Hello again and welcome to Part II of Attune for Success. I want to share with you today some tips on how to tune into what your body is telling you and how to learn your bodies unique language.
After I wrote last weeks blog, Attune for Success Part I, I thought to myself that there may be some of you out there thinking that if you listen to your body, it would tell you that it is tired all the time or that it wants to sit on the couch and watch TV or just give into its hedonistic desires.
Listening to your body is a combination of listening to what it is saying and translating that into what it is really trying to tell you. It’s important to not take each bit of information at face value but to look at the information, get quiet, check in with our intuition and learn what it means. Here is a great example. I have learned that often when my body is feeling tired or sluggish that I need to move, get my heart pumping, blood circulating and oxygen to my brain, organs and muscles to lift my energy. Here is what I do. I start into some movement and see how I feel. If I start to feel more awake, alive and energetic then I know that my body was giving me a cue to get up and get going. If I don’t start feeling better about 10 to 15 minutes into my activity and actually feel worse than I know I need to rest. This is a great little test I do and it also helps keep me motivated, knowing that if I don’t feel better after moving that I can stop the activity and give my body the rest it may need. Over time I have learned the subtle differences between a tired that needs a lift from movement and a tired that needs true rest.
This concept can be applied to the type of movement your body needs as well. Some days you may really need to get out there and go for it but other days your body might need more restorative, quiet exercise like yoga, stretching or just a gentle walk. Often when our energy is low and sluggish but not fatigued then we need to get moving. For instance when you are feeling down or depressed, the energy in your body is stagnant and to balance and lift it, you will need movement. If you are feeling anxious or really amp’d up you may need to either burn up some of the extra energy with rigorous activity or calm it down with grounding exercise like yoga and breathing. As you can see there is no one formula for everyone. It is about finding your own personal formula. But with experimentation, you will start to understand what your body is trying to tell you.
This can also be applied with eating. Sometimes we may think that we are hungry but in fact we may be thirsty, tired, bored, stressed, etc. A trick you can use is to ask yourself if you are truly physically hungry? Use information like the last time you ate, how much sleep you have gotten, what is going on in your life, and if you are hydrated to help you decide if this is true physical hunger or if you are “hungry” for something that is non-food related. Again, overtime you will know what tired hungry feels like, and what bored hungry, stress hungry and just good ol thirsty feels like.
The opposite can happen with food as well. Your body may be hungry but you may have a headache, fatigue, or feelings of grouchiness instead of hunger pangs. Again, look at all the information and use it to figure out if your body really just needs nourishment. If you haven’t eaten all day and it is 1:00pm there is a good chance you need food.
Listen to Your Body
Be your own body investigator. Ask yourself questions, look at the events that lead up to the feeling or message you are trying to figure out and make the best decision you can with the information you have gathered. Over time you will get better and better at decoding and reading your own body. We do this so well with our children, spouses and loved ones. We know when our kids are hungry, overtired or just need to get outside and play. But we often don’t place that same attention on ourselves. You will be amazed at how good you will get at knowing your own body and what it needs and how the simple shift of really honoring it can drastically change the way you feel.
Lastly is sleep. I have found with sleep that at night when my body gives me its first signal that it is tired, if I honor that, I get the best night sleep and wake up feeling great. Often (this is my big weakness) I don’t listen, catch my second wind, and end up staying up too late. Now on one hand this is such precious quiet time, but I am learning that it is just not worth being tired the next day. Play with your sleep patterns, bedtime, rise times etc. and see what makes your body the happiest. It will tell you and you will feel great when you listen. It’s that simple, we just have to do it!
Listening to your body is really good practice for listening to your spirit. Spirit is that quiet, soft, non-demanding yet persistent voice inside that guides you to your best life. It is always speaking to and loving you but you can only hear it when you tune out the chatter, chaos, and distractions in your life and take time to listen. Just as you tune out your mind and listen to your body, you can tune out your thoughts and the outside world and listen to your spirit. Spirit will guide you to your happiest, most fulfilling, loving life if you hear it, listen and have the courage to take action. Often when you are struggling and don’t know what to do, if you just get quiet (my favorite way to get quiet is on a hike in nature) and trust what you hear, you will get the answer and guidance that you need.
So as you can see, attuning is such a powerful skill that will lead you to such an amazing life of good health physically, mentally and spiritually. And what a fun journey it is.