Episode 13 - Listening to Your Body
It may sound a little woo - but did you realize your body is communicating with you? What would happen if you slowed down, and just listened?
Transcript
Welcome to episode 13 of Shift Your Shit With Sara. Today’s topic is one that has become a non-negotiable for me in my life, listening to your body. Our bodies speak to us in so many ways, and often we just ignore what they’re saying and push through.
I know for years, I ignored what my body was trying to tell me through pain, fatigue, stomach upset, and just generally feeling like shit. I was doing too much, and giving more than I had, afraid to say no, or to appear lazy. But when I ignored all these ways that my body was speaking to me, and telling me to slow down, I always ended up sick, injured, or just plain out of commission, unable to do even the most basic of tasks.
How many times have you just pushed through, doing everything you thought you had to, or needed to, only to catch a horrible cold and be stuck in bed, completely unproductive, for a week? And really, when we listen to our boy, and give it the rest and other things it needs on a regular basis, we’re able to get so much more done, much more efficiently too!
I know most people working a regular 9 to 5 can’t just take a nap in the middle of the day, or people with kids can’t just decide not to adult altogether, but we can find small ways to give our body what it needs.
Maybe this means looking at priorities. Does it really matter if you can’t make something for that bake sale and you have to say no? Or are you just worried about what other people ‘might’ think? Do you have to say yes to that thing you don’t really want to do? Prioritize yourself and your health instead of the opinions of others or the stories you’re telling yourself about what might happen.
Maybe this means feeding your body better - making sure to gulp down some extra water every day, or consider the last time you had a vegetable that wasn’t a french fry.
Maybe this looks like choosing the type of work to do by the bandwidth you have for it. If you’re a morning person, getting those touch tasks done first thing and leaving the more mindless or easy activities for when your brain is more clear.
I can’t think of how many times I’ve been trying to do a task I didn’t have the bandwidth for only to make mistake, after mistake, after mistake, costing me more time, frustration, and energy. When I take a break and come back to these tasks when my brain is primed and ready, my work is always so much better and more productive.
Like I mentioned before, I know it isn’t always possible or realistic to do this in every situation for everyone, but the more we can do this, the more we’re listening to our body, and the more we’re in tune with ourselves, the better we will feel.
Today’s tiny takeaway is to listen to your body. Just take a breath and listen. Is there anything that comes to you right away that you need to do or not do?
Think about how you’ve been feeling - are you consistently feeling tired? Headachy? Cranky? Hangry? What’s happening that’s leading up to these things that you might be able to listen to what your body is telling you to mitigate it? Maybe you need to keep a log to look for patterns.
Try listening to, and following, what your body is asking for and see how you feel! I hope that you start to see a difference as you start to become more in tune with yourself!
Thank you so much for joining me today on Shift Your Shit With Sara, the weekly podcast where I help people shift into the life they love. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please be sure to subscribe in your favourite podcast player so you don’t miss future episodes. Again, thank you so much for joining me today, and I’ll see you again next time.
