How can you tell if you're actively listening with your husband, wife, partner, girlfriend, boyfriend, family member, work colleague, customer or client? How can you tell if you're actively listening to YOURSELF? Are you actually hearing the meaning behind your own words and also the words that 'they' are speaking to you. If we are feeling that others are not listening to us, sometimes we are not listening to ourselves and that's the first place to start. Truly Listening. Listening to the music behind the words that you're using. Below there are 18 statements, for each statement, write down whether you consider it to be True (T) or False (F). _______ 1. Most people are brought up to be good listeners. _______ 2. People's thoughts can interfere with their listening. _______ 3. Listening is a natural activity. _______ 4. To be able to listen to others, people need to be able to listen to themselves. _______ 5. Being a good listener never requires self-discipline. _______ 6. People may resist listening to others who blame and get angry with them. _______ 7. People are more likely to talk to people with whom they feel safe and accepted than with those whom they do not. _______ 8. It is always up to other people to communicate precisely what they want. _______ 9. People who have something that they can't wait to say, listen well. _______ 10. Some people listen too much because they're afraid of revealing themselves. _______ 11. An important aspect in developing trust is listening and keeping confidences. _______ 12. Talking is more important than listening in interpersonal communication. _______ 13. The amount people reveal about themselves is likely to influence the amount others tell them about themselves. _______ 14. Fatigue never affects the quality of people's listening. _______ 15. People who feel very emotional about issues are good listeners. _______ 16. Listening to others does not involve paying attention to their voice quality and body language as well as what they say. _______ 17. People who are very angry are rarely good listeners. _______ 18. People sometimes send mixed messages which are difficult for the listener to understand. How did that feel? What did you discover about a) your own listening skills and b) how you listen to yourself? Why not take this to your Journal and explore s'more? This is something that is coming up in client sessions a great deal, there seems to be a theme running through here - are we listening to ourselves, to our bodies, to our spirit self. Are we hearing the nudges? From experience, listening to ourselves is just as important as listening to others, especially if you're working in the helping/healing professions.
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Growing up, I always felt like my body was split in two halves. The top, which I liked and the bottom, which I didn't - in fact, I would go so far as to say I disliked my lower body. I was a skinny lizzy up to the age of 11 in junior school, due to incessant bouts of tonsillitis and being a gymnastic wannabee, I would often be legs akimbo doing handstands and cartwheels in the school playground. Something happened around the age of 12, after having my tonsils out, I suddenly said hello to 'puppy fat'. I still loved gymnastics and dancing but as I was becoming healthier, my puppy fat got the upper hand. I stopped being picked for netball and it took a lot of encouragement to get me into a swimming costume. I hated not being picked for netball because I loved it. I even felt low when the Ballet Rambert Dance Company visited our school and a group of students were chosen to attend their magical dance workshops. All afternoon dancing in school. I was not one of them. Even though I went to dance classes. I believed that it was because I was not the 'perfect 10'. Looking back, at this young age I feel I anchored all the 'failure' to the lower half of my body. Of course it wasn't failure but in my young developing mind, that's what I thought. Of course it wasn't my lower half of my body's fault - I didn't think this through. A woman in all her glory. Hands up if you categorise your body and launch into a tirade of bitchiness? (I hear you) 'my upper arms are horrendously flabby, I can't possibly show them' 'my calves are so thick and manly, I can't wear anything short' 'my knees are so bulbous and they have a kink in them, I have to cover them' 'my stomach is just one huge hangover mess, I have to wear something big over it' 'my bottom jiggles when I walk, so I'll just stop walking' 'my hips are like tree trunks, I'll have to wear bigger clothes to hide them' The list really could go on and on. These are just some of the things I have heard over the years in counselling sessions. When can we start to see the beautiful vessel we are in? All that luscious skin that houses all the cosmic atoms to make up our gorgeous self. When does that happen? It's time to fuse the two halves into one gorgeous whole. Here are 3 gentle ways to begin. 1. Give your body-half, the positive attention she deserves. Can I have a 'yeah baby to that?!' Get dressed s-l-o-w-l-y. Actually LOOK at your body-half in the mirror as you take off/put on your clothes. I know how you're feeling, usually you want to do this as quick as near damn possible, in the dark, back turned to the mirror, but when you take the time to look, notice how your body is .... and we are seriously all different shapes ... do you really want to ignore you? All those curves and maps of life on your body? THE JD PRESCRIPTION: Say: "I see you and all of you is lovely." Repeat 20 times x three times a day. 2. Write positive words on your body. Write it on there. Declare your love to your hips, thighs, knees, upper arms and breasts and revel in knowing that when you're out, the word is marked there to work its magic. This is not new - people have been tattooing words onto their skins for many thousands of years. Have you read about the research of Dr Masaru Emoto - the water man - go check this out as he shows how molecules of water can change pattern and shape when hearing loving words and when hearing hateful words. Considering the human body is approximately 70% water, that means this change can impact our hearts and minds too. THE JD PRESCRIPTION Grab an eyeliner/lip liner, heck, even a Sharpie and write Words of Love, think of the word that your thighs need to hear, or a word that would soothe your upper arms. Tattooing is an option but if you're thinking of trying something temporary, visit conscious ink, there are some gorgeous temporary ones there. 3. Photograph your body We all know the power of the selfie - what began as a fun way of using our smart phones has taken on the world. What really is the selfie about? It's a reminder to look in our own eyes and say 'I like you, very much, just exactly as you" as Mark Darcy said to Bridget Jones so eloquently. Whether you publish them or keep them private, the purpose is to acknowledge who you are and begin to like yourself. We begin to view ourselves in a different way. Selfies are where it begins. You don't have to declare your photos like I did to a bunch of cool wonderful women on Facebook, but in just beginning to do this practice, you will begin to fuse your split-halved-self. THE JD PRESCRIPTION Don't rush it, find some time where you're on your own and won't be disturbed. Start with parts that you love - your finger nails, your neck, ears, hair, feet, and then move gently on to the half that you feel you're ignoring. This takes time - you will often taken 20+ before you can look and LIKE. Delight in your reflection - enjoy it. Timer Cam is a great App so you can just enjoy the process of bringing both halves together. * * * |