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Body Cues are simple tips for easing stress as you feel it in your body. They are actions and attitudes that, with very little effort, can be built into your daily routine. Body Cues support awareness of your body as a beautiful ecosystem that is doing its best for you all the time. Remember: when you are anxious, your body bears the brunt of your suffering (nausea, light-headed, pounding heart, dry mouth, etc). Your body deserves your loving care.
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Body Cue: Easy Breathing
Don't forget to breathe! It's so essential, and so forgettable. Start the day with three deep breaths. Lie on the bed or floor and breathe in until your belly rises (the lower lungs are filled); breathe out slowly and when you feel empty, blow out three more short bursts (to really empty the lungs). Or, press your back and shoulders against the wall as you breathe in, then bend over slightly while exhaling - and slow it down by shaping your lips as if you are blowing through a straw. Exhaling twice as long as you inhale cues the body's "soothing" parasympathetic system - as does bending forward as you exhale. Observe how many times during the day you catch yourself holding your breath. Remind yourself to breathe. Stick 'post-its' on the bathroom mirror, computer monitor, car dashboard, refrigerator.
Nice breathing mantras: breathe in the rose (inhale), blow out the candle (exhale).
Breathe in: present moment. Breathe out: pleasant moment.
Nice breathing mantras: breathe in the rose (inhale), blow out the candle (exhale).
Breathe in: present moment. Breathe out: pleasant moment.
Body Cue: Did You Notice?
What are your favorite colors? Peach, aqua, sky blue, purple, butter yellow, orange, lime green, ruby red: there’s too many to list—but you know yours. What are they?
What are your favorite smells? Coffee beans, mown grass, lemon rind, pipe smoke, vanilla, the binding of a new book, baby powder: there are too many to list—but you know yours. What are they?
What are your favorite sounds? Cat purring, rain plinking, wind in the trees, the neighbor’s kids playing—and that’s not even getting into music! Holy cow: the choices are vast! And you know yours. What are they?
What are your favorite tastes? Sweet, sour, buttery, salty, chocolate, whiskey, spicy, ginger, peppery: too many to list—but you know yours. What are they?
What are your favorite textures? Fuzzy, smooth, hard, soft, delicate, prickly, rough, grainy, slippery, resistant air—like when you hold your hand out a car window: too many to list—but you know yours. What are they?
If you honestly don’t know yours, please bring your attention to noticing when a color, smell, sound, taste, texture or touch pleases you. Make a note: this is important information. Value yourself enough to notice, and then use this self-awareness to physically create a comforting, restorative, pleasurable environment for yourself, even if just on one shelf or in the wee corner of a room. Give yourself what you enjoy.
What are your favorite smells? Coffee beans, mown grass, lemon rind, pipe smoke, vanilla, the binding of a new book, baby powder: there are too many to list—but you know yours. What are they?
What are your favorite sounds? Cat purring, rain plinking, wind in the trees, the neighbor’s kids playing—and that’s not even getting into music! Holy cow: the choices are vast! And you know yours. What are they?
What are your favorite tastes? Sweet, sour, buttery, salty, chocolate, whiskey, spicy, ginger, peppery: too many to list—but you know yours. What are they?
What are your favorite textures? Fuzzy, smooth, hard, soft, delicate, prickly, rough, grainy, slippery, resistant air—like when you hold your hand out a car window: too many to list—but you know yours. What are they?
If you honestly don’t know yours, please bring your attention to noticing when a color, smell, sound, taste, texture or touch pleases you. Make a note: this is important information. Value yourself enough to notice, and then use this self-awareness to physically create a comforting, restorative, pleasurable environment for yourself, even if just on one shelf or in the wee corner of a room. Give yourself what you enjoy.