Stress can show up as many different bodily discomforts. And, when we dwell on them, as we do because being uncomfortable is so attention grabbing, the neurological wiring in our brains grows bigger. And then the pathway to feeling that discomfort gets bigger and easier for your brain to access. It becomes the go-to response in your brain, ignoring other pathways, which then dwindle and become harder to find. Because of how the brain works, what you feel most strongly or most often becomes more pronounced. It's essentially a positive feedback loop. Your brain is causing you pain.
Think of a trail. Ones that are well traveled get bigger and those that aren't get overgrown and disappear.
This exercise is designed to reconnect you to your whole body again. This strengthens your brain's connections to other parts of your body that are NOT causing you difficulties.
Do it as often as you wish. As you strengthen your connections to your whole body, and pay less attention to the difficult parts, it will be easier to shift your attention away from any area that is hurting and to another part of your body.
This is like leaving a room where a loud radio is blasting, closing the door and walking away. The radio may still be playing, and you may still hear it, but it's distant and not too troublesome.
I invite you to rediscover the lost paths to your whole body.
