How to Listen to Your Body
Have you ever got to the end of the day and realised that you forgot to have lunch? Or drink any water? Or that you’ve been gritting your teeth so hard that your neck and shoulders have gone into a spasm – and probably have been in it for hours?
Sometimes (OK, often), work becomes so busy and stressful that we become completely focused and preoccupied with what we need to do that we forget to tune into our bodies and pay attention to how we feel.
All day, every day, your body is talking to you. It is asking you to pay attention to what you need. The longer you ignore it, the louder it has to ask. So, what may start off as normal thirst can, if ignored or overridden, turn into a pounding dehydration headache. And that irritation with not being allowed to have your say in that meeting with your boss? That can lead to a teeth-grinding-jaw-clenching-induced neck and shoulder pain. Which is made so much worse by the dehydration headache.
No wonder so many of us leave work feeling as though we have done 10 rounds in the boxing ring with Mike Tyson.
We can save ourselves so much pain and suffering if we consciously and regularly tune into our bodies and ask them what they (and we) need. Asking yourself (and your body) these three questions is a very simple and effective method of doing that:
1. What am I feeling?
Try to put a name to the (often interconnected) physical sensations you are experiencing. You may be feeling hungry, thirsty, hot or cold. You may have a headache or neck-ache. You may be clenching your teeth.
2. Why am I feeling this way?
What is your body asking for? Does it want you to give it some food or a drink, take a jersey off or put one on? Is it telling you that you are stressed and angry?
3. What do I want to do about it?
Choose a course of action that will acknowledge and honour your body and yourself. Take yourself to lunch or tea, open a window or turn on a heater. Do some stretches, book a massage, make a plan to address an irritation or stress….
While listening to your body will not necessarily make the reasons for the discomfort go away, it will help you to treat the symptoms while getting to the bottom of their causes.
Your body will always tell you the truth about what you need – all you have to do is listen to it!
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