So, you’re exhausted, stressed, wrung out.
Your body is saying “rest” and you do…what?
If your answer is “of course, I listen to my body and rest” you may miss this article and go about your day.
For the rest of us (including me), what would you do?
And, before you read the rest of the article, what is the consequence of that choice?
Answer before you read on.
What do you think of that consequence?
Does the consequence make you re-think the choice you’d make?
I did this last week.
I was shattered, wrung out and everything I touched went haywire, which stressed me out.
But stubbornly, I carried on.
Because I had shit to do.
Shit I wanted to do, that I hadn’t been able to get to in a while (adding to the stress).
The consequence: I got more tired, more stressed, more annoyed, and eventually was ready to scream at the next poor unfortunate to cross my path.
It’s rare I do this these days.
I usually listen to my body (and to the signs from the universe saying ‘step away from the tech’).
I didn’t even get what I wanted to do done.
I got a little bit done…but the cost really wasn’t worth it.
So you answered the Q above about what the consequence of not resting was, right?
So now ask yourself what would be the consequence of resting when that’s what you need?
In my case, had I stepped away, perhaps danced off the irritation, perhaps done a little yoga (which my neck and shoulders were craving), I most likely would have gone back to the computer later and done just as much in less time.
And the next day would have been better because I wouldn’t have had as much stress and exhaustion to recover from.
Interesting, huh?
But…no judgement, no blame, no criticism.
I made the choices I made in the moment.
And I learned that it would have been better to make a different choice.
Next time, perhaps I will.
What are the consequences of you ignoring your body’s messages, and what would be the consequences of listening?
In this example, I’m talking about a single instance of ignoring the signs.
You can also take this further and ask what the long-term consequences of ignoring your body (and mind) are.
In my case, I lived that consequence a couple of years ago with the worst MS relapse I ever had.
Sometimes we just need to think it through to realise that listening to the wisdom of our bodies is always the best choice.
I’d love to know what insights you get from exploring these questions – let me know in the comments.
