Think, Move, Feel

You should be having tough conversations with yourself, often. Maybe even daily.

“What don’t I like about my life right now?”

“Why can’t I break this habit that’s been with me for years?”

“What potential do I have that feels wasted?”

It’s easy to avoid asking yourself the real questions, because they come with an emotional response. We live in a world in which most people are not equipped to feel deeply. Rumination, anxiety, paralysis, throwing tantrums, blaming others… They’re all typical responses to the self-conflict that introspection incites. Not because we are broken, but because most of us were never taught how to channel these emotions in a healthy way.

I’m not a therapist, but I am an advocate for thinking and feeling deeply. For self-conflict, self-challenge, and eventual self-efficacy. Cumulatively, this is the cycle of growth, and it’s essential to living a happy, fulfilling life.

Our ability to grow and build is directly tied to our ability to feel and process. And yet, many people grow up without learning how to do either well. Growing up in a system that does not teach healthy emotional processing leads us to coping mechanisms, rather than solutions. What a shitshow, right?

In my work as a personal trainer, I’ve noticed that my clients open up to me… a lot. It is easily the most rewarding part of my job, and the biggest responsibility of my job. I deeply appreciate the ability to share meaningfully in my clients’ lives, and I also find this pattern fascinating. So, I did some googling.

Here’s what I found: Multiple studies have shown that physical activity has immediate effects on neurotransmitters. It increases dopamine (motivation and reward), serotonin (mood), and endorphins (happy chemicals) while also enhancing cognition and focus. When you exercise, you don’t just feel better; your brain actually functions better. And that makes processing the events of your life, your hopes and dreams, and even your dissatisfactions a whole lot easier.

All this to say, you should be having tough conversations with yourself. And, honestly, you probably should be doing that while you’re exercising. Kill two symbiotic birds with one stone.

This is what I mean when I say that movement is self care - it literally increases your ability to feel deeply and deal well with whatever arises… which allows you to have self-conflict and turn that into self-challenge and, eventually, self-efficacy.

Think about it! If you don’t have a regular rhythm of exercise, maybe start taking short daily walks. If you’re someone who loves group fitness, consider swapping one class a week for an intentionally solitary session. If you’re used to working out alone while listening to music or a podcast, practice silence and self-dialogue instead.

We all grow through discomfort. And it’s fun that our bodies have an in-built system to make emotional discomfort a little easier. So, go grow and build by having tough conversations with yourself, often. Maybe even daily.