Are you listening to your body?

We've all heard it many times before: 'You have to listen to your body.' It may seem trivial, but for many of us, it's very difficult to do, and it's incredibly important. In general, most of us probably need to get better at listening, both to our own bodies and to others. It would make us all better human beings, and we could feel better. We often walk around with blinders on, going full speed ahead without listening, seeing, or feeling.

Why is it important to listen to your body?

So what does it mean to listen to your body? Well, in practice, it means we must stop, pause for a moment, and take the time to feel and also act on the signals. How does it feel in your head or your stomach? Does it hurt somewhere when I make a certain movement? Am I breathing properly so that the diaphragm moves, or is it just shallow? Am I unusually tired, or do I feel down or irritated? If I notice any small change for the worse in my body, I should also find a suitable measure to prevent it from continuing.

If we listen to what the body is trying to communicate, we can prevent injuries and illnesses. The risk of suffering from more serious physical or psychological problems decreases if we sense when the problems are starting to creep up and if we then address them and do something about it. It doesn't help to listen and feel and then ignore what the body is trying to tell us. We might feel a dull headache day after day, and we actually know how undeservedly grumpy and snappy we are towards our loved ones, but we don't take the signals seriously. If we continue to go full speed ahead, we will eventually face really serious and likely more long-lasting and time-consuming problems than if we had paused and addressed the signals immediately. Constantly checking in and being attentive to how the body feels is important for our own health, and we will probably become nicer and more empathetic in our interactions with others as well.

What we think and feel, what's in our heads, will be reflected in our fascia and body, and vice versa. If we feel pain in a hip or a foot, have an upset stomach, or aren't breathing optimally, it will eventually affect us mentally as well. We might become a bit grumpy and irritable or change our behavior in other ways. Our physical body and our mind, our intellect, are always connected; we are a whole.

How is my health affected by listening to my body?

To put it bluntly, we all save time, discomfort, and money by listening to our bodies in time. As mentioned, we prevent more serious injuries and illnesses by reacting to an early signal. Pain in a knee or a foot might be remedied with a few hours of treatment for a misalignment over a couple of weeks. Instead of ignoring the pain, taking painkillers, and carrying on, we might eventually develop osteoarthritis, which will cause far greater problems down the road.

What happens if I don't listen to my body?

If we don't pay attention to the signals our body gives us, it will eventually lead to more serious problems that will likely cost us much more in terms of time, pain, and also money, and in the worst case, it could cost us our lives, for example, through a heart attack or stroke. It's probably more about not understanding the seriousness and consequences of the signals, so we just carry on with the same old routines.

How do I get started with listening to my body?

It's about feeling and trying to become aware of what you are feeling. To be able to feel, you must take the time to stop, to pause with yourself. Give yourself some 'me time.' Feel happy and alive, with yourself. What makes you happy? What makes you come alive?

The simplest and probably also the most important thing is to pause and concentrate on your breathing. Take 10 minutes, perhaps a couple of times a day, and focus on breathing deeply, consciously, slowly, and through your nose. Sit comfortably or lie down. Count and feel your body relax. Feel how the diaphragm presses down towards your abdomen. Can you feel your heart beating slower and your intestines moving? If not, place a hand on your chest and stomach to feel. Stay lying down and just tune into your body while continuing to breathe deeply. How do you feel? Does it hurt anywhere? Is there any resistance?

If you practice feeling and concentrating on how your body feels for a few minutes every day, you will get to know yourself better and become aware when something changes. Then it's also about becoming aware of and trying to understand how you should live for your body and mind to feel good.

We become what we do and how we move

We become what we eat

We become what we think and feel

We become like the environment we are in and the company we keep