How you FEEL matters, here’s why
Whether you are projecting your image through a zoom call or are in real life with your team, you bring an energy connected to how you are feeling that impacts the outcome of the gathering.
Think about the power of music, which is literally just sound waves at different frequencies. And as I’ve mentioned before, EMOTION is E (energy) in Motion. And that energy is powerful.
Whether you think about your energy level and emotional frequency or not, it impacts how you feel and how you show up for your work and life.
In my coaching approach of mental, emotional, and embodied awareness, I help my clients see how they are feeling and what they can do about it.
I often ask my clients as they discuss a challenging situation, “How does that feel in your body?”
Mindfulness of how we feel in our body allows us to tap into an inner knowing and wisdom.
It allows us to see what our nervous system is feeding us and what our mind is making those sensations mean.
It sounds complicated, but it really is not.
Real Life Example
I am currently faced with a task that I keep avoiding – i.e. writing my weekly email. 😉
-> Insert your own dreaded task- a difficult conversation, reaching an impossible goal, creating a project you’ve never done before, we all have those things we rather avoid or makes our shoulder tight.
As I think about the task I notice what I’m feeling in my body – A heaviness in my chest. Why do I feel heavy? What am I making this mean?
I then uncover the thoughts and beliefs driving that feeling; “I want to do this task, but I’m just not good at consistency, it’s going to be hard, I don’t know what to say, I have too much to say, it doesn’t matter, etc. etc.”
In coaching, we reframe. We look at all the evidence and create new possibilities for how a situation could turn out differently. In doing so we find different thoughts and emotions to fuel the work.
I ask myself … What if this does matter? What if it doesn’t have to be hard? What if consistency is something I don’t have to be perfect at and this work still matters?
I allow the heaviness in my chest to dissolve as I begin to ask different questions. The energy that I feel in my body shifts from discouragement and shame to curiosity, one of the most powerful emotions for leaders to have when problem solving (more on that in a future email).
I begin to tackle the task from a place of commitment and service.
I didn’t power through because I should; I listened to how I was feeling, honored it, and moved forward with new energy.
In short, I changed the soundtrack and my energy changed.
And look, this email is hitting your inbox, so I know it works.
So, how are you feeling? Can you acknowledge whatever you are feeling AND shift towards curiosity?
Our brain likes to repeat what we know, which tends to be the same old self-talk, worries, and anxieties that we know so well. But the brain is also incredibly elastic and capable of creating new neural pathways that lead to more joy and ease.
I love having a formula for actually incorporating more joy and ease into work. Change is possible.
November is Native American Heritage Month –
Honor & Celebrate with me
Did you know the US laws criminalized Native dances and ceremonies until the 1970’s? Killed, jailed, and shamed for practices now sought and used by the western wellness community and natural healers.
We know that music and movement is a powerful way to move emotions through our body, heal, and shift our energy. As I think about the oppression of native people in our country I can only think about how this was trauma upon trauma. 💔
I am grateful for the change agents who fought (and continue to fight) for Native rights in our country. I have had the privilege of witnessing and participating in a number of local Pow wows. For me and many other, dancing in community is healing and always helps me feel better.
Enjoy these tracks, expand your knowledge, and dance it out.
Know Better Do Better
@Illuminative
Haluci Nation Good to Go
Con Amor, Sonya
P.S. Overheard in a coaching session:
“I am really seeing how the internal work that I do directly impacts my ability to lead and feel ok after difficult emotional situations”
I help my clients develop the emotional capacity to deal with the challenges of life and work. If this is something you want help with, let’s chat; book a discovery call below.
