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Writer's picture Hilary Jacobs Hendel

The Best Way to Discover Something New About You!

Slow down...slow down... slow down...

Slow down?

Yes...Slow down...just for 2 minutes when you're stuck in traffic, waiting on line at the grocery store, or walking to your car.

Slow down...so easy, it's silly...or is it?

I muse a lot about the habitual and automatic ways we neglect to tune into our emotions, which are rooted in physical sensation. Instead of perceiving our bodies, most of us spend much more time in our heads, involved with our thoughts and beliefs.

I teach about the advantages of getting reacquainted with the vast world below all that thinking. When we are caught up in what's going on in our heads, paying attention only to our thoughts, we miss so much! Plus, our thoughts are not even objectively true most of the time. Our thoughts are subjective.

When we stay in our thinking brains for too long, we are deprived of a deeper and more connected way of knowing who we are, what we care about and where we need to go. Becoming attuned to BOTH our thoughts and our emotions, which are largely physical experiences, leads to emotional AND intellectual satisfaction.

Slowing down will allow you to notice more about your emotional world.

Want to experiment?

Take 2 minutes. Breathe deeply and just tune into what is happening below your neck. Sense your chest area and stomach area. Like putting your toe in the water before you jump in, just see what it is like. Dip in and out. See if you can describe objectively what you notice. For example, "My body feels calm" or "I feel jittery."

Never judge what you notice. Stay curious and compassionate towards yourself at all times.

Sometimes, tuning in to physical sensations can be (at first) scary or uncomfortable. That's ok. If tuning into your physical sensations, not judging yourself, remaining curious and having a compassionate stance towards yourself feels hard or impossible, ask yourself what makes it particularly hard or painful. See if you can describe to yourself what feels weird or uncomfortable. Is it the sensation itself? Do you feel silly or indulgent? Are you judging yourself for judging yourself? Stay curious about the experience. You might find out something new about YOU!

A+ for trying!

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