"Your body tells me all I need to know"

A good friend of mine, a chiropractor, has a saying: "your body tells me all I need to know".

It is so true, and yet we walk around so often denying the sensations or signals our bodies are telling us.

Last night, I was watching a PBS documentary on Sierra Leone. The people and their stories are both horrifying and inspiring, a testiment to both the capacity of brutality and compassion of humankind. After going to bed, I found myself tossing and turning, unable to sleep, and replaying images over and over in my mind. I got angry with myself for not "doing" more to help these people, and for having a comfortable bed and a roof over my head where I can rest without fear.

Today, my head is fuzzy, my chest feels tight and my heart is beating faster. I feel anxious. It would be easy to deny that these sensations are to do with any TV program I watched last night, but I know in my heart of hearts that I would be lying to myself. As I mentioned in my last entry, we are social beings, and what happens to others in the world, happens to us too. Most of us can't help but feel compassion, even if that person is thousands of miles away. What a testiment to our sociability.

I need to sleep tonight, so I have emailed a friend who is working in the Congo to ask his opinion on how best to help, and for now, the sensations in my body are calming down. But I am taking note, and know that for me to be OK in this world, I must put my money where my mouth is.

My challenge to you, dear reader, is to check in with your body and see what it tell you.

In health,

Anna



Some links:
A friend's blog on human rights: http://humanrightsrespectingdiversity.blogspot.com/
Another friend's photos from the Congo: http://www.lionelhealing.com/

Community connections

It has been a long time since I wrote, and this time it is not me on holiday, but Angie. Sweet, dear Angie, without whom Lokahi Acupuncture would be in disarray!

I have been pondering the importance of having community lately. My husband and a friend have gone on a surf trip, leaving me without a husband, as well as without Angie. The two people in my life whom I rely on to keep me on track, to whom I voice concerns, bounce ideas off and trust for feedback.

In all honesty, I have been thoroughly enjoying the quiet space and some alone time. But I think I might feel a bit lonely had I not known that I have a whole community out there upon which I can rely if something goes wrong or it I need a chat. And that feels so amazing. Just now, a client emailed saying that he had made a huge batch of guacamole, and did I want some? About 10 mins later, I had biked to his house, picked up the guac and checked in with him. How cool is that? And on the way home, I passed another neighbor who asked about the boys surf trip.

It is so important for us humans to have interaction with others. We are such sociable beings, and I wonder just how much of this stress-related disease we see is due to our lack of connection not only with ourselves, but also with others.


~ Anna