Somatic Practice To Change Your Mindset Improve Your Mood

This somatic experiencing practice is about how to change your mindset and change your mood. Changing our mindset starts with noticing what's happening in our nervous system. Why? Because our nervous system regulates our bodies, which in turn can settle our mind, and not the other way around. When we notice what's here in terms of sensation, we can start to understand how to support our bodies better so that they get what they need, and the settling will happen without effort, organically. Our nervous systems are sovereign beings that don't ask our permission to keep us safe. So, when there is constriction or freeze, the body is perceiving or experiencing a threat, and it's our work, if we choose to do it, to listen and find ways to offer support and kindness to those places.

Transcript

Hello and welcome. I'm so glad you're here. This recording is all about how to change your mindset and improve your mood. Semantically speaking. Our mindset. Is more about what's actually happening in our body. And our mood, Our emotion, That's also about what's happening in our body. And when you're going for changing something right away, There can be resistance to that in the body, Even in the mind. Sometimes just being with what is here is all that's needed to help something shift internally. And sometimes what can help is movement, Dancing, But even noticing if there's an emotion that feels overwhelming. Maybe it's something positive. Could be joy that you don't quite know how to sit with. Could be a sense of freedom that feels like too much. It could be that you're tired or you're exhausted or you're scared. What can you do if you want to improve your mood? Well, If I'm feeling overwhelmed, Scared, Angry, Hateful, Afraid. Angry? Sad? But I want to just notice where there's some tightness associated with that emotion. And can I just be with it? Can I let that be here? By placing a gentle hand on the location where I feel the tightness and just be with that here for a moment. I'm with you here so we can just do this together. Notice the tightness wherever it is. Notice any detail about it. Does it have any temperature or texture? Or color. Or movement. There's no right answer here. Just pay attention to what's here and what you're noticing. And everybody's different, And every body's different. There's uncertainty here with me about what can I offer? And there's a little bit of tightening in my breastbone. Right in the center. Part of my chest going down to my ribcage. The uncertainty of not knowing what I can offer here. Then I have a hand placed in that area now, Just a gentle hand. And as I do that, I notice a deeper breath starts to come in. And more opening. And that constriction related to the uncertainty has shifted, Which has also shifted the uncertainty. Now what's here is a little bit more ease, A little bit more flow. I'm noticing where that is. That's also in my chest. And I have a couple of hands here. I'm just letting my body take in the fact that there's something new here now, Something different. That feels more open. And easeful. And I'm feeling grateful about that. And gratefulness shows up in my solar plexus, In my lower abdomen. My solar plexus is kind of my upper abdomen, But it also shows up in my lower abdomen. So I'm letting that be here now too. What might be happening in your body. Sometimes when we want the thing that we're experiencing to go away, We ignore it or we push it away. Or we push it out of our awareness. But often that has the effect of not making it go away at all. Or making it hide temporarily and then come back later to get our attention, Because there's something usually there that wants our attention. Just like a young child. So can we offer it our attention, Our presence? Can we be here with it now? At a time that works for us. Maybe when it first came up, It wasn't very convenient, And we didn't have the patience for it, Or we just didn't Maybe we were in the middle of a work day and there wasn't a way to really attend to it. So changing your mindset, Improving your mood. Can literally be a few different things. You can again try moving. Dancing, Even singing. Moving your whole body in some way, Even if it means that you can't get up and stand, Can you, From a seated or even a lying position, Move your limbs and your hips or any part of your body that you're able to move? And just see if the movement itself can help. Bring a different kind of awareness and sense of spatial What's the word? Spatial orientation to you. And then noticing where there might be some constriction and being with that. Letting it be here, Offering a hand for support. Recognizing that these bodies are wise. But if they're stuck in a stress response, Then it just means that. . . My body has predicted an outcome will happen based on previous experience. And it has a hard time recognizing that there's any safety or support. Or comfort here. So if you can also draw your attention to where you might feel support. And what does support feel like? I'm so glad you joined me. Thank you for being here today. I hope you have a wonderful, Wonderful rest of your day.