Your body isn’t a tool to manage. It’s the vehicle for everything else you’re here to do.
Everyday life in the She Loves and Trusts Her Body energy is about catching the moment right before you’d normally push through. You know that moment. Your body says stop. And some old voice in you says, “keep going, there’s a job to do.” Everyday life in this energy means pausing there, just for a second, before you decide.
While we’ve been in this energy, I’ve been sharing how, until the last five or six years, my habit, my pattern, has been to basically override and ignore the signals from my body. It was sort of a badge of honor to overwork and push through. It didn’t do me or the people around me any good. So I worked to change things. I’m not going to pretend it was easy, and I still have to be vigilant about it, because I’m a responder. When the people around me need something, I tend to push aside what I was doing and help them. Then I scramble to get my own stuff done. Correction. That’s how I used to operate.
I’ve learned to pause for a moment before I start something. Tune in. Pay attention to my body. Does she have capacity for what we’re about to do? Or would this be pushing through and doing something that isn’t the best thing for me right now?
I was working from our lake house last week, enjoying the last days of summer. It was a super busy work week for me. My husband and I received a number of end-of-season invitations to spend an evening with family, or just go visit some friends. I did some of these things, as my schedule allowed. But there were several times when I declined and encouraged my husband to go without me. The old me would never have done that, especially with the in-laws. But this time, I listened. My body said, “nope. There are still a few things to do here, and then you need the rest.” This once would have been a very big deal for me. This time, it just felt good.
Listening to your body is a practice, not a personality trait. You don’t wake up one day fully trusting your body. You build it one paused moment at a time. Noticing the signal. Choosing to honor it, even when honoring it feels inconvenient.
It also means being honest with yourself about the story you tell in that moment. “I don’t have time to stop” is usually not really true. It’s your override voice, dressed up as responsibility.
Caring for your body is part of your life. It’s not a side project. When you listen to your body instead of overriding it, you have more for everything else on your plate.
Find your happy. Love what you do. Make a difference. Come back to me safely. See ya!
