Condition 005
Expression bridges the gap between what you feel and what you know; when we express what’s on our minds, our bodies are allowed to catch up.
Yesterday I received a response to a long-dormant prospective client. It was quite exciting. As an independent consultant existing post “Liberation Day” tariffs ( 🤮 ) I am increasingly preoccupied with how I will make ends meet in the coming months.
I received an email in the morning and had a call about the project in the afternoon. There was no quibbling about my rate, the only potential issue was how soon I could begin. Things were moving fast and it was looking hopeful.
Yet, I felt this pressure in my chest. This growing, gnawing feeling of dread. How would I make it work? Am I really qualified for this big of a thing? Can I do it on my own? Do I have enough capacity to do this? Should I continue pursuing it or back out? Hundreds of swirling questions only fueled by my lack of information about the project.
My mind has been racing all morning today. As I walked to the kitchen to get a glass of water, removed from the familiarity of my office and able to notice the weight in my chest anew, I blurted out, “You are so early in this process…there is such a low chance of even getting the project. Chill. Out. Now.”
I immediately felt a change in my chest. My conscious mind and my body (or perhaps my unconscious mind) finally felt in alignment. This isn’t worth worrying about now. I didn’t learn anything new in declaring that. It’s what I had been thinking and known in my head the entire time. Yet it wasn’t until I expressed that sentiment externally that a change occurred in my body.
Expression is important. It’s why we communicate. And there are a lot of ways to express oneself. Often I find myself using visualization because that form of expression is better-suited to my goals and my capabilities than speaking. But today speaking was enough. There was no question about my statement, no need to perform a careful calculation to ensure that all relevant information was accounted for…so I just spoke it.
Expression is the key to alignment. There are many ways to express and there are many things which can be aligned, but I think there are two main categories of alignment that I have noticed. Aligning the conscious mind to the body or the subconscious and aligning the conscious mind to the outside world, be it a situation or another person.
What I’ve learned in the past couple months, crystalized in today’s statement to myself, is that clear expression, be it visual, verbal, or something else, is necessary to ensure alignment—internal and external.
Thanks for reading,
Confident Moves
Try this in less than 10 minutes:
Find a comfortable seated position and close your eyes.
- Take three deep breaths.
Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. - Starting at the top of your head and moving down to your feet, simply notice what you feel in each area of your body.
No need to change anything, just observe. You might not notice anything particular, that is ok. - When you notice something–tension, heaviness, tingling, or any distinct sensation–, mentally name it.
“There is tightness in my shoulders” or simply “Chest pressure.” - After scanning your body, ask yourself: “What am I feeling emotionally right now?”
Name whatever arises; don’t worry about being right. - Finally, ask: “What do I need to express?”
It might be a word, a phrase, or just an acknowledgment. - Express it – either by speaking it aloud, writing it down, or simply acknowledging it clearly in your mind.
This isn’t about solving problems or changing feelings – it’s about creating alignment through simple awareness and expression. With practice, you’ll start noticing these signals earlier and more clearly in your daily life.