Is it odd that we seem to have more vocabulary for what is uncomfortable or doesn’t work? And how does this tendency influence our experience of life?

We are more used to feel the uncomfortable

What I have observed time and again in my work with clients is that most people are quite apt at describing what they don’t like and what feels uncomfortable in the body. 

But when it comes to having words for the state when the tension or pain is gone, they struggle.

Many say: “I don’t feel anything.”

When I ask: ‘What do you feel?’

They say: ‘nothing.’

Or their attention moves on to the next tense and uncomfortable sensation in the body, which they then happily describe.

At the same time all of us strive to be and feel well.

It’s almost as if we’re not used to feeling the bits that feel good. As much as we have learned to reduce or cut off sensations that the mind judgees as bad or negative, we often are also unable to feel the goodness.

From bad to what?

When you keep your attention with an area after the tension or pain is gone, something else emerges. Maybe it’s a sense of lightness, or tingling, or you have more space to breathe. Maybe you feel more softness.

Keeping your attention on an area after the tension subside or shifts, strengthens your ability and – felt and verbal – vocabulary for positive sensations.

Building your capacity to feel well

Paying attention and sensing when you feel well matters. It builds your capacity to experience what’s good and comfortable in your life. Finding your vocabulary to describe how ‘good’ feels is another step towards reconnecting body and mind. 

Embodied Practice: Ask your body

How do you know that you’ve had a good day?

• How do you feel in the evening after a good day?
• What sensations do you notice in the body?
• Where in the body to do you feel well?
• How much space do you have in your chest?
• How easy is your breathing?
• How much headspace do you have?

If you want some support in building your body attention, awawreness and capacity to feel also the good bits, you can always book a one-to-one session with me. 😉