How Your Body Is A Compass

Have you ever considered that your body is a compass? (Martha Beck loves to talk about this idea.)

Your body has the ability to show you the way.

It picks up signals from its environment. How does a place feel? What kind of vibes does this person give off?

Your body acts as an antenna. Receiving information on a whole other frequency.

Here’s the thing. Your mind jumbles the signals, sometimes for the better to talk you out of anxiety. Sometimes it trips you up and later you wish you had trusted your instincts more.

I have found when my body feels tight and out of sorts that I usually need to do one of the following:

Rest
Exercise
Play (and/or)
Listen to its inner wisdom.

And I’ve taken to checking in with my body regularly instead of trying to have my mind rule me (as we are often taught).

What do I need? Maybe move around? Have a snack? Play?

These regular check-ins give me a better sense about how to proceed through out my day.

And when I make decisions, I see how my body feels.

Is there a sense of enthusiasm?

Do I feel excited and want to move forward with a particular goal?

Am I scared? What am I afraid will happen? Is the fear realistic?

Often the fears are located in my mind and I know my thoughts are getting in the way, even though my body is longing to move in a particular direction.

These are clues for which direction to go. As if my body is a compass.

The question is whether I want to listen.

How do you get better about listening to your body?