Listen to your body…

When I go through Body Scan techniques with children and young adults, I like to explain that whilst it’s a useful technique to aid sleep and relaxation, the real #gamechanger comes in the way it deepens your mind/body connection.

Essentially, it’s a reminder of how important it is to listen to your body.

But of course, because I’m bad at following my own advice, its’ something that I don’t do enough of myself.

So last week, when my body was getting increasingly irritated with me, I ignored it… and ploughed on with ruthless determination to reach the end of half-term. “Who do you think you are to tell me to slow down BODY?! Don’t you know I’m working to deadlines here?! Don’t you know I expect myself to be so much more?!”

To be fair, as plans go, it isn’t a terrible one. Sometimes a little ignorance is necessary to push past the comfort zone.

But it’ll only get you so far.

Ignore your body for too long; let it reach the point where it says, “enough is enough!” and it’ll let you know how it feels in a way which cannot be ignored; most likely in a full-blown, ugly-crying, screaming tantrum kind of a way.

Last week, I refused to listen to my body. This week, my body has my made its’ feelings very clear: cough, cotton-wool brain, sleeplessness, lethargy, aches and pains, general doom and gloom.

I made my point. And she made hers.

I’m all for perseverance and a can-do attitude; of working through adversity, physically, mentally and emotionally.

But if you ignore your body when you’re genuinely in need of a rest (or a slower pace) then don’t be surprised when it stops being reasonable; when it stops listening to you.