Charles Starrett

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Culture consultant & social tech teacher/facilitator at SoulCo & Northeastern University. He/Him. Dad, Harvard and NEC alum, visual thinker, dabbler in ukulele, electronic music, 한국어, and TTRPGs.

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Is it your body or your mind?

What is your body feeling right now? Does your posture feel comfortable? Does your body want to move a bit? Or stand still for a moment? Does your body need a drink of water, or a snack, or a bio break?

If the only thing stopping you from interrupting your current task and taking care of your body’s need in this moment is you, try doing what your body is asking you to do. Notice how it feels to just drop what you’re doing and attend to your body’s needs. Notice how it feels to come back to what you were doing after your body got a bit of attention.

On the flip side: if you notice yourself going for a drink, or a snack, or daydreaming about a nap, is that what your body is asking for, or are you doing it as a reaction to something in your mind such as boredom, stress, or anxiety?

This isn’t about shame or blame. The invitation is to simply become more aware of when we act on signals from the body, and when we don’t. When we ignore our body’s needs, or when we use our bodies (like with stress eating) to deal with something that would be more effectively dealt with another way (such as through journaling, conversations, and trying new behaviors).

Whatever you may be doing, or not doing, check in with your body regularly. What do you sense? And whose voice is it? Your body or your mind?

30 June 2022

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