Functionality is not the same as living embodied

Functionality vs. Embodiment

There’s a big difference between functioning through life and living in an embodied way.

We can “function” super well and still be disconnected from our body. We can wake up, get things done, meet expectations, look “fine,” keep moving… while our body feels unseen, unheard, and pushed to the side. For most of my life, that was me.

I worked for the United Nations for 7 years and truly loved it at the beginning. But slowly, without noticing, my body disappeared behind my performance. I woke up and checked my phone before checking in with myself. I performed. I was always available. Picked up the phone every time it rang. Never left the office on time. Did not take healthy breaks. Overrode hunger. Rushed meals in front of my computer. Had sweets and coffee just to keep going. Often ignored thirst and even delayed going to the bathroom because there was “too much to do.”

And yes, I got things done. I delivered. I was praised for my efficiency and performance… while my body slowly began to shut down. Quietly at first. Then louder, and louder.

I’m sharing this from the heart because we rarely talk about it… 

• how easily we lose touch with our body without noticing
• how unfamiliar it feels to truly care for ourselves
• how quietly old patterns keep leading us when we’re not connected

Do you resonate? Eating on the go,  skipping breaks,  pushing through exhaustion, ignoring your body’s desires, calling it “normal” because everyone else does it, believing you have to earn rest or worth !

Functioning is not the same as living embodied - There is a body that exists & a body that feels.

Many of us are not actually living in our bodies. We are managing them. Using them. Pushing them. We wake up and check our phones. We perform. We get through the day. Override hunger. Ignore thirst. Delay going to the bathroom. And somehow, we believe this is normal. ’ve been there too - for years and years.

1) The body that “works”. 

A functioning body can, yes, hold routines, keep deadlines, smile on the outside, keep going, appear “fine”.  Even when inside, we feel far away, numb, disconnected, or exhausted. The body works, but it is not fully lived in.

2) The body that feels

An embodied body usually:
𓍯 feels sensations
𓍯 responds to its needs
𓍯 expresses emotions
𓍯 feels pleasure
𓍯 notices subtle signals
𓍯 rests when needed
𓍯 senses its yes & no

And no, it’s not perfection we are seeking. It is a stable baseline we can come back to. Some days we’ll feel deeply embodied, other days less connected - and that’s okay. Why we leave our body & why it makes sense

We didn’t leave our body by choice.

We left it to cope. To adapt. To stay safe. To belong. And if we want to live consciously, to expand, to feel alive and experience life in its fullness, we’re invited to return to the body — our body, our temple, our home.

Your pause to feel…

In this moment, ask yourself: “Today, am I mostly functioning… or am I mostly feeling?”

There is no right or wrong answer. No story to create. Just a small moment of honest awareness. And this awareness is embodiment. Thank yourself for giving yourself this pause today.

The invitation to return That is what my clients experience in my 1:1 work: deep reconnection to their body, their femininity, to themselves, and into those beautiful inner places we once stopped visiting. With someone beside us, it becomes easier to listen, to feel, and to return.

So welcome to this place where we remember, through embodiment, who we truly are.

Much love,

Claudia

05 December 2025