Body-Mind Intelligence: The Wisdom We Forget to Listen To

As helpers, we’re trained to listen deeply to clients/ patients, students and colleagues. But how often do we listen to the quiet, persistent intelligence of our own bodies?

For many of us there is now at least an informal, if not an official requirement to look after our well-being as part of fitness to practice.   As important as this is, the concept of self-care can sometimes feel a bit vague, and perhaps like another 'to do' on what might already be a long list.  

Exercise, mindfulness and so on all matter, but when it comes to deep self-care, here at the Helpers Hub we are referring to more than 'tick box self-care'.  Instead, we are about learning to listen to the deep, lived intelligence our bodies hold about our limits and needs.  This might look quite different to what our minds have to say about the subject! 

Body-mind intelligence is the quiet knowing that arises before language or beliefs kick in.  Maybe a tightening in your stomach, or the slump in your posture after one too many “I’m fines”, the exhaustion that no amount of caffeine can mask.

In the helping professions, we’re often conditioned by our cultures and working environments to power through and be resilient. But we believe that true resilience is about being responsive to situations in adaptive ways.  That responsiveness has to begin with recognition.

 If you’ve been feeling out of touch with your body’s cues, you’re not alone. Many helpers have spent years (or even decades) learning to disconnect from discomfort to function. Reconnecting doesn’t require perfection or endless yoga sessions. It starts with one small act of attention.

How would it be to ask yourself: “what is my body asking of me today”? And can you meet that request with some degree of kindness?

Take care,
Jude & Sam