Day 18 - The Gratitude Breakfast Club

"'Gut' often tells us what our rational minds cannot easily access." - Dian Killian, PhD, "Embracing the Body" workshop

Having go-to tools to manage stress during times of chaos is definitely something to appreciate. I hope adding "body scans" to your toolbox, if you haven't already, is helpful. We are happy to be back after a brief break due to Hurricane Milton.

The correlation between a gratitude practice and greater perceived levels of happiness - as well as improved overall physical, mental, and emotional well-being - has been shown in study after study. The GBC offers easy and enjoyable prompts to jump-start or deepen your morning gratitude practice. These short sessions help you ground your energy, connect with your inner positivity and strength, and live your day in the best way possible.

Every moment is a new moment, though, and gratitude helps no matter the hour on the clock, so tap into the Gratitude Breakfast Club any time you could use a pick-me-up!

Transcript

Hello,

And welcome to the Gratitude Breakfast Club,

A quick morning meetup to help you jumpstart or maintain your gratitude practice.

We'll make it quick because we know you have things to do on this beautiful day.

Good morning,

Beautiful ones,

And welcome back to the Gratitude Breakfast Club.

We did take a break after Hurricane Milton made landfall in the U.

S.

,

And I'm so glad to be back.

As my family and I recover from Hurricane Milton,

One of the tools I appreciate having in my toolbox is the body scan.

Because even though I may know intellectually that we are safe,

And we are,

Thank goodness,

The reality is that my body is still feeling the effects of preparing for and living through a history-making hurricane.

This storm could have been for us,

And was and still is for so many,

A devastating natural disaster.

Body scans help us listen to what's going on for us in the midst of chaos.

In the midst of life,

Which can be so loud,

Body scans are moments of silence to check in on nonverbal communication from our bodies,

So that we can better understand what we are feeling and what we are needing.

According to Deion Killian,

PhD,

Author,

Coach,

And the founder and director of Work Collaboratively,

Our bodies,

Particularly our guts,

Often tell us what our rational minds cannot easily access.

Moreover,

As so many of us are now aware,

Trauma is held in the body.

So taking the time to listen to our bodies is key.

So last week I closed my eyes and I listened.

I closed my eyes and I paid attention from head to toe to the sensations that were present.

I could sense a slight trembling in my arms and hands.

The trembling wasn't visible,

So I didn't really register that it was happening until I took that moment to check in.

My right foot was cramping,

My throat was tight,

My right wrist hurt,

And the left side of my neck felt slightly strained.

My chest felt hollow and burned.

My left eye felt blurry,

Even though I could see fine.

My body was saying,

Take a moment.

It was saying yes to some gentle TM yoga.

Yes,

But maybe just a little bit later to meditation.

Yes,

Immediately to conversation and community.

Yes,

I need to eat.

Yes,

To all of that.

And still,

Yes to time and its healing power.

In the effort to get things done,

I can sometimes underestimate the toll that certain events are taking.

I was dealing with the physical work of preparedness.

I call it a lot of shopping,

Moving,

Hauling,

Unpacking,

And stacking.

But there was also the mental work,

Figuring out what was necessary and enough for our particular situation and budget,

Keeping abreast of the storm's location and trajectory,

Deciding whether to stay or go,

Tracking emergency updates,

Rereading hurricane preparedness guides,

And checking in on our community,

As well as responding to the love,

Questions,

And concern that our community had for us.

Then there was the event.

There was the constant rush of wind and the ferocious gusts that were so beautiful and yet so worrying.

Would the debris and furniture the neighbors didn't put away come flying toward our home?

Would these gorgeous trees lose their limbs in ways that jeopardized our safety?

And once night fell and the gusting wind continued,

All of the clattering bangs and clangs without visual cues sounded ever more ominous.

The lights flickered.

Would the power go out?

If it did,

Did we have enough ice packs?

We did lose power for 42 hours,

So there was that.

And yet,

We are okay.

A mailbox toppled,

A fence askew,

A gate damaged in a way that I can't even understand the physics of,

But we are okay.

And I will continue to tell myself that until my body eventually knows it too.

So today,

I'd like you to take a moment and do a body scan.

For at least one minute,

Close your eyes and notice.

What sensations do you feel?

Even if you can't put words to them,

Or the words seem silly,

Tingling,

Shimmering,

Tightness,

Pokiness,

Or whatever they are,

Notice these sensations and appreciate the importance of your body's nonverbal messages.

They will lead you to the needs and feelings present for you that you can eventually address.

Please appreciate that if you take the time to listen,

Your body will speak.

With love,

Appreciation,

And gratitude,

This is Karen.