So here's a true confession for you: I'm not good at listening to my body. I want to be. I know it's important. But many times, I'll keep on pushing even when my body is tired, thinking I simply have to get my to-do list done. Sometimes, even when my body is full, I'll have just that extra small helping of the delicious dessert. I'm sure you know what I'm getting at.
One of the things I want to do this year is be better about listening to my body—when it wants sleep, when it's satisfied but not yet full, when it simply needs for me to slow down a bit, when it needs activity or exercise, etc. After years of "pushing through" no matter what, I suspect it will take me a while to learn to listen.
So yesterday my body got my attention! I awoke with an internal to-do list for the day, but it didn't take long to register that I felt a bit queasy and just off. Oh, dear, what's that about? Then it hit me like a ton of bricks: Hmmm, perhaps my body is telling me that I need a day to just "be"—to slow down and refrain from running from one task to the next activity all day long. So I did. I just rested. I even took a nap. I drank a lot of fluids and only fed my body what appealed to me, which wasn't much.
Ever have that happen? If we aren't paying attention, our bodies do have a way of getting a message across. Sometimes the message comes in the form of illness. Perhaps I'm fortunate that it was simply a day of queasiness. But I'm listening now ... and I hope I don't forget to keep listening! Are you listening to yours? Check in on your needs.
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