Learning to Listen to the Story Your Body is Telling You

Sometimes — without warning — my insides catch fire. 

Perhaps you know the feeling. 

A conversation with your partner suddenly escalates into a conflict, leaving you feeling indescribably angry and tense. 

The cries of your colicky baby or that one certain tone of voice from your child cause your emotions to rapidly accelerate from 0 to 100. 

An interaction with a parent sparks a sudden, unexplainable wave of sadness and tears.

Particular interactions with your employer or pastor flush your body with heat and you lose the ability to access your words.

No matter the source, it’s as though a fire alarm inside of us has been pulled, blaring, “PAIN! PAIN! PAIN!”

As women, it is common for us to write off these experiences in several ways. We’re hormonal. Too sensitive. Touched out. Sleep-deprived. When we settle for these explanations, the experiences fade away as quickly as they came, leaving us wondering who, what, and when our next internal landmine will be tripped.

Repeated experiences like this are what often bring people to my therapy practice …

Read the full article at Grit & Virtue.