Hello?
Hi, It’s Me, Your Body. . .
How many of us listen to our bodies? I mean rreeaallllyyyy LISTEN to our bodies. All the time. No matter the scenario. No matter what the body is saying. LISTEN.
*crickets…crickets…crickets*
Yeah, that’s kind of the answer I was expecting.
Look, we are dynamic human beings with a body built like a divine machine that can basically function on autopilot. We are busy running-jumping-singing-sleeping-eating-laughing-crying-walking-climbing-thinking people. Why on earth would we need to pay attention to our body 24/7/365 when it can do just about everything by itself?! Let me ask you this- does a car ever need to be serviced? Do the machines that makes your favorite hoodie ever hiccup and need repair? What about your refrigerator, does it ever find a problem or two along the way? YES.
The answer is a resounding yes.
Even the machines, the robots, carpets, and instruments need checking in on from time to time. So then why wouldn’t the most sophisticated, most studied, most intricate machine around that is running all day, every day, need to be payed attention to? Even with all the sore muscles, aging bones, and lived in skin, our bodies are built so amazingly that it’s quite easy to just sort of……forget…… to check in on what we are feeling or take a few extra steps to practice self care.
How Often Do You Just Sit Quietly And Check In On Your Body?
We put our bodies through A LOT. When we pull a muscle or break a bone, it becomes pretty blaringly obvious as to what the problem is, but what if it’s smaller? A quiet little something, slowly working away in the back corners of your body, doing it’s best to hide from you. How often are our daily patterns too loud to hear/feel those little ones busily working away?
Being in the business of dance and sport basically my entire life you’d think I would be a pro at paying attention to my body, and that’s just it- I am…but because of dance and sport, I’ve also become a pro at ignoring what I feel so that I can keep pushing, dancing, running, etc.. I have become so terribly aware of my body over the years that I often end up thinking to myself, “There are just too many things to go to the doctor/physical therapist about, I don’t have that kind of time or money.”
*COUGH COUGH!!!!*
Uhm, Helllooooooooooo Jesssiiiicccaaaaaa?!?!?!!!
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!
Face palm x a million
How on this big beautiful earth can I expect to keep dancing, running, etc. well into my 100’s (Yes, I fully expect to live to about 120, thank you very much) if I make ridiculous excuses like this? Oy. Have you ever done that? Knew you had an injured [insert body part here] and figured you’d just wait it out, walk it off, ice it, take some ibuprofen and let it work itself out? Yup, I’m president of the club. I know my own issue with this stems from a mistrust with western medicine, but there has to be a line. There have to be deal breakers in your life when it comes to taking care of yourself that don’t involve waiting till you’ve got a broken bone.
In the last couple of years, I have known a few women that DID listen to their bodies but they were haphazardly misdiagnosed, told it was nothing, given prescription medicines that simply covered up their problem instead of heal/cure them, ignored, or even laughed at being told they were “being dramatic” and it “wasn’t that bad”. Apart from the fact that this is a WHOLE other topic we will someday discuss in depth, that is scary! What do you do then?! YOU know your body. All I can say for now on that topic is, you keep fighting till you find someone who will listen.
Its hard to face some harsh truths about our bodies, but they must be addressed in order to live our life as fully as possible.
Whether we live with chronic diseases/issues, always get the flu, are prone to a sore neck, can’t see the street signs when we drive anymore, have a constant rumbly tummy, have problems sleeping, have become over/underweight, or have a new discolored mark on our arm,
IT MATTERS.
No issue is too big or too small when it comes to being the healthiest possible version of ourselves. In order to live a complete life of health, wellness, and happiness, we need to take the time to listen to our bodies, know that whatever we hear it say, it’s important, and there are people out in the world ready to help.
In the meantime, here are a few things you can do to check in on yourself.
- Women: Do an at home breast self-exam
- Men: Do an at home testicular self-exam
- Check your skin for any new marks, moles, discolored thingamabobs, or weird bumps that make you go “hmmmm”
- Check that mouth of yours! And no, not just what it’s saying, but what it looks like… how are your gums? Your teeth? Your tongue? Do they all look normal and A-Ok, or has something changed?
- Do an easy mini stretch session at home. Does anything feel unusually sore or out of place? Maybe your range of motion has drastically changed and you didn’t even realize it.
- If you don’t have one at home (super easy purchase if you would like one at home), go to your local CVS, Target, or other such pharmacy and check your blood pressure.
- Check in on your sleeping habits and hours. Could this be the culprit to your rough mornings?
- Get naked. Stand in front of a mirror, and LOOK. How do you feel about the way you look? (Your mindset is just as important for your health) Is there a little extra belly fat that needs to be addressed? Maybe you notice that your shoulders are now uneven. Maybe you love everything you see but notice how tired you look. Don’t be afraid of your beautiful naked self!
These are simple, but can be incredibly effective, and possibly even save your life should there a problem ever arise. Avoidance never solved a problem y’all!
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go finally make that massage therapy appointment for my arm that I’ve been putting off.
