What is my body trying to tell me about my work?
Sometimes our lives can become so busy, so full on, that we can become really disconnected from our own bodies. But if we can learn to tune in more closely, and pay attention to what our bodies are telling us, we can get the clues we need to transform our lives. In this article I’ll share what’s helped me, and what helps my clients to tune into what their bodies are telling them.
I was at an event recently which was packed full of high performing, high achieving, hard working women. And what I noticed was a similar narrative repeating itself as we went around the room. Women who are ‘on the go’ all the time. Women who are the one everyone turns to when they need to ‘get something done’. Women who claim to survive on coffee and wine. Women who are exhausted. Women who struggle to articulate what they like, what they find fun, what they enjoy.
I resonated with these women’s stories. It’s how I used to be when I worked in corporate, when I was completely disconnected from myself, and before I began my own process of self-discovery and transformation.
The understanding of how disconnected I’d become actually developed a few months after I experienced burnout. I had taken some time off work, caught up on some sleep, and although I’d barely skimmed the surface of understanding how I burned out, I was starting to think about returning to the world of work again. I decided to dip my toe in the water and have lunch with a colleague. I showed up bright and cheerful and did a very good impression of being completely ready to go back to work. Naturally, the conversation turned to office politics. We had a chat about some of the same old challenges, same old people, and then I jumped in the car to make my way home. So far, so good.
But as I drove home, I noticed something. I could feel the start of a tension headache, building in my temples. I noticed my stomach was tightly clenched. I realised I’d been holding my breath. I exhaled, and noticed that my body was aching all over. And these physical sensations felt familiar. I remembered that this is what I’d felt like at work, all the time, before I’d burnt out.
On that car ride home, I began to make the connection between the physical sensations I was experiencing, the emotional pressure I was feeling, and the conversation I’d just had. And, for the first time ever, I decided not to ignore it, and instead, to do something about it.
Previously, I’d have just carried on. Took a headache tablet, perhaps had a glass of wine, and pushed on through. But this time, I listened to what my body was telling me, and realised I wasn’t yet ready for this type of work.
It sounds simple. But it is so easy to lose sight of the link between your experiences, your emotions, and your physical state - until it becomes impossible to ignore.
So, here are some things you can do, to help rebuild that connection again:
💛The less you rely on caffeine, sugar, salt, alcohol or other substances to ‘keep you going’, the easier it is to tune into what is actually happening in your body.
💛Practice taking a moment to tune into your body. Try it now. What’s going on? Are you feeling achy, tight, tired, heavy or jittery anywhere? Does anything hurt?
💛Next time something tricky happens, see if you can stop for a second and notice the effect it’s had on your body.
💛Equally, next time something good happens, take a moment to reflect on what’s going on physically. Do you feel light, warm, settled, buzzing, or something else?
💛And as you notice this link between what’s happening, and what you’re feeling, ask yourself the question: do I need to take action? Do more of something? Do less of something?
I’d love to hear how you get on as you explore these questions.
From Liv 💛
P.S. If you’ve found this useful, then please join my weekly email community for regular doses of wisdom like this, straight to your inbox. If you’re interested in working with me, then check out my 121 coaching packages and use this link to arrange an initial chat with me. And if you’d like me to talk to your team, organisation or community about this, or any of my other articles, then please reach out via email to enquire about speaking/workshop engagements.
