How to Listen to Your Body

Having a good relationship with your body can be difficult. There is what you feel you should look like and how you think you should feel, and then there is reality. You know eating healthy, going to the gym, and getting enough sleep is a good thing. Maybe you set a goal to get more in shape, and you’re really good at it the first couple days, but then old habits set back in. Maybe you are constantly bombarded with social media and adverts that tell you how you should look and what you should be doing to have an amazing body. Regardless, it can be hard to have a good relationship with you body and truly love it.

Last September I had to have an unexpected surgery to remove my appendix. I was originally told it was a simple procedure, and I would be in and out of the hospital, no problem. However, since it was 2020, of course I had complications. I was in the hospital for about a week. And even when I returned home, for about another week I still had some difficulties.

My biggest concern was the surgery. With the complications there were a few possible resulting scenarios that did not sound desirable. I had also never had surgery before so of course the first time nerves ate at me. However, by some miracle, the surgery (at least on my part) was the easy part. They put me to sleep and I woke up and they had taken care of what they needed to remove.

And since I had not had a surgery before, what I did not expect, was how difficult it would be to recover. There was still a lot of pain, I was fighting an infection, and my body was a traumatized by the experience. I was not able to eat food for several days. When I was able to finally eat, I could only eat a couple bites, and then I was full.

What I was use to eating and doing before now did not seem to apply. Even though I thought I knew what was best for me, ultimately I had to let go and let my body do the work. I had to learn to listen to what my body needed. There were times when I was not always willing to listen, because I thought I knew better, or because I wanted something else. However, my body was always right.

Listen To Your Body

The amazing thing about your body, is it is built to survive. It is a beautiful piece of machinery that is programed to know what to do in order to heal and be healthy. Even more amazing, it is programmed to give you signals that will tell you what it needs, so you can help it. There are so many things your body does for you, that you may not even realise. However, there are somethings you need to do for your body, that it cannot do itself. The body can heal, fight infection, take nutrients from food, but it cannot feed itself. It cannot exercise itself. It cannot sleep itself. You have to do that for your body.

It is a true two way relationship. It’s one you don’t need to be afraid of, because your body is constantly giving: life, breath, flowing blood, energy, and so much more. It takes care of you without you even asking for it. But you need to do your part in the relationship. As much as your body gives to you, you need to give to your body. And the most important part of a relationship is communication. Your body is willing to give and has no problem speaking up to tell you what it needs. All you need to do is learn to listen to those signals it gives you. Learn to listen to your body. Build that good relationship with your body so you can be healthy; but so you can also learn to love your body, and have confidence in that relationship.

Meditate

We have so many distractions in our lives. We have busy schedules and noise around us every day. With all the clamour, it can be hard to listen to the still small voice of your body. Usually your body does not scream for attention. It will give you subtle hints and messages. Little prompts here and there. Meditating can help clear your mind of those distractions. It’s a way to block the daily tumult and focus on the still and quiet.

Steve Jobs once said about meditation, “If you just sit and observe, you will see how restless your minds is. If you try to calm it, it only makes it worse, but over time it does calm, and when it does, there’s room to hear more subtle things-That’s when your intuition starts to blossom and you start to see things more clearly and be in the present more. Your mind just slows down, and you see tremendous expanse in the moment. You see so much more than you could see before.”

When you take the time to slow down, clear you mind, and find peace, it gives you time to listen to your intuition. It gives you time to ask your body, “What do you need?” It helps you tune it and listen to those subtle messages you might not have heard before.

And meditating does not have to be complicated. It can be as simple as waking up in the morning, siting up in your bed, closing your eyes, and focusing on your breathing for a couple minutes. Or any time you stop for a red light, you can take a deep breath and clear your mind.

The more you practice, the better you will get.

Food

Pre-surgery I wouldn’t say I had a bad relationship with food, but I knew it could always be better. And now there are several foods my body no longer wants. Heavily processed or greasy foods like fries, chicken nuggets, Cheetos, and sugary cereals, which I use to love; my body no longer loves. It’s hard to listen sometimes but my body craves a lot fruits and vegetables now.

You know what foods are good for you and which aren’t, so I’m not here to list what you should and shouldn’t eat. What I am asking you to do is listen to your body. We all have our own dietary needs. The foods my body needs and wants are going to be different from what yours wants. Your body knows what foods it needs and which foods to avoid, so let your body do the food shopping.

When you eat, slow down. Take time to really eat and be mindful of each bite. Don’t scarf everything down in one bite. Listen to what your body is telling you about the food you put in. Does it like it? Does it want more? Is your body full? Does your body need different food?

It sounds a little silly, but ask these questions. The more you ask, the more you will be able to recognise what your body needs. And the stronger your relationship with that body will be.

If your body is hungry, feed your body. Don’t worry about whatever diet you’re on tells you when and when not to eat. If your body needs more food, give your body more food. Clear your minds of worry and but aside whatever insecurities you have about your body. The best thing you can do for your body is not go on a diet, or loose weight, or go to the gym; the best thing for you body is to listen and hear what it needs. If your body needs more food, it will tell you. If your body does not need any more food, it will tell you. If your body needs a different kind of food, it will tell you.

And the more you listen to your body in regards to food, the more confident you will become with the way you look.

Sleep

I think we all know this, but I will say it anyway: your body needs sleep to function.

In her book Thrive Arianna Huffington says, “Our creativity, ingenuity, confidence, leadership, and decision making can all be enhanced simply by getting enough sleep. ‘Sleep deprivation negatively impacts our mood, our ability to focus, and our ability to access higher level cognitive functions: the combination of these factors is what we generally refer to as a mental performance,’ say Drs. Stuart Quan and Russell Sanna, from Harvard Medical School’s Division of Sleep Medicine.”

I know you have a busy schedule, but it is so important to schedule in sleep for your body. According to Sleep Foundation, “Drowsy driving is dangerous because sleep deprivation can have similar effects on your body as drinking alcohol. Being awake for 18 hours straight makes you drive like you have a blood alcohol level of .05 (for reference, .08 is considered drunk). If you’ve been awake for a full 24 hours and drive—say, after a night where you just couldn’t fall asleep—it’s like you have a blood alcohol level of .10.”

Sometimes you may think you know what is better for yourself, and sometimes your pride gets in the way, but your body will never lie to you. Your body knows better than you and will tell you what it needs. When you are tired, sleep. When your body is ready to get up, get up.

Schedule adequate sleep so your body can function, not just at a bare minimum level, but at a high capacity. Schedule a bed time routine, and a time to clock in at night. Get cozy and get yourself a good mattress, pillow, and comfortable blankets. Meditate, pray, or read before you go to bed. And when your body is awake, get up and get going.

Your Body Loves You So Love Your Body

There is more I could write about this subject. I could fill a whole book, but I will keep it at that for now, and come back to the subject later.

Bottom line: your body is amazing, and your body loves you. It takes care of you without you having to ask for it. It does more amazing things than we will ever understand. You may not love the way your body looks, but you can learn to love your body by listening to it. Build a relationship where you and your body communicate and help each other. Your body will tell you what you need, so take some quiet time, tune in, listen to those signals, and act on them. The more you do this, the better your relationship with your body will be, and the more you will learn to love it.