Thanks for taking time to join me and welcome to the next episode where I’ll be exploring the connection between our mind and our body.
Some pains that manifest in our bodies can’t be explained by physical causes alone.
You may find it interesting in your own health quests.
So I’d like to explore with you… describing some of the different areas of our bodies that have pain and what those pains may mean.
It’s who we think we are and how we fit into the world around us.
I’ll start with the feet and work up. Are you ready?
You can scan through your body as we move through each area.
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Our feet and legs take all of our weight, they move us to where we want to go and when we have pain our movement is restricted, we can’t do the normal things we want to do in our lives, which can be very frustrating and at times devastating.
Pain in our feet and legs may relate to making decisions about our direction in life. It can manifest as chronic pain or injury. It could be created by being indecisive in these areas.
Our personal and family relationships – are there things that need to be acted upon to give us a clearer direction?
Our work relationships – do we need to address something that does align with our values?
Our career path – do we leave? Or do we stay? Do we take up more study or sit with the status quo?
Wanting a change in our identity – do we need to take an entrepreneurial step or are we safe in being an employee if we’re happy?
Procrastination in any of these areas stops us from moving forward to where we want to be in our lives.
Our legs resemble the trunks of a tree and they firmly plant us on the ground giving us certainty, so they need to be strong to support us as they connect us to the earth, our tribes, and the relationships within them. When something goes wrong in our lives we can lose power in our legs due to pain.
Pain in the knees and elbows resemble fear. Again, fear of making an important decision which can hold us back from where we want to go.
Do you ever have a pain in your backside? Maybe someone is being a pain in your backside if you haven’t addressed a problem with them and it keeps coming back no matter how much treatment you have!
Pain in this area is around relationships with people, beliefs and money and issues not being addressed or resolved.
In regards to money, some people say things like “it really hurt in the hip pocket” if something costs too much or there are unexpected expenses which can cause stress and tension.
It can present as pain in the lower back, the buttocks and it can even refer into the legs and feet as sciatic pain. The pain can be just an annoying dull toothache pain or debilitating jabbing knife-like pain that prevents you from moving.
And this is how it works.
When we think of something unpleasant in our lives and we think we have a fight on our hands and we need to push through, our mind enlists muscles in our body to prepare for battle and be strong.
The muscles tense up without us really being aware that this has happened!
We’ll later know something is wrong when we get pain.
Have you ever had a funny feeling in your gut if you’ve made a hasty decision or without all the information you need?
Do you have buyer’s remorse? Is something happening around you that doesn’t align with your beliefs and values? Do you feel threatened in any way?
Trust your gut, it is one of our three brains.
Our gut, our heart, and our brain all send chemical messages to each other, which governs our responses in any given situation, so giving ourselves space to make more informed decisions and take action to resolve it either by seeking assistance or taking time to make our lives how we want them to be.
There are lots of people who have back pain. Apart from an injury or poor posture, depression and anger can present as pains in the back.
And poor posture can be part of these emotional states as well. We tend to turn in as a protective measure, guarding our bodies and turning in on ourselves.
If you correct your posture, it flows on as a chemical release from your brain which will put you in a better frame of mind. It’s a habit to be nurtured to fit optimal health outcomes.
Try it sometime when you catch yourself slouching at work or feeling low. It can make a difference, especially with digestion, breathing, heart rate and of course mood. There’s a saying, “fake it till you make it!”
Shoulder pain may be present from loading yourself up with too much responsibility and again, poor posture. Situations can quickly arise at work, with friends or in our families.
We may be required to shoulder much more responsibility and decision making than usual.
It can present as pain in the shoulder, upper back, neck and referred pain in the arm and hand.
And what about some of those days when you have a foggy head, headache, migraine, sore eyes, teeth ache, sinus pain, earache.
When we’re too much in our heads, thinking thinking thinking, we can tighten all the muscles around our neck, jaw, and skull. If we’re concentrating too much, being in the zone without a physical break to give our head a rest then these types of pains can become chronic.
Tight muscles in the neck can also produce an unexplained cough or we may lose our voice.
Sometimes we need to speak up to be heard, to clear the air so to say.
Of course, be mindful that chronic pain, as well as immediate acute pain may need to be investigated further but be aware that pain control can be in our own hands when we understand that listening to our bodies is a way to listen to our mind.
Pain is a message to us that something isn’t right and we need to address whatever it may be.
Pain can also be a way that our unconscious mind is keeping us safe to keep us right where we are because it knows the familiar, even if it’s painful, you’re safe!
Until we can work out what may really be going on behind the scenes with our pains, we will remain stuck, emotionally, spiritually, mentally and physically.
Sometimes I say, “eat the frog.” The thought of eating a frog conjures up very unpleasant wriggly images! But sometimes that’s exactly what we need to do.
When we take action and eat the frog, by addressing the more unpleasant things in our lives first, like having an adult conversation with a co-worker, or finally doing our taxes, we take control again and create our own realities and outcomes.
So scan through your body now and feel if you are holding any tension in any muscle that you weren’t aware of before. And if there is, just breathe in and out and ask that part of your body to tighten up and then breathe in and out again and ask that area to release.