My 10 year old created a lot of words when she was younger that we still use to this day. One of my favorites is ‘flibbily’. In her younger years she had a fair amount of sensory issues especially with clothes and when she would refuse to wear something and we’d ask her why she would tell us it was too flibbily. 

Even though we didn’t have an actual definition for that word, I could feel within my own body what that meant and it didn’t sound very comfy. She is better able to tolerate textures as she’s gotten older but we still pull out flibbily as an adjective when needed. 

When we are learning the language of our body – sensations – sometimes we can get caught up in finding the right words and trying to describe our experience just so. Either we assign meaning like emotion or a judgement of good or bad, or it feels like there just isn’t the right words to describe what you are actually sensing. 

I’m all for making up our own words if that works for you – do you have your own version of flibbily?

In the moments where maybe we feel at a loss, here is a list of different sensation words. As you read over this list, I invite you to see if you can feel into them – some may be easier than others. 

Tight

Shaky

Tingly

Prickly

Buzzy

Warm

Zingy

Spacey

Trembly

Bubbly

Wobbly

Fluttery

Open

Expansive

Contracted

Constricted

Smooth

Airy

Spacious

Expansive

Blocked

Stuck

Dull

Frozen

Heavy

Edgy

Dense

Clogged

Congested

Dark

Fluid

Streaming

Flowing

Radiating

Settled

Any words in particular stand out to you? Any place in particular you noticed them landing in your body? 

It’s okay if not. We are just being curious. There is no right or wrong way to do this.

We are constantly taking in information from our surroundings to assess for safety and connection or lack thereof and making decisions based on these assessments. 

It is important not to equate our sensations with emotion. Emotions do have sensations but sensations are not emotions. This helps us keep things separate and not get overwhelmed or make assumptions as we are learning to understand the language our body is speaking. 

Thinking about the example from my last post, I might feel tightness or warmth in my stomach. Instead of describing that as anxiety or fear (which could be possible) I start with the sensation so I can be curious about what it’s trying to tell me. Starting with that curiosity offers me the chance to slow down, get more information and potentially make a more nuanced decision. 

This is a practice that we can all learn from and continue to work at and part of what we learn in our Embodiment Coaching sessions. 

What does your body have to say today?