Connection and Ease

You Can Heal Yourself . . . Just by Paying Attention

You've been pushing through all week when it hits—low back pain, a migraine, or a sudden bout of anxiety.

It seems like these problems came out of nowhere, but the truth is, the underlying causes have been there all along in the form of stress, tension, difficult emotions.

Typically we ignore them or push them away. So they keep building up . . . until they cause enough discomfort that they can't be ignored. 

Here's why:

All those sensations are information that the nervous system needs to process. When it does, many of these issues can resolve themselves. And your nervous system is actually brilliant at doing this under normal circumstances.

But there's a catch.

You have to pay attention to what you're feeling in order to process it.

If you don't, the nervous system will find ways to make you pay attention—and nothing works better than pain. 

Fortunately, it doesn't have to be this way.

By freely giving your attention to your body, you can help your nervous system process information and resolve stress, anxiety, and even minor aches and pains.

And when you turn this into a regular practice, you'll address problems before they ever show up.

The more you connect with your body over time, the more grounded and calm you'll be in every moment.

The guided meditation below will get you started. But before we dive in, let's go over a few pointers.

The Power of Curiosity and Acceptance

Often we want to rush in and try to fix things before we've even learned how we're doing.

But usually this doesn't work well, because we're trying to force change—and we just end up in a struggle we can't win.

During this guided practice, try to stay curious and accepting of the information that comes to you.

When you connect to yourself in an open, honest, and loving way, then change will come—without all that effort.