Get Curious! Notice how your Body feels
When we gather in fellowship, we hope to enjoy our interactions with each other. AND we know that each of us are human beings with different ideas and histories. This means we can experience the same situation, but have different interpretations of meaning and physiological responses. This article is about healthy conflict, how we can tune in to our body to help us navigate inevitable conflicts in healthier ways.
When we perceive conflict or threat, our body responds before we can even think! Being sensitive to this unconscious process-knowing our body well- can set us up for options. Some signs of your body’s reactions include increased heart rate, rapid breathing, muscle tension, and more. The key is to notice these reactions, and deliberately engage in activities you know support your parasympathetic system, your calming physiological responses. With practice, it can be as simple as taking a few deep breaths, or creating needed space and time by taking a break from an interaction with a plan to return. The point is to slow our body’s reaction down to allow time to consider, through thinking and choosing (as opposed to reacting).
The graphic below shows 4 ways our bodies react without thinking to a perceived threat/conflict. Most of our bodies have a “go-to” from among the 4- Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fawn. Which is your body’s “go-to”? Being aware of what to look for in our bodies helps us stop, consider, and begin again in love.
