LISTEN TO YOUR BODY
Have you ever heard your body speak to you?
If your body has tried speaking to you, would you recognize what it is saying?
I noticed my body not just speak to me but shout at me. Especially when it is hungry, tired, exhausted, and done for the day. I refer to my body as it, then me. I am learning to step out of myself per say and acknowledge my body as an entity. It is as though it exists independently. Let me explain.
I allow my thoughts to speak to my body in a way. Now when I am beginning to struggle, become short of breath with movement, I stop to think about my activity, what I have eaten, and what my average sleep apnea episodes were the night before. Then I take my pulse and % of oxygen saturation with my pulse oximeter. Look at my legs to check for severity of swelling. If I feel “strange”, I will check my blood pressure manually and listen to my heart and lungs with my stethoscope. With my data, I determine if I need to recline or literally must go back to sleep to “go flat”, lay down. (I have been dealing with my issues for a very long time and know when to see a doctor or go to urgent care vs emergency.)
There are so many ways the body speaks to us. I have listed a few examples of how the body can speak to or shout at us through symptoms.
- Changes in vitals: blood pressure, heart rate, and/or temperature
- Inflammation
- Fever
- Pain
- Changes in weight
- Fatigue
- Sluggish
- Brain Fog
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Headache
- Skin color changes
- Urine color, odor, amount, and/or frequency
- Stool color, amount, consistency, shape, and/or float or sink
- Hiccups/Burping
- Gas/Farting
- Stuffy or runny nose
- Vision changes or disturbance
- Bloating
- Sleep disturbances
- Anxiousness
- Fear
- Cravings
- Hunger increases or decreases
Do you recognize any of those listed? If so, have you shared that with your medical provider? It is good to keep track of them in a notebook. It is so important to know if there are times they occur more often or if there are triggers to them. Documentation helps visualize pieces to the health puzzle.
Unfortunately, most of the obvious symptoms may occur after the body has spoken in subtle gentle ways to warn us that there has been a mal function or disruption somewhere. By the time the symptoms are extreme and evident, the body is either shouting or screaming.
When I was in Jr. High, 13-14 years of age, I attempted to try out for the volleyball team. I think after first day of trying outs I had a scare. It took me over 4 hours to return to normal heart rate. I always knew I struggled with jumping jacks or raising my arms over my head, but I did not understand the extent until 26 years later. I didn’t hear my body warning me I was pushing past my safety limits with my heart until my heartbeat so rapidly and forceful, it was painful. I remember being unable to sleep until past midnight.
I was born with a hole in my heart, VSD (Ventricular Septal Defect). I was told at a young age to not gain weight and not have children. Well, I have gained weight and have 2 children. My body has been patient with me as I have placed extreme demands for it to work harder for it to function. The excess weight and changes of pregnancy have taken a toll on it. Let alone the hormonal shifts.
Over the years I have ignored my stomach pains and frequent headaches. I took those to be normal parts of life, stress, and hormone issues. I wish I had truly listened to my body more carefully as the tone of speech intensified over the years with the progressing symptoms.
In my 20’s my body spoke gently with stomach and headaches. In my 30s it was a bit stronger. I began to have mood swings and fatigue. By the end of my 30s I was having worse symptoms of shortness of breath, fatigue, and dizziness. By 40 I had open-heart surgery. I felt amazing for the first 6 months after open-heart surgery.
Well, the first 2 months after open-heart surgery I developed a side effect from my blood pressure medication, ace inhibitor induced cough. Basically, I was coughing constantly. This was painful as I was healing from my chest having been chain saw opened. (Further details in future posts). It took me over 3 weeks of coughing nonstop to realize that it was not normal. I contacted the doctor. I was told to stop the ace inhibitor blood pressure medication.
Had I paid closer attention to my body, I would have contacted the doctor sooner and not suffered for as long as I had.
Unfortunately, I can not change the past, it is gone. I can only learn from it to lessen my suffering in the future.
My health struggles are not over but more bearable. I have found ways to adapt. I have learned to internally tune in my hearing to listen to my body.
I have learned to listen to my body give me the green light, thumbs up to eat or red light, thumbs down to stay away from foods. Yesterday, I wasn’t feeling that great in the afternoon. I had soup and toast. I felt as though it was telling me that warm bland food is what it needed.
As I pay close attention to my body speaking to me through foods cravings, I have begun to understand about the nutrients of those foods. Such as craving chocolate, steak, zucchini, or spinach at the beginning of my menstrual cycles. Each of them had numerous vitamins and minerals I needed especially during those cyclic times.
The more I learn about nutritional benefits of food, I am amazed to discover why my body craves specific foods at specific times.
The body is amazing. The body has the ability to heal. It must be heard, listen to it. Document what is saying to you and when. Help it out.
If my body warns me with an upset stomach, I think about what just happened. I make a mental list: Was it something I ate? Am I getting anxious about something? What happened before the upset stomach?
Oh my, this reminds me of when I poured on this unusual green salsa over my tacos. Shortly after, hour or so, I was in the restroom several times in pain. I asked my husband if there was avocado in it. He said it was their green salsa. With 2 hours of pain and running to the restroom, I decided to call the restaurant. Sure enough, they had green salsa mixed with guacamole.
I quickly listened to my body that something was wrong. Identify what it may be. I called for confirmation. I decided to never eat green salsa from that place. I now proceed with caution with future green salsa, lol.
In summary, fighting to be healthy takes careful training to tune in internally to listen to the body warning of what it needs for fuel, needs to stay away from, caution of impending mal function or disruption to the system(s). Each body speaks differently or has its own language. It is important to listen carefully and pay close attention to documenting/keeping track along the way.
Listen and learn the rhythm of your body.
This information is for educational purposes. Please seek medical attention from your provider if you feel you have concerns with your health.
Sincerely,
Diahann Colón, RN, BSN, PHN
The Nurse In Your Pocket
Side note: Each time I think about listening to my body or when I write it down, I think of one of my favorite movies, Strictly Ballroom. I love the scene when the grandmother teaches the young man to listen to the rhythm and not to fear it, “Don’t be scared.”
