First, a perimenopause update! At the beginning of this episode, I noted that it was Day 37 of my cycle, but my period arrived as soon as I finished recording this episode so woot woot, it’s Day 1! But alas, this means that menopause remains a distant dream…

Now, the actual episode. This quote in Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle really explains what I’ve been grappling with:

Most of us have spent our whole lives being taught to believe everyone else’s opinions about our bodies, rather than to believe what our own bodies are trying to tell us. For some of us, it’s been so long since we listened to our bodies, we hardly know how to start understanding what they’re trying to tell us, much less how to trust and believe what they’re saying.

Burnout: The secret to unlocking the stress cycle, by Emily nagoski and amelia nagoski, pg. 186.

Diet culture and the media taught me that my body is not right and I don’t know how to take care of it. Honestly, I might have to write a book about this someday.

The enneagram and hot yoga helped me realize that my body-mind connection was damaged.

If you are curious about the enneagram, I recommend The Road Back To You: An Enneagram Journey To Self-Discovery. I’ve read it twice, plus read other enneagram books and listened to enneagram podcasts, and it has taken me about four years to figure out that I’m a 5 on the enneagram. As a 5, I feel really comfortable in my mind, but can retreat there too much, and this helped me realize my body-mind connection was practically nonexistent.

This epiphany helped me reestablish my body-mind connection and start rebuilding that relationship. Here’s what helping me rebuild a strong body-mind connection:

• Meditation: I love the Calm app and body scans.
• Hot Yoga! From the first class, when I thought I might die from the heat, to now, as I make subtle adjustments to get deeper into the pose, this practice really connects me with every fiber of my body.
• Journaling. I write dialogues with my body. Back and forth scripts, conversations between Me and My Body. It started out feeling very hokey and awkward, but now it’s natural and easy, and I find myself talking with my body throughout the day.

This is a journey and I’m just at the beginning of it, but I’m so glad I shared what I have learned so far on my podcast.