A Simple Technique to Overcome Loneliness
When things get tough, there’s nothing more that we’d rather do than turn to someone for support. Sometimes all we want is a shoulder to cry on, or a big hug.
For those of us that live alone, or are navigating a challenging relationship where we feel isolated, finding the comfort we need can be difficult.
As human beings, we need others: for connection, love, and to find meaning in our lives.
This pandemic has made it difficult to connect with others and many of us are starting to feel the affects of that emotionally and mentally.
It’s really triggering some deep wounds buried deep inside us, the painful memories that our inner child has been carrying for so long. It’s what makes us want that hug, want that warm body next to us to tell us it’s going to be okay. It makes us seek to be nurtured because that inner child wants to be nurtured, but instead it has felt ignored, unseen, unheard and unloved.
When we’ve experienced any trauma in our past, we shut down our bodies, and we shut down all our emotions with it. The more overwhelming the trauma is, the more physically and emotionally withdrawn we become. We become frozen.
A simple technique to help you overcome these feelings is by shaking and dancing. Shaking the body allows the trapped trauma to loosen up and allows our emotions to come back up. It’s as though you’re shaking off all the dirt.
Sometimes it can feel uncomfortable to feel those emotions because we view them as being bad and they can feel heavy and dense, but it’s healing to release them. It’s when we don’t that they can cause issues in our psyche and physical body.
SHAKING AND DANCING
Stand up with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Start shaking from your feet up through your knees, hips, and shoulders. Do this for at least a few minutes. Your body will begin to loosen up. Smile at the same time and just have fun with it. Emotions may come up.
Then spend a couple of minutes relaxing in a standing position. Feel your body tingle and feel yourself breathing.
Put on music that you love and dance however your body wants to move. Seriously dance like no one’s watching!! Be as silly as you want and start to channel that inner child who doesn’t care what they look like when they dance :)
Doing deep work to heal the inner child is something I also recommend. To help you get started, you can listen to this powerful 10-minute guided meditation.