Interestingly enough, one of my classmates remarked that when I first came to the front of the room, I looked defeated but now I looked “present.” The comment was made by someone who doesn’t know me well but she certainly read my body language correctly. I have been feeling overwhelmed. Her observation made me realize how often we are perceived as defeated (and we may feel that way) but could choose to be seen as “present.”
Are you longing to be in the here and now and not in the past or the future? Then read on…
Holistically yours,
Marilyn
So....
Are you defeated or present?
Our body language says a lot about our internal feelings and emotions. We physically express joy, anger, sadness, rejection, loneliness, excitement, despair and defeat in the way we hold our head, shoulders, back and even our eyes. I have heard people tell me: “my eyes give me away.”
Sometimes people notice those changes in our mental, physical, or spiritual conduct; often people closest to us make observations and ask us what is going on in our life right now. Sometimes others ignore our body language; possibly without intending to interfere in our “business.”
We, as humans experiencing life, encounter daily, weekly, monthly defeats or what we perceive as defeats. But it is how we hold ourselves that helps us manage or cope with the obstacle. We can choose to hold our bodies in a posture that screams “defeat” or we can stand “presently” tall and tackle the challenge head-on.
We can also learn from our experience of despair and defeat and bring people we meet signs that say “you are OK,” “you are not defeated.” We can offer a smile, a hug, an email of encouragement, a prayer, a gentle ear, a full loving heart. In your defeat or your setback, you are just gathering new information: compassion for certain and loving kindness for another. If you are present in the moment and bring others into the “present,” defeat is not an option. Defeat is a challenge; but if we stand with self-worth, we will not be overpowered! We will be victorious!