Think about a time when you made a decision with such ease and clarity that it didn't feel like decision. It felt like the only right option. It aligned with your head, with your body, and with your soul - it was a "whole body yes!" type of response.
A “whole body yes” is important because it signifies a deep, comprehensive agreement or commitment to an action or decision. This means that all parts of yourself—intellect, emotions, intuition, and physical responses—are aligned and in harmony. Here are some key reasons why this is important: 1. Authenticity: A whole body yes reflects true agreement, ensuring that you are acting in accordance with your genuine desires and values, rather than external pressures or obligations. 2. Commitment: When your entire being is aligned with a decision, you are more likely to fully commit and follow through, as opposed to feeling ambivalent or conflicted. 3. Well-being: Ignoring any part of your internal feedback (such as gut feelings or emotional reactions) can lead to stress, discomfort, or burnout. A whole body yes helps ensure decisions are in line with your overall well-being. 4. Clarity: It provides clarity and confidence, reducing doubts and second-guessing. This clear sense of direction can enhance decision-making and goal achievement. 5. Energy: When your mind, heart, and body are in agreement, your energy is directed efficiently and effectively, reducing internal conflicts and enhancing focus and productivity. 6. Relationships: Communicating and acting from a place of complete agreement fosters trust and integrity in relationships, as others can sense your genuine commitment and authenticity. In essence, a whole body yes is about holistic alignment, ensuring that all aspects of yourself are in sync with the decisions and actions you take, leading to more fulfilling and sustainable outcomes. Next time when you're faced with a choice, do a check-in with yourself and see if any part of you is resisting or feels pulled towards a specific option. Don't think about it too much, rather notice what your initial response is telling you. ![]() Most of our current problems are solutions our past self came up with when it didn't have more options or resources. Our patterned responses to people, situations, and internal experiences might not be helpful to the person we are today. But those patterns can be traced back to a time in our life when this was the solution (whether from a place of creativity or lack of resources) we came up with considering the context we were in at the time. As we move through life, there will always be signs showing us when our old solutions have become outdated and ineffective. Here's an example from my life. The summer before I turned 15, I started smoking cigarettes. It was a solution for fitting in and belonging in my small, but very close friend group. Over time, this habit became an identity and a way to socialize with people. I dragged this 10 year old habit with me to the U.S. where, almost overnight, it became a real impediment towards who I wanted to be. Smoking was more complicated to maintain in the U.S. than it was in Serbia and as I started paying more attention to my health and lifestyle. Being a smoker was a layer of identity I was fully ready to shed. I quit and never looked back. So next time you feel stuck in a reoccurring problem or a habit that seems hard to ditch, try to have a bit more compassion and respect for these patterns. See if you can understand how and why you developed them in the first place and how they might have been the right solution at a different time in your life. Reflection Questions:
![]() When our predictable ways of responding to challenges don’t seem aligned with who we want to be, we have the ability to respond differently. When we're caught up in the moment, we don't give ourselves the space and the option to consider a different type of response, but that doesn't mean we are not capable of it. In order to respond differently, we simply need to give ourselves a bit of space and pause (something my client's often hear me say:)). In pause, we have the option to notice what we usually tend to do and then we have the option to decide if we actually want to that this particular time. We give ourselves a choice. Asking ourselves: How would a version of me that I aspire to be respond to this challenge? helps us zoom out of our habitual ways and be intentional in what we do and how we do it. Happy journaling! ![]() Sometimes we find ourselves in situations we've never been in before. In those moments we may feel lost, not having a map to tell us where to go and how to respond. If we choose to walk a new path, we become responsible for creating the map at the same time as we are trying to decide which way to go. This can initially feel unsettling and disorienting. But it can also feel liberating to know that we don't have to walk the same paths as we did in the past. We can throw away the old map, because we already know where it will take us. Let yourself feel lost and let yourself learn as you go. Whatever we keep hidden from ourselves stays in the dark and feeds off of shame and secrecy.
Only when we are ready to be honest with ourselves and when we are ready to admit to ourselves the truth, we can invite change. Admitting the truth to ourselves can look like acknowledging what we feel, what we think, what we like, what we don't like, what makes us angry and why it makes us angry. Saying it aloud to ourselves or someone trusted, or writing it out without evaluating it. Acknowledging it and allowing it to be there is a powerful start. |
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June 2024
AuthorSladja Redner |