We sensitives can be so hard to please! A few years ago, I felt fussy all the time. I wondered, “What the Hell does it take for me to feel content?” Getting all the way to Happiness was too big a leap back then. A big piece of it was accepting how sensitive I am, instead of resisting it and pushing past my limits.
Self-Love for Sensitives Series
This series of post is dedicated to my kindred sensitive folks. I hope it can offer ideas for feeling full and content so that we can be of greater service to the world.
In this series, you will get 5 unique Octavia-style tips for each level of self-love: body, emotions, mind, and spirit. The last installment takes it all to the next level with the self-love of living from our Divine Awareness.
Self-Love for sensitives can be complicated, and on top of that we feel guilty about it. I hereby absolve you of all guilt! Without further chatter, here are my 5 Body Contentment Tips:
Body Contentment Tip 1
Take a moment and close your eyes. Take a sensation inventory from head to toe and notice everything you’re feeling in your body in this moment. Where do you feel great? It’s amazing how much we feel!
Tip 1: Love and accept the sensitivity of your body, and your sensual nature. There is so much pleasure to be had from accepting your sensitivity and focusing more of your attention on the good feelings. Our body is a beloved temple to give us our amazing human experience. Treasure and cherish your sensitive body as a divine gift.
Body Contentment Tip 2
Where in your body are you tolerating discomfort? What’s the easiest way to resolve that? Contentment can be as easy as loosening your belt, adjusting your posture, doing a few neck circles or other stretches. Physical discomforts can be highly distracting and energy-consuming for sensitives.
Special note: Eating well can improve your comfort greatly. Our “right diet” can take some trial and error to discover then stick with. See Tip #5 to begin a dialog with your body and learn some of the foods your body craves to feel fulfilled.
Body Contentment Tip 3
Non-resistance. We tie up energy when we aren’t accepting things that we don’t like (such as size, sensitivity, pain, etc). That energy can be used to make changes in the direction you prefer to go. Every time you hear self-talk about not being good enough, replace it with, “This is how I am now. What different choice do I want to make right now?”
Our minute-by-minute choices predict our future body comfort and enjoyment of life. Accept-Choose-Act.
Body Contentment Tip 4
De-stimulate. Us sensitive types need to rest our nervous systems more than most people, especially when we’re in new environments or places with a lot of activity. De-stimulation means reducing sensory input from light, sound and touch to give our nerves a break. Just 10-15 minutes of quiet can give you a world of rejuvenation.
Some of us had parents who didn’t understand our sensitivity and our nervous systems got raked over the coals with over-stimulation as a kid. Acknowledging your over-stimulation and taking care of yourself instead of going into coping mechanisms is a beautiful form of self-love. You are giving yourself the type of love that your parents weren’t equipped to do. That’s a whole HUGE GENRE of self-love!
You can also educate your friends on your sensitivity and ask for support when you need it.
Body Contentment Tip 5
Have a dialog with your sensitive body to find out more about your flavor of contentment. Many of us have been ignoring body queues or find the body voice so quiet we need hearing aids. The awareness you get from Tips 1 and 2 is a great place to open a new dialog with your body as an act of self-love.
If you don’t understand a body sensation that you’re having, ask it questions such as: When did you first begin? Is it fine the way it is, or does it want to change? Do you want more or less of this sensation? Does it have an emotional component? (More on the body-emotion connection in my next post.)
Weird Extra Tip: Your body gives you psychic messages. You know about “gut feelings,” and some of us get psychic feelings from a lot more places than just our gut. Opening this dialog may give you a surprising answer – the feeling isn’t actually yours, it’s someone else’s! It may be from someone standing nearby you, or from a close friend or family member. One of the questions to ask your body about a sensation is, “is this feeling mine?” If not, whose is it?
Self-Love Summary
Sensitivity is a blessing when you can create comfort and contentment. When we sensitives are content, we enrich others’ lives with our unique perspectives and insights on the world.
Next in the series: 5 Emotional Power Tips
PS – To find out how your self-love rates take the cute little self-care quizzes from last years’ self-care blog series. Whenever you’re feeling great, you amplify your skills and talents to inspire the people around you.