Investigating the source of our nerves is secretly a call to ask more beautiful questions of ourselves. It’s an opportunity to observe those parts that we might consider to be unacceptable that live in our psyche, to view our responses through the lens of curiosity, and to practice training ourselves with kindness.
To observe your nerves and to apply a one-size-fits-all approach is to do yourself a disservice. The answer will never be clear without first knowing why we need to seek an answer in the first place.
The first beautiful question might be, what is it that motivates this energy that’s coursing through my body? How is this showing up for me?
So, we pause. We don’t rush to understand our nerves. Rushing drives them deeper into tight corners that make it hard for us to see.
Pausing for your nerves allows them simply to exist without the need to be fixed- if only for that moment. When we pause and observe, we say, we see you. We may not understand you, but you are welcome here.
It’s important for your nerves to be welcome. When we welcome something, we create space for its presence. When we welcome something, we allow our entire being to begin the process of metabolizing what it is that is there. To let the natural intelligence of our body guide us.
Place a hand on the epicentre of your nerves. Find the point of origin, the source. Place a hand there. You don’t have to do anything special other than see it and feel it. To create a safe container for it.
Invite a sense of resilience into your body. If I was to invite resilience in, how would that show up for me? Ask it of yourself. Notice how your body takes shape around feeling.
See how it’s possible to exist in two realities: one where you feel nervous. One where you feel resilient. Practice holding space for both.
Wait for your body to climb down the stairs a flight or two.
Then ask:
What need is not being met in this situation?
Is what I feel relevant for the moment, or does it feel disconnected?
Are my nerves a call to pay attention?
What is the closest step I can take to shift me out of this spot?
Nerves are an adventure. An adventure towards better understanding what you need and how to have those needs met.
An adventure in understanding how we can integrate and metabolise stresses of the past so that we can feel more connected to the present.
An adventure in making friends with energy in the body so we don’t feel the need to run when we get in touch with a strong sense of aliveness.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach. But the answer always begins with a series of more beautiful questions.
Onwards.
❤️ Jane
