This wasn't a coincidence - or was it?

Over the past six years, I’ve been on a deep dive into the wisdom of the body. It did not start because I thought 'Gosh, sounds fun!!' — but because I had no other choice.

At the time, I was in the fast lane of a promising career. Everything was moving forward 'succesfully' — until one day, it wasn’t. My energy dropped. The endless stream of ideas dried up. And whenever I tried to rest, I felt an overwhelming sense that something terrible was about to happen.

Eventually, I burned out. And strangely enough, that turned out to be a gift.The only thing that helped me find my way through was learning to listen to my body. What is it trying to tell me? What does it need? What do I actually want when I am not basing it on what I think I should do, but from how I feel inside?

“No, what you’re feeling right now isn’t convenient.”

That was the message I’d been giving myself for years. And through this process, I realized how unpracticed I was at listening — how easily I dismissed my own signals in favor of logic or loyalty to others. I was so used to overriding what I felt, to telling myself it wasn’t the right time to rest, cry, or say no.

But when you do that for long enough, it’s like stretching an elastic band — you can keep going for a while, but eventually, it snaps. And when it does, there’s not much left to hold everything together.

In recovery, I learned a lot. About the emotions I had pushed aside. About the exhaustion I’d ignored. About how my nervous system only felt safe under pressure.

I had to learn how to rest. I had to learn to trust myself again. And slowly, I began to rediscover my playfulness and joy. I started asking, “What if every choice I made came from genuine curiosity and enthusiasm?” And suddenly, I wanted something entirely different from life.

That shiny career path? I walked away from it. I retrained. I became better friends with myself. I learned to be alone — and to realize that was good company.

Now, six years later, I have my own practice, where I offer massage and body-oriented guidance.I’ve accepted that a 9-to-5 job simply doesn’t nourish me. I celebrate my connection with nature and see my body as a gateway to that connection. I take breaks. I make mistakes. I trust my intuition. And I try to stay true to myself.

Returning to that foundation — one that holds both gentleness and strength.

That’s also what I help others with: coming back into contact with their bodies. Returning to that foundation that offers both softness and strength.

I love working with people who are curious about themselves — people who believe that feeling our feelings is gold, even if it’s not always easy. People who are ready to trust the process, themselves, and my guidance. And those who appreciate a touch of playfulness and joy along the way.

If that resonates with you, I’d love to work with you.

Rest is like magic: the self-healing capacity of the body

Sounds like magic right? Our body's ability to heal itself. Maybe even far fetched? However, this incredible process is actually very tangible, and I’d love to talk more about it here.

Our bodies are naturally equipped with the ability to heal and restore balance. Think about a scrape or a cut. You don’t have to give your body specific instructions or tell it what to do. Yet, somehow, the body makes sure the wound heals.

What’s important, though, is creating the right environment for your body to do its repair work. For example, keeping the wound clean and dry. As long as you do that, your body almost always knows how to heal your skin and keep harmful bacteria out.

(And just to clarify, I’m not talking about major physical trauma or injuries here. In those cases, stitches or surgeries are essential. Something we have beautifully developed as humans.)

Healing is something the body naturally seeks. Whether it’s tension, pain, or some kind of imbalance, your body is always working towards restoring harmony. But to be able to do that, it needs one key ingredient: rest.

Just like it's hard to really catch your breath while your full force into a sprint. It's hard for your body to do repair work when it's always in an active state. If you’re always in motion, be it physically or mentally, your body will struggle to focus on repair and recovery. Resting, sure, it might sound straightforward. But in our fast-paced society, it’s something we struggle to grasp—or even accept.

To me, the simplest way to describe rest is a moment in which you don’t have to do anything, but instead, you can just be. A time when you’re not trying to be productive or are striving to achieve something (again, be it physically or mentally).

But here’s the tricky part: you can’t force rest. You can only invite it in. Sometimes, our minds and bodies are so switched on that even relaxing activities don’t feel restful. Unfortunately rest also doesn’t happen when we are strict towards ourselves and say “NOW I MUST REST.” If someone else would bark an order at you, chances are, you’d feel tense, not calm.

This illustrates the importance of allowing ourselves moments where we don’t need to achieve or accomplish anything. Moments where we can be gentle with ourselves. In those instances, the body can do its subtle work, nourishing you from the inside out. By doing so giving room for you to feel energized and inspired to focus on what brings you joy.

Do you often feel stuck in a cycle where rest and relaxation seem out of reach? In a constant battling to unwind, yet you never seem to get there? If so, maybe the word soften can help.

Ask yourself: how can I be softer with myself? How do I speak to myself? What small things can I do simply because I wish for them? What activities feel gentle and nurturing? And when you notice you’re doing something out of a sense of obligation or pressure, pause. Take a moment to observe and see if you approach yourself with more kindness.

If this resonates with you, I highly recommend reading up on the Vagus Nerve. It plays a crucial role in regulating the body’s state of rest and is absolutely fascinating!

Am I truly listening?

Imagine this: You have a problem. But it doesn't just affect you—someone else is also impacted by it. You decide to do the right thing and involve this person. You hope that together, you can work things out and find a solution.

But when you bring up the issue, you notice that the other person becomes irritated or withdraws. They want you to be quiet or simply ignore you. "Not now," they say. "I was just about to go for a workout," or "I'm swamped at work." Instead of listening to the problem you're trying to bring to their attention, they label you as the problem. They think that if you stop talking or if they just ignore you, the problem will magically go away.

How would that make you feel?

Frustrated? Abandoned? Stuck? All understandable responses, whether it’s with a colleague, a friend, or a family member.

Now, imagine that this story isn't about your interaction with another person, but about your relationship with your own body. When your body tells you that something is wrong, how do you respond?

Listening to Your Body

Maybe it feels strange to think of your body as 'speaking'. But I believe we can agree that our bodies definitely communicate. You’re probably familiar with some signals, like the feeling of hunger, fatigue, or the urge to use the bathroom. As we were growing up, we were explicitly taught to listen to these signals and were also told how to respond to them. But what if, just like in the story, we dismissed these signals?

Many of us were never taught how to deal with the most of the subtle or uncomfortable sensations in our bodies. If we were taught anything, it was often to quickly fix those sensations—the 'noise'—rather than being curious about why they are there. We don’t learn to work with our body; we learn to control it or even ignore it entirely.

" We don’t learn to work with our bodies; we learn to control it or even ignore it entirely. "

For me, this is what (re)connecting with yourself is about: practicing how to engage with your body from a place of curiosity. Treating your body like an ally, . Essentially, we are our bodies, so when we ignore its signals, we are ignoring parts of ourselves. All it takes is a curious mindset, patience and stillness to truly listen.

In my work as a massage therapist and breathwork coach, this is the intention with which I welcome people. More importantly, I invite my clients to practice it themselves. And if that doesn't feel very accessible right now, I am here to support along the way. Like any other communication skill, it's something we need to practice.

Want to explore your relationship with your body? These questions might help you get started:

• How do I react when I feel pain?

• Do I treat my body like a friend? Does that change when I experience pain?

• During which activities do I feel connected to my body? What does that feel like?

• What makes me feel disconnected from my body? How could I be more like a friend to my body in those situations?

• In what ways do I try to control my body and its response to my life? Do these approaches feel kind?