Listening to My Body

Listening to my body and working with it has been a work in progress for a long time and probably will be one of those skills that always will be. I have learned a lot along the way and continue to grow and become more comfortable with practice and the benefits do payoff.

When I was in college and in my early 20’s running at 100 miles an hour my parents used to always remind me that I was burning the candle at both ends. I ended up sick several times a winter and while I understood their warning I did not see the big picture I was too distracted by working a part-time job, going to class, and of course like any 20 something I was very concerned about my social life. The older I get though I have learned how to listen to what my body is telling me and while recently recovering from Lyme Disease it has become even more important.

It’s a Balancing Act

Listening to your body can be a balancing act between your mental health and physical health. I have to remind myself sometimes that the two work together and you need to balance both. About a month ago I was in a full busy season at work, but I started to see the light at the tunnel of getting everything done. So I pushed myself with long hours working late into the night and getting it all done. The work paid off I felt the stress slowly melt away and it was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. My mental health was feeling great my physical health was not so great, I wound up with a migraine for two days and spent one day on the couch.

This was a learning curve for me. I was so concerned with eliminating the stress and getting everything done that I ignored my physical health and the signs my body was sending me.

This taught me that it’s a balancing act. Maybe you don’t get everything done or push yourself but you do other things to eliminate the stress like reading, work out, or come up with a plan to manage the stress better. Mental health and physical health work together and I cannot treat them separately, I have to find a way to balance both at the same time without neglecting one. I’m sure I will run into a similar scenario at some point and when I do I will look for ways to balance them, it may not be the right method the first time.

Knowing Your Limits

This was so important while I am recovering from Lyme. When I first started the antibiotics I just assumed that it would be like a sinus infection take the medicine, be back to full speed, and all was good. I was wrong my body was still healing it was going to take a while for the antibiotics to run its course and I needed to put the work in on my end.

When I decided I would get healthy during my recovery I was ready to start working out again. My boyfriend and I decided we would go for a hike, four miles later and I was feeling good but it had been a long time since I had walked that much and had just spent the previous 10 months on the couch. Excited about my accomplishment I went to bed feeling good. The next day though my Lyme symptoms came back, I was exhausted and spent the day on the couch. I wasn’t ready for that distance and I realized I need to start off small. I went back to a mile or mile and a half and my body has been thanking me for the small steps towards health. Recently several months after the four-mile hike I did a 5K walk with some friends and I felt great after. No Lyme symptoms or fatigue and just a little sore the next day ( but the good sore). This showed me that listening to my body and knowing my limits pay off as I continue to make progress every day.

When to Say Yes and When to Say No

Listening to your body isn’t just about working out or managing stress it also has to do with going out with friends, taking on too many projects at work, and being overwhelmed. Every time I am exhausted I can’t call in sick to work or cancel plans just because I am tired and I want to binge-watch my favorite show. I can, however, learn to balance it. Once, in a while, it is great to use the extra PTO and call in sick for a mental health day or explain to your friends that you just need a little downtime. I have done this and everyone gets it, and when someone at work comes to me for a day off or a friend reschedules I am understanding we all need this.

This past week was one of those weeks where I could tell my body was yelling “slow down, let's take some time to relax”. But I couldn’t I had to hold up my commitments. But, with my boyfriend out of town and no plans for two of the nights, I promised myself that would be the downtime and I worked towards those nights as the reward. When I got to them it felt good and my body thanked me. This is important because if you can’t take the time for yourself find the time you can. What if I didn’t have that time set aside and it was filled with plans? My body would have not been happy.

I’m not perfect and I don’t have it all figured out I’m learning as I go but this is a lesson I have learned enough times to take seriously. Each time I learn something new and find a better way to listen to my body. What I have noticed from listening to my body is the more in tune I am the more it tells me.