Leaning In to Your Whole Being
“Sometimes all we need is to have a little moment to tune in and lean in to what’s going on with our inner world”
Important Messages We Get from Leaning In
As a therapist, I’ve learned a thing or two about this idea of leaning in to our whole self—our thoughts, feelings, body, and this inner sensing, which can sometimes be very subtle and unconscious, even without our knowing it. By using the information we get from leaning in, we open ourselves up to experience life more fully, and we also get to know our limits, our triggers, our strengths, and our desires. Leaning in doesn’t mean acting on these signals that we get from our body; rather, it means choosing to act with our best possible wisdom to guide us toward a life that is meaningful to us.
Noticing Hidden Reactions
Often, we don’t even realize the reactions we’re having, but our body and behaviors show them anyway. Ever heard someone say, “Hey, you look out of sorts. Are you okay?”—and it catches you off guard? It can invite us to ask ourselves more deeply, “Oh, yes, what is going on with me? I don’t really know...” It’s natural not to know, because sometimes we’re just too caught up in life. Other times, it’s our inner psyche developing defense mechanisms to protect us from pain and suffering, masking or hiding these things—but the impact is still there. Even as a therapist myself, I do face such situations too which is completely normal!
A Gentle Invitation to Explore Your Body
So here’s the thing: this is a gentle invitation to lean in to that inner sensing of emotions and body sensations, and begin exploring what’s going on. What’s your body saying? Do your eyes have a kind of sensation as though they want to tear up because of frustration or helplessness? Does your throat feel tight, like you just want to let it all out? Is there a hidden heavy feeling inside you? Or perhaps a squishy feeling in your stomach—like joyful and excited anticipation? Or even tension at the edges of your lips pulling them toward your ears because you really want to smile?
A Gentle Invitation to Explore Your Thoughts
It’s also a gentle lean in to your thoughts, allowing your truest messages to appear in full form instead of vanishing or evaporating—so long as they’re not too disturbing to sit with. Sometimes it might be as simple as: “Yes, I’m upset. I feel defeated. I want these difficult feelings to go away.” Or: “I’m so useless. I really want to quit and run away because I feel so ashamed of myself.” Or: “Damn, I really feel attracted to this person, but I’m scared of being rejected or being too forward and getting called out.” Or even: “Damn, I really don’t like this person. They’re actually quite annoying and petty, but I have to be with them.”
Yes, It Can Be Scary and Uncomfortable But All of This Is Normal
Here’s the thing: whatever you’re learning about yourself—your thoughts, behaviors, and feelings—is completely normal, because you’re human. For example, feeling happy and becoming talkative is a natural response to joy. Feeling heavy before a serious or difficult conversation is a normal reaction to uncertainty or perceived danger.
As unsettling as it may be, we all have all sorts of thoughts, whether “good” or “bad.” One way to look at it is that the human brain is filled with information and constantly processing, so it’s natural for images, thoughts, and sensations to arise—sometimes as fantasies, sometimes as random ideas. More importantly is to give ourselves the compassion and space to have such thoughts which does not mean that we have to act on all of them.
Becoming More Authentic
Through these leaning-in experiences, we become more authentic and get closer to understanding what’s bothering us—and what’s making our day better. That way, we can really sit with it, think about what’s important to us which can be conflicting, however, we can always find a way to balance the challenges and let that guide our actions.
