Hello!
Let’s talk about reading the signs in our bodies this week. Our bodies tell us signals of what is happening in our life much more than we give them credit for. But we often end up noticing those when it is too late. This is what I have been thinking about recently.
I do not get sick easily, so I tend to notice any sign that comes up quickly. But even with that, I realized I ignored all the signs for some months by now. I noticed my immune system getting weaker in the weeks before but I did not do anything. I did not listen to it. Then I got sick (got cold) after a long time.
Now this applies to many things. Sometimes, we experience some bad incident and we downplay the effect it plays on us. Then, it piles up slowly and ends up turning into some kind of disturbance (depression, anxiety, maybe even digestion issues?). But if we were able to listen to and understand our bodies early enough, we could have avoided that situation. In my case above, if I had taken care of my body when I first noticed weakening of my immune system.
Maybe it is time to slow down and listen to ourselves a bit more. Let’s not make our bodies have to shout through illnesses. Let’s discuss then: How can we establish this habit?
take in
push out
and all the rest too
Yoga and meditation are a good starting point.
Yes!
Good advice Betul! Listening to our bodies is a vital part of taking care of our health physically, emotionally and mentally, for our bodies register stress in physical ways. Instead of always trying to “power through”, as though it were a weakness to take care of ourselves, let’s flip the script and encourage our friends and families to be proactive with our selfcare! Instead of using alcohol or drugs to deal with stress at work or in the home, a slow walk in the park can build an appetite for a healthy meal! When I’m starting to feel rundown, I try to adjust my bedtime to go to sleep an hour earlier. It’s surprising what these 3 little things can do for one’s spirits too!
That is a nice set of three things! I have often been in this ‘power through’ mentality and I can feel the effects:(
I’m trying to listen to my body when it comes to eating!
Can you give an example?
Slow down and listen to ourselves, precious advices Betul!
Thank you!
Good advice, Betul! <3 Hurricane Ian occurred just over a month ago. It was a terrifying storm to watch and live through. In the aftermath, it demanded extraordinary effort to function without power, running water, phone, or internet for extended periods, to deal with food shortages, and to clean up debris. We had some stressfully high costs associated with the cleanup of fallen trees.
I have been trying to play catch-up on my blog, but I have been experiencing a period of ongoing fatigue. It occurred to me a few days ago, that maybe my body and mind were demanding a rest. after the experiences of the hurricane. I am trying to listen, eating healthy, walking, trying to get regular sleep and taking breaks from the computer when I feel tired.
Your post is a timely warning to me. I certainly don't want to get sick! <3 Hope you are feeling better. 🙂 Take care!
I am glad that my post helped you realize this! I did not experience a hurricane but I had sime significant changes in my life in the past few months and I feel drained all the time. I also came to the same realization and started applying similar recovery methods. We are in this together!
I am glad Betul that you are observing this and becoming aware of your body. Yes, our bodies are very intelligent and we should respect it by listening to it. From past 2 years, I have been exploring body work and also writing about that in my posts. Our bodies hold a lot of wisdom.
One more thing, is this the ‘Pointless Thinking’ platform with changed name?🤔
Yes, our bodies are wiser than we give them credit for! And yes, this is the new name for Pointless Overthinking!
I think there is a great amount of help here when we look at chores and hobbies. Things like sweeping the floor, going for a daily walk or even sitting down to do a puzzle. When we repeat certain things that require us to use our minds and our bodies it gives us a chance to learn what a baseline feels like. I know for me that sweeping the floor is actually something I look forward to (even if I don’t do it enough) because I use it as a time to check in. If I am feeling stiff, or sluggish, or brain-fuzzy then I have a good indicator that something isn’t normal. Moving all of the muscle groups slowly and methodically over the span of many minutes allows me to feel for stiffness anywhere, and helps me to think about what my body has been up to lately. For so many of us we are rushing around through a variety of situations without really knowing what is causing us to feel how we feel. Finding some way to get in touch with a baseline is great for being able to say “no, I’m not feeling strange because I am having a stressful day, I think this is actually something my body is trying to warn me about”.
These are really good points. I lost this in recent months and it has been challenging. I was trying to make some small changes in my daily life to add some more check-in time with myself. Thank you for your examples!
So true. We need to listen to our bodies and learn what it’s telling us 🙂
Yes!