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(847) 558-7327
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Free 15-min Consultation

Pandemic to Possibility: Everybody Love that Body

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This week in the series Pandemic to Possibility, we will be focusing on ‘The Body.’ “To master the body is to feel whole and aligned with oneself, standing strong, in one’s power and ready to face the turbulence, joy, and abundance of life’s experiences.” –Ruth Minnick. Why the body? There are several reasons to tune into this fantastic organism that allows us to do, be, and experience all the things in our daily lives. Many of us have altered how we have been historically navigating our worlds over the last couple years. Our bustling schedules had us on the move with the commute to offices, schools, work-out, being social, playing sports, attending events, and many other places consistently. Then, we were halted from this lifestyle. We may have spent many hours operating our jobs, schooling, and all these different activities from sofas, kitchen counters, living rooms, bedrooms, and basements. That’s enough to make your chiropractor cringe! Our daily adventures of strolling through the office, the hikes up and down around town for coffees, the commute walk from parking spaces or train to our destinations were gone. If you are like me, you may have been far more sedentary than you would like to admit. Many of us have also shifted our wardrobes to accommodate the Covid-19, 19-pounds added to the cushion we sit on, that is. Ugh! What do we do about that? Luckily, now in the Midwest since spring has sprung, we are itching to get back outside.
However, I haven’t even scratched the surface yet of why everybody should love that body. Nevertheless, I have the ultimate reason to give some love to that vehicle that lets you navigate here, there, and everywhere. We have had this cooped-up lifestyle, but we have also internalized significant emotions, stress, anxiety, and possibly burnout. We internalize all these sensations and park them throughout our bodies. We have also held our breath with alarm around illness, finances, job losses, racism, war, politics (whatever way you lean), grief, and so much more. These internalized stresses could be considered little “t” trauma. We are experiencing them daily, and they are making a comfortable home in our muscles, belly, heart, and nervous system and clouding the lens of our perspective of the world around us. Over time this can change much of how we feel and approach our lives, and it can begin to look like extreme anxiety or depression. Our bodies hold these sensations as a threat and will respond. Warning! Warning! The internal alarms will go off, sending signals to our body to ramp up for a fight or pull the plug on all of our sensations, leaving us tired, lifeless, and numb. Yuck! So, what now? Take a breath and get moving!
We need to calm the turbulent seas within our bodies and regulate our systems. We can achieve this naturally without drugs, alcohol, food, or the many other things we reach for in a pinch when stressed. Renowned trauma psychiatrist Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk has focused on the body for the last 50 years and explains that we can do this easily with natural practices without drugs. We can decrease our stress with deep breathing, literally calming our nervous system and giving our cells a reset. Spending 5-20 minutes of deep, slow breathing can be like updating the internal software of your nervous system. We can also detox our anxiety load with touch with massage, cardio, and rhythmical engagement with one’s fellow human beings, such as yoga, tai chi, and dancing. It’s time to upgrade the software to something that fits the impressive human beings we are! If you are ready for an Upgrade in your Body’s IOS…Here are some basic assignments for you: Breathe:

  1. Take some time each day this week, 5 minutes, and slow down.
  2. Listen to some gentle music or sit quietly and let yourself breathe deep into that belly so that it looks round and lovely.
  3. Exhale longer and slower than the inhale.

This technique lets your activated system calm down like we would for sleep.

Move:

  1. Carve out some time for yourself as self-care and get moving.
    Take a walk or run and breathe in the fresh cool spring air. Take in the scents of flowers, mulch, or fresh April rain.
  2. Get yourself moving to some music in between work meetings. Get others to do it with you too. Stand up and shake what you were given, letting yourself laugh at how silly you feel. Laughter is really good for you!
  3. Yoga and Tai Chi are great too. If you can squeeze in a class with others, that would be great.

Written by:

Ruth Minnick

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Gentle Ways to Reconnect With Yourself

When stress, burnout, or emotional exhaustion build up, it can start to feel like you are living on autopilot. You may be getting through the day, meeting responsibilities, and keeping things moving, but feeling disconnected from yourself in the process. When that happens, reconnecting does not usually begin with doing more. It often begins with slowing down enough to notice what is happening inside.

Reconnecting with yourself can be simple. It might look like pausing for a few deep breaths before moving to the next task. It might mean stepping outside for a few minutes, noticing where your body feels tense, or asking yourself what you need instead of pushing through automatically. Small moments of attention can help you come back to yourself in ways that feel steady and manageable.

It can also help to return to things that make you feel more like you. That could be rest, movement, music, journaling, quiet, creativity, or reaching out to someone who feels safe. There is no perfect way to reconnect. The goal is not to do it all at once, but to gently rebuild a sense of connection to your body, your emotions, and your needs.

If you have been feeling far from yourself lately, you are not alone. Sometimes healing starts with very small acts of care. By listening inward with a little more compassion, you can begin to find your way back to a greater sense of balance.

What If Spring Energy Hasn’t Hit Yet?

There is a lot of messaging this time of year about fresh starts, new energy, and finally feeling motivated again. As the days get longer and the weather begins to shift, it can seem like everyone is supposed to feel lighter, more productive, and ready to begin again. But if that is not how you feel, there is nothing wrong with you.

Seasonal change does not affect everyone in the same way. For some people, spring brings relief and momentum. For others, it can feel surprisingly underwhelming. You may still feel tired. You may still be carrying stress from the winter. You may want to feel better, but not have the energy to fully get there yet. That does not mean you are behind. It means you are human.

Our minds and bodies do not always respond instantly to what is happening around us. Even when the world begins to brighten, your nervous system may still need time to catch up. If you have been under stress, feeling emotionally heavy, or moving through a difficult season, it makes sense that your energy may return slowly.

Instead of pressuring yourself to feel renewed, try meeting yourself where you are. Maybe this season is not about a dramatic reset. Maybe it is about small steps, gentle routines, more sunlight, more rest, and a little more compassion for yourself along the way. You do not have to bloom on anyone else’s timeline.

You Don’t Need a Full Reset

There is a quiet kind of pressure that can show up when life feels off. You may start telling yourself that you need to get everything together, start over, or become a new version of yourself in order to feel better. When you are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, burned out, or emotionally stretched thin, the idea of a full reset can sound appealing at first. It promises relief. But often, that kind of pressure becomes one more thing your nervous system has to carry. Instead of helping, it can leave you feeling even more exhausted and behind.

The truth is that most people do not need to rebuild their lives from the ground up. They need support, rest, and a gentler way of beginning again. We live in a culture that often celebrates dramatic change and quick transformation, but healing usually does not happen that way. Real growth is often much quieter. It looks like noticing what you need, slowing down enough to listen, and choosing small acts of care that help you feel more steady. It may not look impressive from the outside, but it is often what creates the strongest foundation for lasting change.

Sometimes the urge for a full reset is really a sign that you have been carrying too much for too long. When that happens, it can be more helpful to ask, “What would support me right now?” instead of, “How do I fix everything?” That shift can change the whole tone of your healing. It moves you away from pressure and toward care. It helps you respond to yourself with more honesty and less judgment. Often, the things that truly help are simple, gentle, and easy to overlook, but that does not make them any less meaningful.

You are allowed to begin where you are. You do not have to earn rest, force a breakthrough, or reinvent yourself overnight in order to move forward. Lasting change is usually built through consistency, safety, and self-trust, not pressure. If you have been feeling stuck, consider this your reminder that you do not need a full reset to start feeling better. You may just need one small moment of support, one gentler thought, or one next step that feels possible today.