Is Your Body Really Letting You Down?
-Help your body feel safe enough to release pain
John Legend mentioned in a recent interview that his voice fails him sometimes.
Let’s consider this use of language for a moment…
If he is requesting his voice to sing beautifully for hours and hours night after night in front of thousands of people, then actually he is asking his voice to do more than the average voice, so is his voice really letting him down or is he pushing it when it ‘fails him’?
Now, mirror this in your own life-
How many times have you said- your body was working against you or letting you down?
It’s not!
Your body is always working to support you, are you asking too much of your body? If your body is ‘performing’ fitness-wise, energy-wise in a way that makes you feel let down, consider what else you are asking your body to do every single day. Pick up your child, care for others, walk your dog, drive people around, remember things, organise things, worry, clean, work… etc etc. Even sitting for extended periods of time is pushing your body because we aren’t designed to do that.
The word ‘homeostasis’ comes from the Greek words for ‘Same’ and ‘Steady’, meaning your body wants you to be safe and steady so that it can survive and adapt to the conditions around it and forces put upon it.
Resetting the nervous system (which governs pain) in the Pomme Studio
Tension is Your Body Adapting to Your Life
Tension occurs when your body—or more specifically, your nervous system—feels unsafe or unsupported in some way. It’s your body’s response to a lack of stability or strength, often caused by movement avoidance due to past injuries, emotional holding, or other stressors.
If you’re in pain, it’s crucial to understand that your body hasn’t let you down, even though it may feel that way. Pain is often a sign that your body has been pushed to a point where it no longer feels safe. Criticising yourself or your body will only increase the stress hormones released during moments of stress. Whether the criticism comes from others or yourself, it has the same harmful effect on your body.
Thinking of your body as having let you down takes your power away. This mindset creates a disconnect between you and your body, making it harder to influence how your body (and nervous system) behaves.
Learn to Be Inquisitive About Pain
Instead of feeling angry or frustrated, try to be curious about the pain. This mindset shift can help you feel less afraid of the pain, less afraid of experiencing it, and more open to moving areas of your body that once caused discomfort.
This is the freedom we all seek—the ability to move without the expectation of pain.
Sometimes it is the expectation of pain that causes that pain
…and if you’re not listening to your body you won’t be able to know the difference between expected pain or experienced pain.
In his interview, John Legend explained that to maintain his extraordinary voice and prevent it from "failing" him, he has to follow a strict routine. He doesn’t drink alcohol on tour, stays hydrated, prioritises sleep and rest, and surrounds himself with a team to ensure this maintenance happens. Essentially, he’s taking care of his body to get the best performance from it.
Your Body Needs Care, Too
Just like John Legend takes care of his voice, you need to take care of your body. When you stop expecting your body to fail and start giving it the support it needs, you’ll find that your body works with you, not against you.
And I’ll leave you with two questions:
What protocols do you have in place to support your body so that it ‘doesn’t let you down’..?
And where in your life can you ask for support?
