With the differences in emotional and physical pain identified the next step in making the mind and body connection is increasing body awareness and emotional consciousness. While these concepts might at first seem challenging and frightening they are really quite simple. It’s all about building awareness.

Creating body awareness and emotional consciousness is as simple as creating clarity about what is actually present and happening. By taking the time to increase your knowledge of these two areas of your life you are creating an opportunity to be more in control and have better direction. Think of it like being in a new city and driving around. When you’re first there you have absolutely no idea how to get anywhere. Over time by either exploring randomly or using a map you begin to gain familiarity. Eventually you have enough awareness of your location that you can get around easily without the assistance of a map.

To start building your awareness begin with try this very simple exercise:

Sit comfortably in a chair with your feet flat on the ground and your hands resting in your lap. Close your eyes and begin to breathe slowly and deeply. Take a moment to notice your body’s current state. Do you notice any pain or numbness? Any hot or cold sensations? Tingling? Can you associate these sensations with any particular injury or other condition in your body? When you’re done relax and take a moment to clear your mind and stretch your body.

When you are ready you can repeat this exercise while focusing on your emotions this time. When focusing on emotions take time to notice both the immediate emotions on the surface and the ones underneath. Ask yourself questions similar to these: What is your mood right now – happy, sad, lonely, anxious, excited, depressed, etc? What are the emotional drivers behind your mood? What circumstances have lead to the experience of these emotions? Emotions can be deceptive and hidden at times so make sure you give sufficient time to assess the full range of emotion you might be experiencing. Typically a minimum of 3-5 minutes helps though longer can be better. Some people find it easier to gain this clarity through journal style writing as well. Don’t be discouraged if at first you find it difficult to find the deeper level of emotions – this exercise takes time and patience. Just keep asking yourself where the feeling is coming from.

As you complete this exercise first by noticing your body and second by noticing your emotions take time to create clarity about what you have discovered. First allow yourself to remember what you noticed. Write down a few notes to help you if necessary. Now take a few moments to understand what you have noticed.

In understanding what you have noticed it can be helpful to understand certain human patterns. With your body awareness the sensations you experience are frequently related to easily detectable conditions such as body position, general health or injury. Tension in shoulders and back can often be related to “stress” as well. These patterns are fairly simple to spot.

With emotional awareness the sensations you experience can be much broader in their source and impact than might be initially noticed. Take anxiety and depression as examples. What might be the source of anxiety or depression? Could it be current circumstances, past experience, chemical imbalances or something else? The simple answer is that it can be any or all of them. The impact of depression and anxiety can stretch to work, relationships, sleep or other areas of life. Often when it comes to the deeper emotions of love, joy, safety, trust and comfort the general condition we experience may have more to do with our childhood than with current circumstances. Some models and studies have suggested that our generalized responses and demeanor towards these emotions are developed and imprinted in us by the age of 6 depending on our upbringing. That doesn’t mean that we can’t change these patterns but it does become more difficult.

The point to note with emotional awareness is that understanding the underlying background and history can be important to understanding why you might feel angry, scared, afraid, confident or loved in general. By increasing this understanding we increase our awareness and our ability to make connections

Now that you have increased your body awareness and emotional consciousness it becomes important to maintain these skills. Though once developed the skill is much like riding a bike – it’s hard to forget how to do it. However, given the constantly changing nature of our bodies and emotions we can get off track. Strong emotions, significant injury or pain, and trauma in a variety of forms can all disconnect you from the awareness you have built. Common tools people use to maintain and enhance this awareness include yoga, meditation, support groups, therapy, alone time, time connecting with close friends. There are certainly many more tools and techniques out there so it’s important to find the one or collection of activities that works for you.

Continuing to maintain and enhance these abilities will also support beginning to make the connection between emotional experiences and physical sensations.

By: Angel True – Synergy Coach
True Living Synergy Coaching
Angel works with individuals & businesses to empower their passions, move into action, and transform dreams into reality.  In building Synergy in Life, Business & Spirit Angel’s simply philosophy is Do What You Love, Love What You Do!