Embodied change ...
Change comes in all different forms within us and outside of us, sometimes we choose it and sometimes it's unexpected.
Change is one of those words that affects everyone differently, some people embrace change with ease and like the uncomfortable feeling of it. I admire that and why I recognise that change can be good, like all things it depends on the change of course.
I definitely struggle with it at times, especially if I haven’t chosen the change, but what I do know is that change is the one thing in life that’s always constant whether we want it or not. It can be subtle but it's happening most of the time even when we don’t realise it.
Sometimes we can go through huge life changes with which you’ve had no control over and it has made you feel unsafe in your body or surroundings. Of course, trauma can be linked to a challenging change too, so it comes in many forms. This of course impacts people's nervous systems which can put people in survival mode.
We change too, which of course if it's dramatic the people around us can say “you’ve changed” often like it's a bad thing when it’s a good thing. If you're experiencing this and it feels good to you, the important thing is to own it.
Change can be exciting and magical too, especially when it's something we are choosing to leap into or feel ready for.
In essence, change can be paradoxical however we view it, it’s something we all have to face.
The hard part is how we deal with it. I’m sure everyone reading this has experienced messy resistant change as well as welcome change.
There’s no real guide book as such on how to handle this because let’s face it we all can react differently to a change, some of us will handle it, some of us may not handle it so easily. What I know is this, there are ways we can deal and lean into change more easily because as I said above its happening anyway.
Shifting our perspective on how we view change and feel about it is something to lean into.
Get clear on this and get clear on your feelings around this. It’s worth remembering over time this can change too so in my opinion checking in with this is important. If you're facing a change presently don’t assume your past feelings, feel into the present about it.
The thing with change is the unknown and uncertainty and this feeling can feel tricky at times. I know these things, for me, definitely come up. I’m someone who likes to know where I’m at etc and these feelings make me less in control. Of course, for me living in the body I’ve lived in for years, feeling in control of things helps me feel a bit better. So uncertainty can throw me off, but I recognise that despite any resistance I feel I have to deal and face these things anyway. Recognising that some magic may be the other side of it, even if it doesn’t feel that way initially.
Having been through changes years back that I didn’t feel in control of in my life led me to realise I had to integrate and heal this. We will all deal with things like this differently, so being patient and kind with yourself is vital and honouring where you are at.
Which leads me to embodied change, often with change it begins with rewriting and rewiring things in our minds. This is important, but truth it has to go deeper, so as I said above the impact affects our nervous systems. Becoming aware of this is vital, we need to feel that change in our bodies and nervous systems.
We disconnect from bodies often without realising it when we feel uncertain and unsafe, but identifying where this is in our body’s and feeling what’s underneath it can really help.
This of course is a process and some people will definitely need to work with someone on this.
But connecting and feeling the change and bringing it down in your body will help, it doesn’t mean you may not struggle but integrating in this way will help a lot.
When we do this we may even begin to enjoy the process of change more, of course if you're choosing the change this will help make it integrate even more.
If your nervous system and body are reacting, listen to this and feel it getting clear on what you’re feeling, it’s important to look at what you can do to support and soothe this.
Our nervous systems can react to even good things, and when we work on a nervous system level we heal and embody on a deeper level.
Wherever you're at with change, know it's a process and being hard on yourself isn’t going to help here. Listen to your pace and rhythm, the more we do this and intimately understand ourselves in this way, the more things like change are easier to embody. Even the unexpected ones, and remember this. Our relationship to change can change for the better, excuse the pun, when we lean into it and begin to understand our relationship to it and let our perspective shift to it also.
I will continue to lean in and remain open to embodying this more and learning and feeling into ways to find change easier.
Remembering that there is magic and possibilities in change can be a great thing too, I love the feeling when I’m sensing the magic in a change and how good this feels.
Also I’m celebrating those who inspire me whom I see embracing change with ease.
This is a huge topic, I love to hear your perspective and you find change.
All my love
Hannah X
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