When the Body Speaks, Listen

Your body is trying to tell you when it has problems, but you may not be able to hear it

Our body communicates to us constantly, through pain, discomfort, satisfaction, and energy levels. Unfortunately, modern people find it hard to listen.Photoroyalty/Shutterstock

Learning to “listen” to our bodies is a powerful skill that can help us live our healthiest lives possible. When put into practice, it can mean the difference between being healthy or sick.

During my time in clinical practice, I sought to empower my patients by teaching them how to listen. Gaining an acute awareness of your body is a subtle art and something we instinctively all know how to do. This type of listening is a deep connection to your body, a knowing, that lets you hear what it’s telling you. Your body is always talking to you; it’s just that most of us have forgotten how to listen.

Why We Have Forgotten

We live very differently than our ancestors did. Many of us live in crowded cities, perpetually rushing, sitting at desks under electric lights, and in front of computers for many hours every day. We eat when we can, usually while doing several other things, and don’t sleep enough to allow our bodies to rest and repair. We go to the gym to exercise instead of simply going outside. To know what time it is, we look at a clock on the wall or attached to our wrist instead of the sun’s position in the sky.