Do you listen to your body? And do you pay attention to what it tells you?
Some people have an intuition about their bodies, understanding their weak points, their strengths, their limits. For me, learning to listen to my body has been imperative as I’ve used what it’s told me to manage my hypoglycemia over the past 30 years. If I didn’t listen, I’d end up passed out on my face. Not a good look.
Most of the time, the messages our bodies relay are more subtle:
• An unexplainable sore jaw you woke up with this morning
• Tension headaches that settle in across your forehead
• Shoulders that quietly creep up toward your ears*
If you stop and listen to your body’s signals, you can ward off the chronic stress and physical symptoms that accompany it before the damage is done. By listening, you allow yourself to address the source of the stress, recognize its symptoms, and hopefully do something about it—like scheduling that next massage!

*TIP! When your mind is frazzled and your stress level is topping out, it’s not uncommon to find your shoulders have inched up to your ears. When you realize you’ve made your neck disappear, stop. Become aware of your body. Then, tell your shoulders to “drop.” Let those tightened neck muscles relax and feel the release. Then, do it again. Repeat this exercise 3–4 times in total, or until you feel you’ve found the muscles’ resting point. Challenge yourself: how far can you drop those shoulders?