3 Tips to Help Your Mind & Body Through a Tough Transition
As I walk through my neighborhood these days, I’m in awe of how nature seamlessly transitions from Fall into Winter. Whipping around me as I shuffle through fallen leaves of the most amazing colours, the wind and rain have announced their arrival in full force. The trees are almost bare, and winter has all but settled in. As the days fall short, darkness envelopes us! We have been put on notice that change is in the air.
The space between endings and beginnings is often the hardest. It reminds me of no-man’s land where what we knew is ending and what’s to come hasn’t yet fully emerged, and there we are… waiting.
It’s not lost on me that the past year (and more), while living in transition and through a force field of uncertainty, reminded me of a darker time when I understood so clearly how life and death could hang in the balance and how so much of everything is out of our control.
And I’m aware that not all transitions are hard in the way I’ve found this one, or take as much time. Some are shorter and filled with lighter thoughts and feelings – the excitement and stress of waiting to move into a new home comes to mind. Some allow us to predict the outcome with certainty – dark, wet, and colder days and nights soon transition to warm sun filled days and clear star-lit nights.
What I know for certain, is that transitions have the potential to teach us invaluable lessons and help us grow. I discovered Lingering through this transition, and it’s been a lifesaver – click HERE if you haven’t read all about it. I’ve been able to acknowledge feelings of fear, anxiety, worry and stress, all signalling me that what I hope for has not yet fully emerged and will take more time than I would grant it if I had the power.
Note to Self: life’s transitions will not be hurried along no matter how much we wish it so.
Amidst all the uncertainty and stress of this transition, I knew I wanted to become better at listening to my inner wisdom and intuition. I believed that if I could fully tap into my bodies’ knowing and hear the whisperings of my inner voice and soul, I would get through all that this transition has in store for me.
My challenge was knowing how and what to look for. How to BE in my body so I could sense her, feel her and hear her whisperings clearly. With years of living in my head and avoiding my body, I realized I was finally ready to embark on a journey that I trusted would take me closer to being the woman I’ve always wanted to be.
I started this journey earlier this year by joining the group fitness class three times a week at my local gym. It’s truly been a gift to help me manage overwhelm. I love the feeling of strong muscles and knowing I can go up stairs without huffing and puffing. Exercise has helped me feel my body, but not BE in my body, if that makes sense. It has, however, challenged me to purge all my old, outdated thoughts about exercise and weight loss and let go of beating myself up for being lazy, unmotivated and fat. Freedom is moving my body whatever the size.
It feels like a lifetime that weight has been a concern in one way or another for me. My attempts to resolve emotional eating has been somewhat successful in recent years, given that I no longer binge in the way I used to and have so much more control than before. And yet, through all my attempts to release the weight I carry with me, any progress made has been followed by a step back into “dieting” and the endless focus on food alone.
Note to self: dieting doesn’t work!
As I lingered recently, I felt a strong sense that something is missing from this picture – the desire to eat well to release weight is important, don’t get me wrong, but there’s been another pull to explore and dive deeply into my subconscious to uncover any remaining stories that no longer serve me.
This transition and recent journey I’ve begun into the depths of my inner world, has led me to work with an amazing mentor, coach, and spiritual guide, and to join an EFT tapping group focused on letting go of “what’s eating me”!
Note to self: “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”
I’m learning that my intuition connects into my body so if I want to feel it, I must practice listening and being still. As I was tuning in the other day, I felt what I can only describe as a quiet whisper followed by a few words. This voice was different from the voice I hear when I talk to myself. It felt like it came from a different place and source and revealed another puzzle piece around the weight I carry. I can’t wait to feel and hear more….
I’m also grateful for the EFT tapping group I’ve joined. EFT is a mind/body technique that not only helps calm the nervous system when stressed or anxious, but it also allows what is held so tightly in the body and mind to bubble up to the surface. It too is transformational.
Despite the stress of “hurry up and wait”, the fear of health issues not resolving, and the frustration of the unknown throughout this transition, I’m grateful that it has moved me to explore the spiritual and intuitive gifts I’ve pushed aside and long been reluctant to venture into, afraid of what I might find or who I might become.
Dabbling in oracle cards and feeling into the moon’s energy, standing barefoot on the grass to soak up the Earth’s healing vibrations, calling in my spirit guides to support me as I work with clients, connecting with healers, mystics and channelers – all have led me, step by step, to where I am now.
John O’Donahue’s poem, For a New Beginning has me wondering: could it be that where I am now is the beginning of new beginning?
I leave you today with these thoughts and 3 more tips to help you through life’s transitions and times of uncertainty:
1. Sit quietly and breathe. There’s nothing to be done so urgently (unless there is something life and death happening), that it can’t wait for a minute or two. Breathe and notice your breath filling your lungs and then how your breath leaves your body. Be still as you breathe and know that in this moment, your thoughts will come and go. There is only this moment – why not feel it, experience it and then move on to the next one, until your mind and body are calm.
2. Tap. Daily. Whenever something you don’t want to feel emerges or when the overwhelm seems too much. (If you need help learning to tap I’d love to teach you.)
3. Read John O’Donahue’s poem and when ready write in your journal for 5 or 10 minutes (or longer if you like) about where you’re at right now and what a new beginning might look, feel and sound like. What lines stand out the most for you? What feelings arise as you read his poem? Write it all down.
There are a few ways to reach me if you’d like to chat: by email at coach@joanridsdel.com; through my website at joanridsdel.com/contact; or private message me on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/joanridsdelcoaching .
With love and gratitude,
Joan
