Listening to Your Body: Why Body Awareness Is Vital for Mental Health
The human mind is powerful. I observe this everyday using technology, having conversations, reading books, and driving my car. I also observe its weaknesses in myself and others. My mind, and the minds of those who I work with, can easily become a hall of mirrors that reflects back fear, doubt, projections, and assumptions. Living only from the mind has led me and many of my clients into rationalizations that don’t hold up long term, feeling emotionally disconnected, and being socially isolated (to name just a few consequences). I’ve been taught to live in this hall of mirrors, forgetting there are other sources of wisdom and well being. Perhaps that rings true for you. In a culture that prioritizes thinking over feeling, it's easy to forget that we live in a body. We often treat the body like a machine—something to be maintained or ignored unless it breaks down. But as a somatic psychotherapist, I’ve learned that the body isn’t just a vehicle for the mind. It’s a wise, expressive, and deeply intelligent part of our lives. In fact, becoming aware of what the body feels, holds, and communicates can be a turning point in healing trauma, anxiety, depression, and more.
What Is Body Awareness?
Body awareness, sometimes called interoception, is the ability to tune into physical sensations—such as tension, temperature, breath, heartbeat, and posture—as well as the more subtle feelings that arise in our gut, chest, or limbs. These sensations are not random; they are part of our emotional language and embodied wisdom.
When you feel nervous before an important event, that flutter in your stomach or tightness in your chest is your body's way of saying, “This matters…let’s be alert and ready.” When you relax into a moment of connection with someone you trust, the warmth and expansiveness in your jaw or eyes is your body telling you, “You're safe now.” These messages are the foundation of your lived experience and often inform your thinking. While it is true our brains send messages to our bodies, it is also true that our bodies send messages to our brains. They have a deeply connected relationship that forms everything we experience.
Why the Body Matters in Mental Health
Because we’ve been taught to live in the hall of mirrors of our minds, most of us try to think our way out of emotional distress. But many psychological struggles—especially trauma-related ones—aren’t experienced as only thoughts. Emotional distress lives in the nervous system, expressing itself through our fascia, muscles, and joints. Our bodies often remember and express what our minds cannot. This is why people who’ve experienced trauma may jump at loud noises, feel chronically tense, or dissociate from bodily sensations without fully understanding what’s happening within them.
By cultivating body awareness and somatic intelligence, you can begin to:
Recognize emotional cues sooner. Your body often knows you’re anxious or overwhelmed before your mind catches up. By noticing the first signs—tight jaw, shallow breath, clenched hands—you can take action to regulate these sensations before things spiral in your mind.
Regulate the nervous system. Techniques like grounding, breathing, and movement can help shift the body from a state of fight-or-flight to one of safety and connection. This shift often precedes emotional relief.
Rebuild trust with the self. Many people have learned to distrust or numb their bodily sensations, especially after trauma. Re-learning to listen without judgment helps foster self-compassion and a deeper sense of inner coherence. This translates to more self trust.
Process emotions fully. Emotions are not just mental events. They are felt experiences, and unless we feel them through the body, they may stay stuck. Body awareness allows emotions to move, transform, and integrate.
The Somatic Approach: Healing Through the Body
In somatic therapy, we work with the body as a gateway to healing. Rather than just talking about experiences, we explore how those experiences live in the body now. We might notice where tension arises when you speak about a loss, or explore what safety feels like in the body when recalling a moment of connection. We might use breath, gentle movement, or guided awareness to help release stuck patterns.
This process is gentle, respectful, and deeply attuned. It’s not about fixing the body but listening to it—with curiosity, kindness, and patience.
A Simple Practice: Pause and Feel
Take a moment now to try this:
Gently close your eyes (if that feels okay).
Bring attention to your breath—without changing it.
Scan your body: What do you notice in your shoulders? Your belly? Your legs?
Is there a place that feels tight, warm, heavy, or numb?
Can you stay with that sensation, just noticing it, without needing to change it?
This simple practice of checking in is the beginning of body awareness. Over time, it builds your capacity to stay present with yourself—especially in moments of stress or pain.
In Closing
Mental health isn’t just about what we think. It’s about how we exist within our bodies in order to be adaptable. By turning toward the body with attention and care, we open a powerful pathway to healing that integrates the mind, emotions, and nervous system.
As a somatic psychotherapist, I’ve seen again and again that when people begin to feel themselves—in the literal sense—they come home to a deeper, wiser version of themselves. When you’re at home within yourself, so much becomes possible.