One of my favorite lines from the Penguins of Madagascar is “smile, and wave boys. . . smile, and wave”.

Well, it has application to healing. 

It is simple. 

Feel and heal, girls. . . feel and heal. 

Why Do I Need To Feel In Order To Heal?

Over the course of a lifetime, we as women get bound down in our lives and in our bodies. 

It can be a subtle and gradual process. 

We take our roles and responsibilities as women seriously. We care for children and each other. We raise families and have careers. We are told our entire lives that we are nurturers. 

And, we are good at what we do. 

We are proud of what we do. 

But it often comes at the expense of self. 

And with a great deal of self-sacrifice. 

We are told this is good. By our husbands, our partners, our children, our churches, our employers, ourselves.

We are rewarded for it in the form of love from others, acceptance, validation, paychecks, and a sense of accomplishment. 

We all want to feel good about ourselves.

That can become difficult when the body is telling a different story. 

What Happens When The Body Is Ignored?

Eventually, the body tells the story of uncountable sleepless nights up with little ones. 

It tells the story of a lifetime of pushing and encouraging and guiding others to be their best, while you wait your turn. 

It tells the story of all the accumulated worry and care you give, day in and day out, with little in return for you. 

It tells the story of your family raised, laundry washed and folded, meals prepared, soccer games attended, reunions planned, trips executed, holidays celebrated, businesses run, and problems solved – while you often run on empty. 

Waiting for a recharge that can be slow in coming. 

We are noble as women. And excellent at self-sacrifice. 

And, the body does keep score. 

Over time, the body tightens under the loads we carry. 

Tissues become thickened and glued in order to hold us together. 

Over time, we become accustomed to this way of being, numbing out in our body. 

All while our body is desperately to get our attention. It does this with

• Headaches that start first thing in the morning and last long into the night
• Body aches that don’t go away regardless of how much Tylenol you take
• Increasing difficulty with cramping and mood swings due to hormones
• PMS that feels like it lasts all month
• Hips that feel stiff when you walk or after sitting for any length of time
• Knees that ache when you kneel or climb stairs
• Fatigue
• Inability to calm the constant “monkey” brain and conversations inside your head
• Constant sense of tension and never feeling relaxed

Experiencing life in a body that feels like it is betraying us when we need it most, is frustrating!

Feeling like your body is breaking down when you need it most is discouraging.

How Can Women Best Care For Their Body?

I am not advocating for leaving the roles and realms of womanhood as we define it. 

I am advocating for EVERY woman – you – to

• Have the time and space to feel into your body and soften into your experience
• Allow your body to breathe on a daily basis
• Feel thickened and glued tissues in your body heal and glide again
• Regularly reset tension levels and stress in the body
• Addressing the areas that have become rigid and unmoving, solidified and glued – that are causing pain 

*HINT* how the body feels and how well it works is often a direct reflection of our approach to life. . .

Life is meant to be enjoyed. Not pushed through and numbed out to. 

You get one body to do that with. 

And when the body hurts, enjoying life can feel almost impossible. 

Softening, feeling, and healing is simple. You might need a bit of help getting there. You might need a permanent reminder service. 

But once your body is on your side. . .  imagine what you can do!