You'd think I know by now but...

This week I learned a lesson that you'd think I "should" have already learned a long time ago.

And I have (many times), but not like this.

That's the thing about learning lessons:

they come dressed up in all kinds of different shades, shapes and colors.

Lessons are nuanced, there are facets to them - just like in life, no two days are the same, even if the weather report says sunny and 27 degrees in the shade. You think you know how to dress for it but every once in a while you still get a sunburn because you just didn't see it coming that this darn café wouldn't have umbrellas…

That was me this week.

And before I get into it, you know what?

I don't even want to be able to put a last and final check mark behind my lessons because that would mean I'd have nothing left to learn.

I don't care who you are, no amount of therapy, coaching or communications strategies will ever keep you from learning lessons.

As long as you are willing to keep your eyes open for them, trust me, they are there.

Even (especially?) for a Somatic Coach like me, because I know what to look for…

Alright, so what happened?

(I know you're on the edge of your seat to know).

I got myself into a, let's call it "situation", the details aren't important really.

They don't matter because what I am about to tell you can be applied to pretty much everything and anything. Maybe it reminds you of something you've gone through yourself?

What is important is that a. It's not the first time this has occurred to me and b. It had my mind running loops.

And when I say loops I mean super mario kart on steroids, going round and round and round and round…

I could not stop thinking about it even if I wanted to.

Here's the shocking thing though.

I didn't want to. Part of me actually enjoyed analyzing this - that's what I called it until I realized what I was doing.

I was doing one thing and one thing only: overthinking.

I was overthinking like it was printing money.

The stinging truth behind it? I was overthinking because some part of me was still convinced that this is how I can stay in control.

Ouch.

Have you been in those loops before?

When something just sucks you in like a tornado and you just. can't. stop?

You think you're in control but mother nature has taken over and you are in it.

I was in it.

I think the socially acceptable term for this is:

"OMG, I'm obsessed."

Now while most people don't actually refer to a clinical obsession when they say that, I'm still not sure it's healthy.

Anyway, I'm not here to question today's slang (but I do anyway), what I am here to do is tell you what happened next.

You know when you overthink - despite it being very much confined to your head - it still happens in the body.

Or in other words: it has an impact on your body.

A massive one.

For me, I was tense, very much the opposite of relaxed. I needed to write down whatever "genius" thought I had about this thing immediately, my body was activated, my nervous system alert.

I was on my way to fight or flight.

That is not where I want to be unless an actual tiger is chasing me. I definitely don't want to be there because of an email or a text message.

At some point - much later than I would have liked, I admit (this is how all consuming things can be sometimes) - I noticed the tension in my body was related to this thing.

And that's when it hit me.

My body knew all along.

The overthinking had ripples.

They landed in my chest.

They made my breath shorter.

I didn't want that.

I don't want anything or anyone to hold the power over the length of my breath.

Nothing but myself.

When I realized what I was doing and that my body was trying to tell me this all along, I was relieved.

Wait what?

Yeah…

It's like I found proof once again that the story my body tells me can always be trusted.

She knows.

Without a single word, she always knows.

In fact it's been measured scientifically that your heart responds within 2–5 milliseconds to changes that occur in the energetic field around us. Which makes sense since it's the center of the circulatory system.

In other words:

Every cell in your body needs information to function (and survive), why would that information not go to the part of your body that can receive it the fastest?

Our brains then notice changes around 100 milliseconds after a change has occurred, and sure, that is still super, super fast but it's STILL, say 50x-ish slower than the heart reception!

Soooo….

My lesson?

Once again was to….listen.

My body always knows.

Your body always knows.

Our bodies always know.

Another thing before I leave you for the week, because my brain might go down that lane, so yours might too and I want to speak to it:

No, you're not a failure because you didn't learn something the first time.

You know how much is constantly changing around you?

A LOT.

EVERYTHING.

Which means it's actually impossible that it was the exact same lesson. It may look the same, sunny and 27 degrees, but it was not the same.

So don't beat yourself up, love. In fact, how beautiful that you were ready to see a different shade of it?

You had to be ready for that ya know…

Learning to listen to my body is the single most important work I'll ever do. It's led me to more freedom, joy and peace than I could have ever imagined, and whenever you're ready, I am here to help you do the same. 🧡

Have a great week!

Love,

Mel

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PS. All my newsletters are written by me, not AI (so please flag the typos).

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PPS. If you're ready to explore working together - book a discovery call HERE.