Listen To Your Body

Your body is speaking to you all the time. Are you listening? While most people would look at you like you’re crazy if you admitted to hearing voices in your body. Still, our bodies are attempting to connect with us in subtle, quiet ways until they must get our attention in more dramatic ways.  Many therapists tell their clients to “Listen to your body” but few people have been taught or learned on their own how to attune physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually to their own bodies. What is your body telling you?

In 2022, I made coffee as I always did first thing in the morning.  I poured the steaming elixir of life into my to-go carrier and took a sip.  It was horrible!  I poured it down the sink and started over.  The second attempt was just as bad.  I gave up and went through the drive-in at Dunkin’ Donuts on the way to work; I had to have that coffee!  I took a long swig and made a ‘just sucked on a lemon’ face.  Something was wrong when coffee irritated my taste buds.  A few days later, I made coffee from a newly opened bag and the same thing happened.  I had to admit that coffee had turned on me.  The next week, I learned that drinking alcohol gave me the same reaction. What was up?

Two years later, I found out why both caffeinated and alcoholic beverages had become intolerable to me.  In January 2024, I had a heart attack at the gym. The cardiologist who saw me in the ER told me he had some bad news.  I responded with, “Worse than a heart attack?!”  He told me that coffee and anything caffeinated as well as alcohol were things I needed to give up because they were not healthy for cardiovascular disease.  I smiled and said, “No problem.  I haven’t had anything caffeinated or alcoholic for 2 years.”  After stents were placed and my new heart meds adjusted, just 6 months later I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  The breast surgeon echoed what the cardiologist said - no more alcohol (and sugars in general). The intelligence within my body knew what was coming 2 years before the heart attack and cancer; it was preparing me. My heart is stronger and cancer was less than stage 1 and, thankfully, I didn’t need to go through the horrors or radiation and chemo. My body instructed me to get ready by preventing me for what was coming.

Here’s another example; ten weeks ago, I sustained an ankle injury.  The ER doctor and the follow up doctors were so concerned about a break that they didn’t check for ligament and tendon damage, so I went 9 weeks of little improvement, continued pain, mobility issues, and swelling.  I was told over and over, “At your age, it takes longer to heal.”  Not only did that irritate me; that didn’t satisfy me because I knew something wasn’t right.  My body was telling me to keep pushing until I found a doctor who believed me.  Finally, I did.  Got an MRI.  Having surgery in early December to repair the severely torn tendon in my ankle that had happened 10 weeks ago.  Ah-ha!  My body knew; I listened.

I am attuned to my body; if it alerts me even when doctors or other experts don’t readily see an issue, I pay attention and don’t stop pushing for answers until I get them.  It’s not just a medical emergency situation that causes our bodies to tell us to pay attention, it’s anything that disturbs our bodies that deserves our care. I engage my intuition and the body is highly intuitive.  You don’t have to think about breathing in and out - your body’s intuition runs the respiratory system.  You don’t have to tell your body to digest your food; your body’s intuition triggers the process within your body.  Dr. Claire Plumbley shares, “Has a therapist ever told you to ‘listen to your body’? Such physical attunement is a key skill for managing stress and preventing burnout. But most of us were never taught how to do this. Instead, we’ve internalised the idea that rest, nourishment, and even basic needs like using the bathroom, are only allowed once we’ve ticked off an item on the to-do list, or when external demands have eased up. So, we adapted. We learned to disconnect from our bodies. We override tiredness with caffeine, ignore muscle tension until it becomes pain, and push through stress until burnout forces us to stop. Recently, I spoke to a doctor who told me he coped with relentless 12-hour A&E shifts by drinking less to avoid needing the toilet. This broke my heart—dedicated clinicians depriving themselves of even the most basic bodily needs to keep up with overwhelming demands. This is why ‘tuning into your body’ isn’t always straightforward—it goes against years of conditioning. But here’s the good news: it is a skill you can learn” (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/overwhelm-unlocked/202502/how-to-listen-to-your-body ). The rest of her article is supportive for learning how to listen to your body.

Are there times when you have walked into a room and immediately your body feels something is off?  It’s not just physical ailments that trigger your body to raise the alert.  Perhaps someone in that room has ill-intentions and you acknowledge your body’s alarm.  You can leave or avoid that person.

Why is tuning to your body’s clues important? “ Learning to listen to your body will take time if you're new to it. But by integrating [the] simple check-ins [in the article], you’ll build a more sustainable way of living—one that prioritises well-being before [something] forces you to stop. So, right now—take a moment. How does your body feel? What is it asking for? And most importantly—[are] you listen[ing]?” (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/overwhelm-unlocked/202502/how-to-listen-to-your-body).

Have you had experiences of hearing your body talk to you?  How did you respond?  Did you take it seriously or did you ignore it, make excuses for it? Please share your stories, thoughts, insights, and suggestions by either commenting below this post if you are reading this on social media, or, if you are reading this through your email subscription, please share, by emailing me, at MissyDuncanPhdofficial@gmail.com. I invite you to subscribe to my blog at www.missyduncanphdofficial.com .