These days, we tend to idolize the hustle. We push ourselves to extremes, we glorify “busy”, and we keep ourselves in a chronic state of stress.
Hi, my name’s Sharisse – and I’m guilty of this too.
But this chronic busyness makes it hard to catch your breath, let alone your body’s signals to slow down if there’s a potential problem up ahead. Those warning signs are important ways for you to be preventative with sickness, gut issues, or even greater health concerns. When you miss the signs, you open yourself up to so many of the health epidemics that we now see.
It’s critical to your health that you stop ignoring the signs so you can achieve the next step on your to-do list and learn how to listen to your body so you can take action early.
Here are 10 easy ways to make it happen:
EMBRACE SILENCE
It’s impossible to hear if you’re not listening. Take 5 minutes each morning and evening to enjoy a little silence. This allows you to focus in on how you’re truly doing and feeling.
DISCONNECT YOUR DEVICES
Airplane mode is life, and once you’ve experienced it, it’s hard to go back! Blocking notifications and getting focused time to read, work, play, or sleep will help you become more aware of your surroundings.
GET OUT IN NATURE
There’s a high chance you spend a good portion of your day indoors. Rain or shine, you need to make an effort to get outside. It will help you find peace, energy, and give you a chance to listen to your body.
FOCUS ON SLEEP
What do you do when you have a laundry list of to-do’s? Give up sleep, am I right? The more tired you are, the more stressed your body becomes and the less you’re able to decipher its messages. Turn off your devices 30 minutes before bed, read a good book, and get some good quality zzz’s.
WRITE IN A JOURNAL
One of the best ways to listen to your body is to start writing down what you’re noticing – that can be emotions, thoughts, highlights, fears, or even what you did. There’s no wrong way to journal, but you’ll get a lot out of it.
SLOW DOWN
When my clients are stressed, they come barreling into my office while talking and walking quite quickly. Have you ever noticed that happen to you? Sometimes you hear better when you intentionally slow yourself down.
EAT MINDFULLY
So much of learning to listen to your body includes intuitive eating. Are you craving cake? Cut yourself a small slice and eat it slowly, at the table, without any devices. Listen to how your body responds when it becomes full, whether it was truly satisfying, and how you felt when digesting it. You’ll learn quickly what foods work best for your body and that’s entirely individual.
TAKE A DEEP BREATH
Deep breathing is one of my favourite techniques to help slow down and listen to my body. Inhale for a count of 10 and exhale for a count of 10, repeat 5 times. This activates the parasympathetic nervous system, the rest and digest system, and helps you become more aware of your body.
GO PLAY
Adulting is tough work. How often do you just go have fun? Having fun whether alone or with friends is a great way to fill your bucket, reduce your stress, and bring more awareness to your body.
TAKE A VACATION
As much as all of these things can help you listen to your body, nothing helps more than a vacation away from the day-to-day’s of life. Get away, have fun, disconnect, reconnect, and listen.
Of course, I’m a nutritionist, and food is always my first priority for healing. But never discount the importance of a change of lifestyle to help you heal. Listening to your body is an important skill that will help you prevent a lot of sicknesses or other possible health issues.
If you’re ready to take the next step in preventing sickness by focusing on your immune health, then grab a copy of my Immune Intensive Guide.
