Nurturing Your Over-40 Body

If only we lived in a culture that honored and celebrated aging. But then, how would the corporate overlords get us to buy all the anti-aging things? And why do we keep thinking those things will actually work this time?

There is no pill, diet, or gadget that can prevent time from marching forward and taking your body along for the ride.

And we do live in a culture that pressures us look and move like we are forever in our twenties.

So in midlife it's normal to feel:

• Worried that you're losing your looks
• Anxious about declining health
• Annoyed with a body that feels stiff and achy more often
• Frustrated that you're not sleeping as well as you used to
• Embarrassed or ashamed about wrinkles or weight gain

And, if you're a woman, peri/menopause just amplifies all that, gives you brain fog, and turns your body into a furnace that randomly turns on full blast, drenching you in sweat, usually when you're in an important meeting or trying to sleep.

It's time to stop fighting your body

Midlife calls us to treat our bodies differently, with more kindness, gentleness, and nurturing. Instead of "No pain, no gain," we need to think, "No struggle, no pain."

This doesn't mean giving up. It means learning how to nourish and move our bodies with more care and mindfulness.

How therapy can help

I'm trained in Somatic Awareness, Pain Reprocessing Therapy, and Emotional Awareness and Expression therapy. Each of these can help you change your relationship with your body, finding more ease and comfort with all the changes you're going through.

We might identify ways you've been holding tension or "bracing yourself" for years without realizing it, then learning to dissolve that tension over and over, till relaxation feels like the new normal.

We might decode the unconscious messages your brain sends through pain and other sensations - messages about unexpressed feelings or ways you've learned to ignore your body for too long. Then, you can practice new ways of being attuned to your physical needs, so your body can stop sending those pain signals.

We might find ways to get deep rest outside of the traditional eight-hours of sleep, so you can function well and feel more alert.

And, we can celebrate the joys of not being twenty-something anymore - no longer angsting about romantic upsets or frenemies or just feeling so new at adulting.

You can sit squarely in the strength and power of a body that is nurtured and supported, not because of how it looks or performs, but because it is yours.