When people say ‘listen to your body’ it’s always a bit of a vague piece of advice, isn’t it? What does it actually mean? And because it’s vague – or at least, that’s how it often comes across – it’s really easy to ignore, but that’s when you can get into health issues that you’d be able to avoid if you paid more attention.
The fact is, your body is always giving you signals, and if you do pay attention to what’s happening, you can keep yourself healthy and happy – the hardest part of actually understanding what these signals really mean so you can do something about it. With that in mind, keep reading to find out more about what it really means to listen to your body.
It’s Not Just Physical
Listening to your body shouldn’t stop at just your muscles and joints – you’ve got to pay attention to your emotional and mental health and the signals your body is giving you about those things as well. For example, if you find yourself being irritable, overwhelmed, or perhaps disinterested in things (more so than usual), that’s just as important to think about as a sore back or aching knee. It could be that your body is telling you to rest or that you need to think about your routine, among other possibilities.
The challenge is that most of us have learned to basically override these messages because we know we have to be productive and keep up with our massively long to-do lists. But the truth is that ignoring your body’s signals doesn’t make the problems go away, and it just means things will get worse when you could have stopped it.
Start With Small Check-Ins
You don’t have to be an expert in anatomy to know that something’s off, so why not take a few minutes each day to pause and ask yourself how you feel physically and mentally? It might be that once you take a break, you actually realise there’s an issue that needs dealing with, whether that’s tense shoulders, straining eyes, or just a general feeling of something being wrong (you don’t have to know what it is).
Even your hearing might be giving you some clues – perhaps you’ve started turning the TV volume up more than usual, or it could be that conversations in busy places seem harder to follow. And if that rings true for you, it could be worth taking the time to find Widex hearing aids locally and see what’s really going on. The point is, dealing with these things sooner rather than later makes a big difference and can make you feel a lot healthier.
It’s About Trust
Listening to your body doesn’t mean you’ve got to obsess over every single tiny thing that feels as though it could be a problem – that’s just going to make you feel worse because you’ll panic and could even make yourself unwell.
What you need to do is to just trust what you’re feeling and respond in the right way, which might mean taking a break, getting something to eat, hydrating, or, in some cases, getting some expert help. Knowing what’s what is something that comes with time, so the earlier you start properly listening, the better.