Life isn’t linear!
It’s not all puppies and rainbows!
It can be great but curve balls can be thrown left right and centre and we need to learn to adjust, deal with it and keep on trucking!
Awareness = knowing what is happening around you.
Self awareness = The ability to know what we are doing as we do it and understand why we are doing it!
A great deal of your decisions are informed by your emotional responses because that is what emotions are designed to do: to appraise and summarise an experience and inform your actions.
Think about it, how many times has an emotion been triggered for you and your body just reacted in a certain way that is has for many many years.
Have you just been through a breakup and reached for your comfort food?
Something stressing you out at work or home and you just felt like running?
Had a disagreement with a loved one, friend or work colleague which left you wanting to smash a boxing or kickass strength session?
Emotions are powerful, they can enhance you or derail you depending on the given situation and your ability to see the outcome of your decision in the situation.
Everyone deals with emotions differently and that’s OK!
Use the emotional fuel to interpret how your body may benefit from movement at that time.
If you are angry, you may need to lash out in a controlled environment like boxing or strength session, or potentially a calming bodyweight restorative session may be what you need to calm down - either is totally fine! Take a moment to realise the situation and adapt your session to how you FEEL you WANT to move.
Emotions can sneak up on us, there could be a rough time of year where memories automatically get conjured or you hear a particular song or smell a childhood smell.
For me June is really hard! It’s my birthday month yet also when my big sister passed away suddenly - 8 years today.
This time of year can go either way for me depending on my hormones at the time.
I can feel strong and indestructible knowing that with everything that has happened I’m still here and trying to live the best life I can. I can lift strong, punch hard and set some new PB’s in the gym.
Alternatively the energy can be zapped right out of me and all I can handle is bodyweight movement if that!
I crave hugs, chocolate and ice cream goodies for comfort (as that is what we snacked on as kids) and just want to curl in a ball and hide from the world that no longer has her in it!
We all go through stages or events in life that help define us. Using the power that is emotion and really tapping into “why” we are reaching for something can have a major impact on how we deal with the same situation again.
We all have a history that can be re-written.
Learning your “WHY” you are reacting in the way you do can be super powerful!
Pay attention to what your body needs and what it has the energy for.
Not all effective workouts need to leave you a sweaty mess and unable to walk the following day! If you are constantly feeling that way then it’s not necessarily an effective work out for you anyway.
The takeaways:
Tune in, pay attention and you may even uncover some traits you weren't even aware of.
Move how your body can handle at the time
Use emotions to fuel how you WANT to move. (although be realistic, if you are forever feeling angry and want to just keep lashing out maybe there is something else you need to change in your daily life)
Move to see what your body can do, not to punish it for what you may have done!
Cheers until next time
Nikki