Caring for the Body that Carries Your Dream

Some of the most talented and passionate creatives I know go entire days forgetting to eat, not using the restroom until it’s urgent, evading sleep, and remaining totally unaware of their preferences and boundaries.

Disconnection from our bodies can often feel pretty normal in this culture. It’s common to hear people talk about feeling foggy or dealing with chronic symptoms—to the point where hearing how present, alive, and connected someone feels can seem abnormal, or worse, out of reach.

When I was at my worst mentally and emotionally, I remember experiencing derealization and depersonalization so profoundly that it terrified me. These are experiences where you can feel so out of your body, so dissociated, that everything feels rubbery, and you feel like you are watching yourself live your life instead of actually living it. (If this is you, just know that I was an extreme case, and it is absolutely possible to heal!)

Miraculously, that level of intense disconnection from my own body has resolved, but I still find myself running a bit faster than necessary—either due to excitement or while navigating a new trigger.

I talked about this on an episode of the Heal/Create Podcast! (If you haven’t listened already, you can here!)

In these situations, I like to think about my body like a baby. A baby doesn’t speak English, meaning they can’t verbally communicate with you, right? You don’t shame the baby for that—they just don’t have that ability.

It’s your job, as a parent, to learn their cues and commit to figuring out what they need in every situation. No matter how imperfectly you do it, you keep finding ways to soothe, nourish, and comfort them so that the baby can continue to live and thrive as best they can.

The SAME is true for your body. We are invited every day to learn the cues of our own body so that we can help ourselves grow, heal, and create.

My ask of you is that you begin paying attention to your physical form. Check in more often—what are you needing? What feels good? What feels frustrating?

Have a lovely week, my friend.

Courtney