Say What? Listening to Your Body on Your Midlife Journey

When I started on my Menopause Journey, my body asked me to listen to her...but I respectfully declined. Again and again and again. Until, finally she got so frustrated with me that she said, "OK, girl, I'll show you!" and she collapsed on a local restaurant floor!! Take that! Hello!
You see, our bodies are sending us signals ALL the Time!! They come via our energy levels, via how well we are sleeping, with our immune system, digestive system, our skin.... You get the idea! And we have a choice, either listen to the signal the first time, or keep ignoring her and maybe end up staring embarrassingly into a cute paramedics eyes!

I have since discovered that listening to my body the first time, helps me to get to the root of the problem quicker and makes helping her out a lot easier.  
However, most of us weren't raised to listen to their bodies.  I mean, I am of the "just do it" and "no pain, no gain" era... so take that body! So getting back in touch with her and the messages she is sending will probably take a little practice. But, girl, it is the BEST investment in self care that I have found and I've got two practices you can try, right now that author Kate Northrup shares in her book, "Do Less; A Revolutionary Approach to Time and Energy Management for Ambitious Women".

1. Ask your body a simple, straightforward, yes or no question, that you know the answer to so you can begin to feel how yes feels and no feels in your body.  "Is my name____ (fill in your name)? Sit and notice.  Then ask the opposite, "Is my name___ (not your name)? Sit and notice. Do this for several days, changing up the question if you like, ask her what to wear, how to move, what to eat for lunch, and as the connection gets stronger, The messages get clearer.

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2.  Simply sit comfortably, close your eyes and breathe for five minutes. Tune into your body, notice how she feels. Where does she feel sensations? What are the sensations? If she had a message for you, what would it be? The key is to be curious and feel instead of think. Again, do this for several days. As your body starts to notice you are listening, you will notice her wisdom and the messages she has been sending all along.

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Just recently, I was tested by my body again to see if I was still listening. I started some Menopause Hormone Therapy.  After a couple of weeks I started to feel like my heart was beating out of my chest and my eyes were going to explode right out of my head. My fingers were so swollen that I had to take off my rings...but I continued the cream for a few more days... I felt like poop,  and she was like, "Hey girl! remember me?" So I returned to the practice of listening and making changes with intention. Day after day, I am listening and responding. 
​Thank you body, thank you!

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