All too often our society teaches us to disconnect from our bodies on an emotional level. Rolled your ankle at soccer practice? Shake it off and keep running. Woke up not feeling 100%? Your mom rushes you out the door because you have that major math test this afternoon. These figures in our life growing up were not acting maliciously and did not mean any harm in their unintentional invalidation of our pain or encouragement to ignore what is going on for us. However, in general it is actually very important to be aware of and connect with our physical and emotional pain. This is especially important when we are suffering from depression, anxiety, or some other mental health concern. It is important to reconnect with our bodies, possibly in ways we have never been taught.

But why would we want to be in tune with all of our pain and suffering when we are in pain and suffering, emotionally or physically? Because learning to be aware of your body helps you to know your limits, push yourself but only when appropriate, and in some ways most importantly, it helps you learn to cope when you feel overwhelmed. And as you know, there are few times when you don’t feel overwhelmed when you are going through something overwhelming or stressful. Maybe you are worried your co-worker is trying to get you fired. Maybe you had your wisdom teeth removed. Maybe you are feeling depressed that your best friend died in a car accident. Over time and with practice, you can learn to notice when an attack of anxiety or depression is coming on or when your wisdowm tooth removal wound pain is flaring up. In doing so, you can empower yourself to cope effectively with it before it gets out of control or just generally worsens.

Need help learning to notice when you are feeling overwhelmed, upset, or in pain? Struggling to cope? Schedule an appointment for therapy or email info@rachelpokorneytherapy.com .

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