Listen to your body: this is how it expresses what you feel and what you think

As a society we give a lot of importance to thoughts and our rational part. Instead, emotions and the body are often relegated to the background. Luckily, increasingly, concepts like emotional intelligence no longer sound so strange. However, Paying attention to the body in the midst of our daily rhythm is a routine that many people have not yet acquired.

What if the body was a beacon that illuminates the path to our emotions? Discovering the importance of the body in the construction of emotions is important in order to increase our body awareness and reduce tensions that may have an emotional cause.

“Take care of your body with discipline and fidelity, the body is the eyes of the soul and if the eyes do not see well, the whole world will be seen in darkness.”

-Johann Wolfgan Goethe-

How do emotions influence your body?

The body and emotions go hand in hand, when one speaks the other reacts. There is numerous scientific research that supports the influence of emotions on pain and the physical body and how these are constantly related. In fact, similar areas of the brain have been shown to be activated when we experience physical pain and emotional pain.

For example, if you do not manage anger or the stress of your work, this can sometimes cause a contracture or tension in your jaw. They are unexpressed emotions that remain embedded in your body, waiting for you to let them out. Since they cannot express themselves, they will try to express themselves in some way, and they end up doing so in the form of tension or physical discomfort.

In fact, the body is a map that helps us know what we are feeling. Surely it has happened to you at some point, that you have noticed a lump in your throat when there was something that you were not saying to your partner. Or for example, you have noticed a stomach ache, when you are afraid of taking an exam. These are signals that the body gives you to express your emotions.

Observe your body, it has an emotional message for you

Emotions scream when we do not listen to them and transform into pain and physical suffering.. What message does our body have to transmit to us? Some symptoms such as headache, breathing difficulties, feeling of being overwhelmed, knot in the stomach…

Even if we try to ignore them, the physical sensations are still there, the less we pay attention to them, the worse it is because they are expressed with greater intensity.

Many times We try to cover these pains or sensations with pills, which momentarily relieve the pain. However, they don’t solve it; We only put a band-aid on a wound that is not healed, because emotions still cannot be expressed adequately. Wouldn’t it be better if we could attend to the emotional message that these bodily sensations want to convey to us?

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Imagine a guy who works 15 hours a day, and has so much stress that he wakes up with neck contractures every day.. Even so, he takes a muscle relaxant and continues working. Surely, the message that his body is transmitting to him is that he needs to stop, slow down the pace of work and take breaks.

Pay attention to your physical pain to see what needs your body has, if you learn to manage your emotions, you will also be much better on a physical level.

Each emotion is linked to physical sensations in the body.

I am going to delve into the physical sensations that the four basic emotions usually generate.. In addition, I am also going to explain how to manage emotions so that they do not end in intense physical pain.

1. Fear

It is an emotion that warns us of possible dangers and helps us anticipate and protect ourselves from a possible threat. On a physical level fear is expressed with stomach pain, body tensionthe heart races, sweating, chest pressure, diarrhea, changes in appetite, and insomnia among others.

All of these symptoms are not exclusive to fear, but they can be present in this emotion that sometimes seems so limiting to us.

If you feel any of these bodily sensations, you can check whether the emotion you are feeling is fear or another. To be able to manage fear, it is best that instead of avoiding it, try to face it as it comes. For example, if you have to give a public presentation, you can practice breathing and relaxation techniques to help you manage your fear.

2. Anger

Anger is the emotion that helps us take action and defend our rights when we feel that an injustice has been committed. Among the most common physical symptoms are body tension, rapid breathingjaw tension, increased body temperature, headaches, etc.

These physical sensations can tell us that we are frustrated and it is necessary that we learn to manage this emotion. assertively, since it can often be repressed. For example, if you have been bothered by your partner telling you to leave the clothes unpicked instead of yelling at him or being silent and not saying anything, you could, after being calmer, explain how you feel.

3. Joy

This emotion helps us establish bonds to be able to socialize and share our happiness with others. Joy has physical symptoms that are easily recognizable: facial smile, chest expansion, laughter, body opening, etc. There are people who have difficulty feeling this pleasant emotion and do not know how to identify it.

Giving ourselves permission to enjoy life’s pleasures is also healthy for our bodies. and psychological well-being. For example, you can enjoy a good day at the beach, even if you are not having a good time, or enjoy yourself with your favorite movie.

4. Sadness

It is an emotion that helps us cope with losses and grief. It draws us inward and makes us reflect on the past, and how things were. On a physical level it is expressed with tears, sobbing, pressure in the chest, labored breathing, poor appetite, etc. Sensations that we all may have experienced at some point.

If sadness is not expressed it can become an unbearable weight to carry on our body. For example, if you have not mourned the death of a loved one, nor have you been able to share your pain with anyone, sadness may appear in the form of back pain or pain in some other part of your body.

Your body is wise and knows what you need

If we manage our emotions in a healthy way, we will be able to listen and understand the message that our body sends us.. We will identify the emotions associated with physical symptoms, and we will learn to manage these emotions so that they do not become unbearable physical pain.

Think that your body helps you know yourself better if you learn to interpret its hidden emotional messages and give it what it needs (rest, attention, exercise, etc.).

You just need to open your eyes to your physical part for it to be an important part of your life. Your body is wise and knows what you need. If you take care of your body you also take care of your emotions. Remember that you are going to live with your body all your life, therefore, it is worth paying more attention and care to it.. Thus, you will not only improve your emotional intelligence. but also your body awareness.