Your Truth
As you know I’ve been sick and it is reminding me how important it is to be in touch with our bodies. If we don’t take the time to check in how do we know what we need? Sometimes I operate on auto-pilot eating because of the time of day not because I’m hungry. In the past we have done some gratitude body scans, like this guided meditation. But today let’s just do a body scan purely for increasing our awareness about what is going on in our bodies. Maybe before even scanning through your body you already know what is going on with you. What feelings are alive in you? What can you do to take care of yourself right now?
What part of your body is calling out to you for attention? What sensations do you notice? Is there any tightness, pain, itching sensation, heat or cold? What can you do to take care of yourself right now?
Now take a moment to scan your body. Take a deep breath and close your eyes. Mentally scan your body, slowly travel from the soles of your feet to the top of your head. What parts of your body did you not notice before that need some attention? What can you do to take care of yourself right now?
What to do?
Maybe you don’t know what you can do to take care of yourself right now. Here are some suggestions:
- Journal – take out a pen and paper and write down everything that comes into your head.
- Walk – take a walk noticing as much as you can using your five senses.
- Sleep – take a nap or go to bed early.
- Massage – grab some oils and give yourself a nice massage, paying extra attention to those parts that were calling out to you.
- Reach Out – call a friend or family member who means a lot to you.
- Breathe and Stretch – take many slow breaths and while you do stretch out any tight spots in your body.
- Cry, Yell, etc. – find a private place and express your feelings out loud.
- Hug – hug yourself, your pet, your family or friend.
How are you doing on Delightful Mondays?
You might remember that last week I introduced this gentle gratitude challenge for the month of October. How has it been going? Have you tried it? Here’s a quick reminder in case you forgot. First, awake with gratitude, before you reach for your phone, put your hand on your heart and whisper, “thank you”. Second, as you brush your teeth, set your intention for the day. Third, as you go about your day, act on your intention. Fourth, at the end of the day as you brush your teeth, reflect on how your intention showed up for you. Finally, share your experience either on our website or with your loved ones.
[su_quote cite=”Tom Perrotta”]They both seemed to understand that describing it was beyond their powers, the gratitude that spreads through your body when a burden gets lifted, and the sense of homecoming that follows, when you suddenly remember what it feels like to be yourself.[/su_quote]
This Week’s Gratitude Question
[su_button url=”http://www.ourgratitudecollective.com/activity/” background=”#178fb3″]What message were you grateful to receive from your body?[/su_button]
My Gratitude Experience Last Week
I had this gut reaction that I needed to immediately be alone. It was way more dramatic and reactionary than I normally am but it ended up being exactly what I needed and I found gratitude in a situation that I didn’t expect.
Forgotten Gratitude
Last week I was also grateful for a beautiful sunset from my favorite place to view it … Friendly, helpful police officers … Being honest about my irrational and illogical thoughts.
A New eCard
Image by Antonia Montoya
The Gratitude I Shared The Last Two Weeks
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| Sun | 10/4/2015 | Thankful for friendly people all around … Healthy dairy-free smoothie … Sweet little “made me think of you” gifts to buy … A glove. |
| Sat | 10/3/2015 | What an intense day, I heard two things I didn’t want in my life but they came nonetheless. I’m grateful for the support of friends, being heard … As far as the second thing, I’m grateful for feeling all my feelings and being able to sneak away to my car for a release instead of holding back on those feelings … I’m grateful for the opportunity to make a lot of money this morning … Im grateful for roasted Lemitar green chile. |
| Fri | 10/2/2015 | I’m grateful for an exciting offer to travel and facilitate a presentation … I’m grateful for bacon for lunch … I’m grateful for a slow start, thanks to a cancelled appointment … Holding sweet giant Paulo, feeding him and changing his diaper, I hadn’t held him since he was first born, what a blessing he is … Watching and listening to the cutest conversion between Paulo and Esequiel … Having a witness to a difficult online conversation. |
| Thu | 10/1/2015 | What a mixed day, so much grief and so much joy … I’m grateful that I didn’t hear about the shootings until after I had a productive work day and learned from a lovely curandera from Mexico about caring for my immune system … I’m grateful for teaching a very successful webinar on a topic that scared me and seriously stretched me … I’m grateful for finally making a dent in long-procrastinated paperwork required by a client … And I’m grateful I’ve still been getting paid even though I was so behind on that paperwork. |
| Wed | 9/30/2015 | So much appreciation for the internet returning to working order without investing in a new modem … Family teamwork … Running into Nancy on her birthday, Markus and always adorable Eva who so eloquently told me her new word … Taco Mex, so much yum. |
| Tue | 9/29/2015 | I’m grateful for vegan donut delivery and my favorite salty almondy chocolate bar … A most delicious onion-filled broth turned gravy … The perfect tights that don’t squeeze the life/joy/body-love out of me, so much so that I could focus on all the things I needed to with nary a thought about my tights … A peri return, some fun marketing work, and the internet disappeared at just the right time, right after I clicked send. |
| Mon | 9/28/2015 | A clarity-creating and head-clearing hour long walk … The courage to share my feelings and experience … Finally finishing preparation for a webinar that is a little scary and very important … Lots of clarity with my ecourse that I’m developing … Inspiration that created beautiful words that rolled off my tongue and filled my heart. |
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[su_note note_color=”#e7e7e7″ text_color=”#686767″ radius=”0″] My gratitude journey started in May 2011 and continues to this day. Thank you for being a part of it! A daily gratitude practice is simple. Write down three things you are grateful for each day. Download your free GratitudeGuide. My clients focus on gratitude and learn from their successes to make the positive changes they want in their lives. You can too. Call me to set up our first meeting 505.333.9336. [/su_note]