Feeling Emotions in Your Body

I have been working on the act of identifying where emotions come up for me in my body for about a year now.

I’ve taken workshops in the embodied coaching space, and been working with my coach to listen to my own body. I recently started a meditation practice and this particular practice starts with breathing, like most do, and then honing in on each of the five senses one at a time. I have found that closing your eyes and concentrating one by one on what you are hearing, seeing (beyond the blackness), touching, tasting, and smelling can be very powerful. That has helped me key into my senses and what’s going on in my body, which was a first step in allowing me to really feel my feelings in my body. Honestly, I was so disconnected from my body, I think I couldn’t regularly feel some of the pain I was experiencing. Yikes!

I have also recently discovered a guide to where we feel our feelings inside of our body. I find this very helpful as a framework for examining what’s going on with myself.  

Here’s the guide:

BODY

Feelings

ANGER
Jaw • Back of Neck • Across the Shoulders • Back • Down the Arms to the Hands

SADNESS
Eyes • High in Chest • Upper Throat

JOY
Core • Upper Spine

FEAR
Belly

SEXUAL/CREATIVE FEELINGS
Pelvis • Genitals • Erogenous Zone

5-MINUTE PRACTICE

• Stop twice a day to feel the sensations happening in your body.

• Close your eyes, take four deep breaths, and focus on your physical feelings and sensations.

• Next, focus on any areas of the body that are asking for your attention. 

• Ask yourself: What emotions are present? 

• Use the above guide to see if it provides you with some insight.