They will pass.

We need to allow ourselves to feel otherwise it builds up in us. Feeling is a gift. It is what can help us grow.

If it feels a bit too much, you can start by taking a moment to hold an object and focus on how it feels in your hand.

Notice it’s surface.  What does it’s weight feel like in your hand? Is it dry, sticky, scratchy, wet, slippery? What ways can you hold it in your hands? Can you turn it about and see how it feels different to touch?