How to Reconnect with Your Body
It’s incredibly common to feel disconnected from your body. This can happen for many reasons—for some, because past experiences or trauma have led you to “step away” from your physical self as a way to cope, and for others, simply because the pace of daily life and constant phone use make it difficult to stay present. Over time, this disconnection can show up as feeling numb, detached, or unsure of your own needs, emotions, and/or and signals.
If you’re hoping to re-establish a sense of groundedness and rebuild a more compassionate relationship with your body, you’re not alone. Re-connecting with your body can led you to feel more empowered, more trusting of your intuition, more able to experience pleasure, and more equipped to stay present and regulate emotions.
Pay attention to body sensations. Make a practice of regularly stopping and noticing how you feel in your body. Notice when you feel hungry or tired and tend to yourself.
Use breath to connect to your body. Breath is your most accessible tool to regulate and ground yourself. You can simply slow down and pay attention to your breath, or use a technique like “box breathing” (breath in 4, hold 4, out 4, hold 4) to regulate your breath. The Calm App offers guided meditations.
Practice compassionate curiosity. As you tune into your body, ask yourself questions like, “What do I feel in my body?” and “What is this sensation telling me?” and “What do I need right now?” Observe this in a non-judgmental, neutral way. This helps build trust in yourself and an internal sense of safety.
Notice your emotions. Listen to your body and use this to identify your emotions. If you are feeling heaviness, maybe you feel sad, or if you feel your heart racing, maybe you feel anxious. Develop a practice of doing this at least once a day. Lindsay Braman’s Wheel of Emotions is a great resource for this. Engaging in this practice helps lessen emotional avoidance and emotional reactivity, helping you stay in your window of tolerance.
Engage your senses. Stop and notice what you can see, smell, feel, hear and taste. Noticing sensation helps you stay present in your body.
Move your body in gentle, intuitive ways. Stretch your legs, roll your shoulders back, go for a slow walk, massage your jaw, or do some cat-cow poses. This creates an internal sense of safety.
Limit over-stimulation. Set limits on how much you use your phone, such as not having it accessible for 30 minutes after you wake up or before you go to bed. Take breaks from screens and set boundaries with notifications. Do one task at a time. This helps your body slow down and stay present.
Tune in to pleasure. When you are eating a meal, notice what tastes delicious. When taking a shower, notice the warmth of the water against your skin. After lighting a candle, stop and notice it’s smell. Take in the beauty of a piece of art or view. Listen to a moving piece of music. Find things that give you pleasure and engage with them regularly.
Masturbate. Masturbation can help you experience pleasure and explore what kind of touch feels good. Take some time to touch yourself without any expectations, get curious with your body, and simply pay attention to what it feels like.
Engage in “naked time.” Take 20-30 minutes to be present with yourself while naked. You can lie on your bed or on the couch, read a book, paint your toe nails, or do something without a screen. When observing yourself, if you have critical thoughts, reframe them to be neutral or compassionate. Spending time naked can help you feel more comfortable in your own skin.
Hold yourself in an embrace. This simple act of self love is a way to use your own touch to ground yourself and provide comfort and safety in your body.
Dance. Put on some music and move your body in whatever way feels most natural to you.
Do something creative and tactile. Cook a meal, paint a picture, take up knitting, or find another creative pursuit. Putting your full attention into a task like this helps you to practice mindfulness and is grounding.
Engage with nature. Go for a walk and notice the falling leaves or the flowers, lie on the grass and notice how it feels beneath you, take a hike and enjoy the beautiful view. Being in nature can help you get out of your head and into the present moment, and help widen your focus.
Adopt a yoga practice. Yoga is a great way to engage in mindful movement and develop strength and flexibility. Find a local yoga studio or tune into a yoga channel on YouTube, like Yoga with Adrienne.
Seek support when needed. There are times where having the support of a friend or partner can help you re-connect with your body, through a massage, hug, or co-regulation. If you’re having a hard time tuning into your body, a therapist can help you re-connect with your body.