Our body is an amazing resource for us. It contains clues for how we are feeling, not just physically but also emotionally. Why should we listen to our body? Although there are differing opinions on this subject, most would agree that there is a connection between our mental health and our physical health.
Tight shoulders can be a sign of built up tension, a fluttering, churning stomach can be a sign of nervousness, a migraine can be a sign of stress, acne can be a sign of hormonal imbalance and so on.
Recently, I was speaking with a personal trainer who told me that a common reason why people get sick and contract injuries is because they have stopped listening to their bodies. They will insist on pushing themselves to go to early morning gym classes, when their bodies just need sleep. They will exhaust themselves with training to the limit, when their bodies just need nurturing and rest. Or they will stay on the couch eating junk-food and watching Netflix, despite feeling sluggish and guilty.
I believe that we are extremely good at ignoring our body and the feedback it gives us.
Which is ridiculous. Our bodies have gone through hundreds of years of evolutionary development to be attuned to our environment. We have built in fight-flight-freeze systems that help us respond to threats and we also have an amazing parasympathetic nervous system that helps us relax and recharge. We have complex brains that detect feedback from our environment and produce chemicals accordingly.
And how do we treat our incredible bodies? We sleep-deprive them by staying up late on Netflix, we drain them by over-exerting ourselves at work, we starve them by depriving them of nutrition, we hurt them by over-indulging on alcohol, coffee or desserts. We cram too much into our lives and struggle to balance and time-manage (click here for my blog post on improving time-management).
We have to start treating our bodies better, and trusting the information it gives us!
Recently, I noticed my own bodily response to certain people. While I was talking to them, I would do a quick body scan, and note that my stomach was in knots and my breathing had become shallow. Although in the past I would have ignored this feedback, I began to pay attention to what it meant.
I realised that my body was signalling to me that this was not a positive conversation or that I was uncomfortable with these people. This was important information that helped me make a decision for how to handle my interactions and relationships in future (click here for my blog post on how to improve your relationships).
So, the next time you find yourself trying to ‘push-through,’ whether that’s work, exercise or even a relationship, stop and pay attention to the way your body is feeling. Listen to the clues its giving you and respect the information it shares, after all, it wants what is best for you!
