I recently had a conversation with a colleague and good friend about listening to your body. I mentioned that diet is simple, just listen to what your body says about the foods you eat. His response to that was, "How am I going to tell someone to listen to the subtle messages the body creates when they come into the office with an injury that caused their leg to go numb two years ago? That person's leg has been talking to him (or not talking to him) for two years and they haven't listened at all, how are they going to listen to something much more subtle than that?" I Hadn't thought about that. I hadn't thought about how disconnected we are from what is happening in our bodies. Today I want to help you understand what I mean when I say "Just listen to your body." As well as give you a few tips on how to do it better.
Why are we disconnected?
We have been taught our whole lives that there is an authority greater than us that knows more about our health. That authority has become known to us as the Doctor. When we're sick we go to the doctor, when we don't know what's going on we go to the doctor, when we are in pain and don't know why, we go to the doctor. In many cases, the doctor is exactly what we need. In many more cases, the innate wisdom that our bodies and minds possess is all we need. We are also, often given a large subset of information that is supposed to be the cure-all end-all for any and all ailments. This is especially true in the diet world. I can't begin to count the amount I've heard that said about different diets. Many diets will tout impressive results in health and wellness yet when you look into and compare them one to another they often contradict in advice. How can two diets which tell you to eat and not eat the exact opposite express the same results in individuals regarding their improvement in health? It all comes down to the individual. Everyone is so different regarding their genetics, allergies, predispositions to disease, lifestyle choices etcetera. You name it and people are different so there is no one size fits all method to health and wellness. The best thing to do is learn to listen to your body so you can decide what is right for your health because you are the master of your health. Us doctors are only just here to help facilitate that learning.
How do we reconnect with our bodies?
First of all, don't feel bad if you don't feel like you're connected to your body and listening to it well, It is a learned process and a difficult one at that. The body speaks a subtle language that takes time to understand. So let's break it down into a few categories in which we can all likely listen to our bodies a little better to improve wellness.
Sleep
Feeling tired is likely one of the most obvious signals the body and mind try to communicate to us. When you feel tired it is most likely due to needing sleep, and not a caffeine deficiency. It is easy to notice that sleep is calling towards the evening, but we often ignore the call during that afternoon lull. For many people taking an afternoon power nap is a great antidote to that lull, and I believe that it is a great way to listen to your body. Next time you feel the urge to sleep in the middle of the day try a 15-30 minute power nap but make sure you don't nap past 30 minutes or you risk feeling groggy when you wake up.
Nutrition
How do you know what you're supposed to eat? What's healthy and what's not healthy depends largely on your own body. Because diet is so unique it also depends on you to figure out and remember what your body responds well to, and what it doesn't respond well to. To figure that out my recommendation is to remove all of the known, common problematic foods from your diet in what is called an elimination diet. After you have eliminated all common problematic foods you should start feeling different in about a month. Then slowly add them back one at a time and listen to your body very closely to see how you respond.
Movement
When your body asks you to move it seems to be quite subtle. You might get a feeling of restlessness in your legs, you might get a slight ache in the low back, or your neck might start to hurt. If you feel like you need to move or stretch go do it. Your joints lubricate themselves with movement, your blood flow increases, and your mental health benefits greatly from movement. Whenever you feel the need, go move.
Stress
We all get stressed. Stress is a big part of what has kept us alive as a species. Without stress, you wouldn't feel the need to run from a bear or avoid thin ice. The constant stress that we face now, seemingly every time we open our work email, is very unhealthy. We aren't designed to run on that high of a stress level. Taking time to reduce stress by doing something you love is a great way to listen to your body. Next time you feel stressed take a minute to slow down and breathe.
Chiropractic
Eventually, I would love to see that people are listening to their bodies when it comes to chiropractic care. What happens in the days after getting adjusted? What feels better? For me, my mind tends to clear some and I am slower to respond negatively to adversity. I notice that when I need to get adjusted those are the first symptoms that come back. If you aren't under regular chiropractic care, I definitely recommend it to everyone because you will start to notice how good you didn't know you could feel.
It takes a lot of time
I didn't start paying attention to my body until I was partway through chiropractic college. It took me a long time to understand what my body was saying and why it was saying those things. I still have to check in with myself when I am not feeling well to remember and understand what I need to change to improve how I feel. It is a process, don't get frustrated with it, and be patient with who you've never become. As you get better at listening to your body you will notice great changes in your health because the innate wisdom of the beautiful creation you are will show itself. We look forward to meeting you! Come down to Happy Family Chiropractic and meet your Chiropractor in Juneau! It will be our pleasure in serving you high quality chiropractic care.
