january gym angst
January is here with all of its hustle and grind and resolutions that are exploding out of every corner. Everyone is sharing their big intentions for 2023, many of those revolving around the body and fitness goals.
I was talking to a dear friend of mine today and it reminded me of a message that I felt was important to share with all of you.
if you feel that you step into the gym and you come out feeling grumpy, frustrated, sad, or agitated. that is super normal.
I know, I know…. but what about the flood of endorphins i’m supposed to feel?!
{photo id: angie miller, a tanned woman with short dark hair, and lauren gail a short red haired woman, demonstrate yoga poses for flat abs fitness}
Memory and emotion, when not expressed, lodges itself within the body.
WAIT WAIT WAIT - HEAR ME OUT!
Emotional processing happens in the limbic system of the brain. In other words, emotions happen as a response of what the brain is telling you. We are constantly taking in information and thus making pre-conscious autonomic nervous system responses to that information. When the body “feels” those emotions, the body can let go of the processing of that information.
if by chance you don’t get to feel those emotions, the process stops and you never get to make the full bodily connection (the energy get’s “stuck”, so to speak) and the memory or emotion is held onto until it has an opportunity to come up again.
mmkay. So now that that’s out of the way, why would you be feeling all this stuff right at the beginning of the year when you’re supposed to be all excited to complete your new year’s resolutions? Especially after having nearly three months of being absolutely hell-bent on feeling grateful during thanksgiving or clinging with that white knuckle grip to experiencing the most joyful, cheerful christmas you can with the family who absolutely pushes your buttons?
See what I’m getting at here?
If you’ve ever been in a yoga class or in a massage where you’ve found yourself crying for no reason, you know. But moving your body is a powerful thing. It’s incredibly vulnerable thing. the simple .moving of your body can be enough to tap into the places where those emotions have been sitting. i have lost count of the times I have cried during a session where I move, whether it’s capoeira, contortion, lifting weights, regular dancing, or otherwise.
The moral of the story is that if you’re feeling emotions bubble up (the good, the bad, or the ugly), it is completely normal. you’ve hit what I call, and energy hot spot. it’s tender. BE GENTLE WITH YOURSELF and be patient. It’s up to you to decide whether you need to give yourself a moment to breathe. Sometimes that means you come back to your workout at a different time. Other times, you lean in and sink your teeth into the emotions and feel them intensely with every repetition. With every step.
It’s okay to let others people see you be “in it”. We all go through it at one time or another, whether it’s visible or not. you are not “weak” if you decide to come back to this another day. unheard emotions tend to act like unheard children… persistent, loud, unavoidable. Take your time in your effort to understand it.
Have questions for me regarding energy work? Email me at angiemilede@gmail.com and let’s discuss how to get your energy a little more evened out. <3.
XO // Angie