Listen To What Your Body Is Telling You

By Ambila Nath

Our body sends us messages about its internal conditions all the time. Sometimes it offers subtle clues about what it needs in the form of a yawn, food cravings or a gut feeling. Other times, it signals distress through a skin rash, chest pain or unintentional weight loss.

Recognising what these physical symptoms mean on an emotional level requires us to be aware of our bodies. Not every sign tells us that our inner world is out of balance and needs us to see a doctor. In today’s fast-paced world, it’s much easier to focus outwardly and ignore what’s happening inside of us. 

When you don’t listen to your body’s whispering, the suffering slowly builds until your body starts screaming for your attention. 

So What Is Your Body Trying To Tell You?

When you experience unpleasant physical sensations, your body is telling you it’s out of balance somehow. It may be that you get a headache when you spend all day indoors behind a screen. Or you suffer from stomach pains when you’re eating foods that aren’t good for you.

These signals are often not very serious messages, and people tend to ignore them, take a pill, and carry on doing what they were doing before. However, when these signals appear, this is the time to tune into what your body is telling you before it progresses into any severe health issues. 

It’s likely your body is ltelling you you’ve taken on more than you can handle, and now you’re running low on energy and resources. You may need to take a break, rest and make changes before you reach the breaking point.

Our thought patterns, emotions, lifestyle, plus social and physical environment all contribute to our level of health and happiness. Everyone will experience different warning signs such as:

• Feeling overwhelmed, like it’s all too much, and you could burst into tears at any time
• Feeling depressed or anxious
• Feeling tired or worn out, the kind of fatigue that doesn’t go away after one good night’s sleep
• Having tense shoulders, aching back or stiff neck
• A flare-up of (old) symptoms
• Experiencing forgetfulness, difficulty focusing or brain fog
• Having difficulties with digestion
• Lack of appetite or the opposite: craving food all the time;
• Relying on unhealthy habits like caffeinating, sugar-rich snacks, smoking or excessive drinking to get through the day.

Can you relate to any of this?

If so, how can you learn to tune in, listen and trust the messages your body is sending you? Learning to tune into your body is more of an intuitive switch. It means that you regularly pause to feel. Instead of only listening to your thoughts, plans and worries, you do a quick body scan. 

• How are you feeling in your body?
• Are you holding any tension somewhere?
• Does your energy level or posture reveal any signs of fatigue, stress or emotional overwhelm?
• Is there anything demanding your attention and care?

Make a habit of listening to your body. You can do this body scan anytime, anywhere. If you find it challenging to be in your body because you live in your mind, take up more physical activities that stimulate your senses, like gardening, cooking or painting. Once you’ve learned how to listen to your body, you can start learning from it.

What to Do Next: How to Act on Warning Signs

Step 1. Stop.

Take a break, even if it’s only for a minute. Stop pushing through and slow down. Accept whatever you are feeling, don’t fight it. Allow whatever emotions, thoughts and pain are pushing out. Once it’s out – Let it Go!

Step 2. Ask yourself, what do I need? 

Don’t just listen to your mind telling you, but tune into your body. Take some real rest. Sitting in front of the TV will not activate our body’s natural relaxation response. We need to do activities that slow down our breathing, release tension from our body and quiet our mind, like restorative yoga, a long walk in nature, a hug from your spouse or some good warming food. 

And if your body is telling you to go to the doctor, then don’t ignore the signal; book an appointment.

Step 3. Analyse the situation.

What’s causing your stress, overwhelm and fatigue?

Physical: Are you getting enough sleep? Do you eat a balanced diet? Are you moving your body in a way that’s right for you? Do you have a diagnosed illness that’s causing your current distress?

Mental: Do you tend to worry or have negative thought patterns? How does the media and information you absorb make you feel?

Emotional: Are you worried about your health, relationship or financial problems? Do you dread going to work each morning? Does your mood vary during the day, or do you feel bored?

Environmental: How’s the balance between your work and family life? Are you spending time with people who support you or who weigh you down? Do you tend to overcommit? Do you live in a healthy home and neighbourhood?

Step 4. Improve your situation.

Questions to ask yourself:

How can I make things lighter or easier to carry? Look into choosing to do things yourself, delegating or letting go of things altogether. Can you (temporarily) outsource energy-consuming chores like cleaning or grocery shopping?

How can I improve my strengths and coping abilities? Brainstorm a list of solutions for your problems. Don’t just come up with what you can do – also list the things you will no longer do. Don’t worry about whether it’s possible or not at first. Next, pick a few solutions that could work for you and then make small daily changes that will lead you to significant results over time.

Finally, set priorities and be sure to include asking for help and reaching out to those that are close to you.

We can’t stop bad things from happening, but you can do something to prevent the build-up over time. Watch and learn what the warning signs are from your body, so you can act before you head into the danger zone. 

Ambila Nath is a Spiritual business coach, serial entrepreneur, tarot reader, energy healer and international speaker. She helps you to feel and get unstuck in business. She has worked with clients for over 2 decades to just be themselves, starting successful businesses and in trusting the process.

You can find more about Ambila and her work here or look her up on LinkedIn, drop by on Facebook or Instagram or even watch her on Youtube.