When your body speaks, do you listen?
Ninety-nine times out of a hundred I would have spelled the word right.
S. O. U. V. E. N. I. R.
Souvenir.
However, in that moment, when it really mattered most, I had a total brain collapse and I spelled it wrong.
S. O. U. V. E. R. N. I. R.
DING… “We’re sorry Mr. Sullivan… Congratulations Riannon”
For the second year in a row Riannon Fletcher (yes, I still remember her name even though it was in the 4th grade) beat me in the school Spelling Bee. I took second place. It felt like I should have been the first loser. I was devastated and distraught. It was probably the easiest word I had been given during the course of the competition and because of one fleeting moment when I decided I’d just spout out my answer instead of thinking it through, I misspelled the word.
I missed out on the 8 inch trophy of a bee wearing glasses and a cap and gown. I missed out on my chance to go to regionals and compete for that $50 first prize furnished by the local newspaper. And most of all I missed out on the glory of being recognized by my peers as “the best speller in the school.” This was before spell check too, so it was kind of a big deal.
This is obviously all a little bit tongue in cheek (only a little though, I hold grudges), but do we ever do the same thing to our bodies?
Do we ever just skip over that internal prompting or voice that’s helping us understand what it is we need nutritionally, just because we’re in a rush or because we try and outsmart our intuition?
I know that I do.
When I was 9 years old I trained my brain countless hours so that I could win that spelling bee. The amazing thing about our bodies is that they instinctively come packaged with the ability to let us know when things are running smoothly, and when there’s a red flag.
All we have to do is take the time to listen. We have to stop and think long enough to hear our bodies tell us what they need.
As life gets increasingly busy, the ability to stop and ask ourselves “am I full, or am I trying to clear my plate?” becomes more and more difficult. When we eat that favorite food we know is going to make us sick afterward (hello pork nachos!), we’re ignoring the wisdom of our bodies.
All the studying in the world won’t better help us understand our dietary needs better than the signals from our own bodies. That’s a fact. Next time we reach for that chicken wing (traditionally indigestion-inducing), cheese stick (for the lactose sensitive), or baguette (for the gluten sensitive), let’s take a quick pause and listen before we partake.
Taking the time to learn from our bodies will definitely help in our respective journeys to be H. A. P. P. Y. Guaranteed!
Do you have any techniques you use to listen to your super wise body? Share them in the comments!
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Jun 27, 2011 @ 14:37:28
I was a bit surprised when I got to the bottom of this little story and realized it was Ryan who wrote it! I should haved guessed by the humor.
No novel techniques, but I am working on consciously (did I spell that right?) pausing more often to assess if I’m really hungry, why I’m craving sweets, or if it’s really dehydration. Just pausing before reaching seems to be helping.
When Your Body Speaks, Do You Listen? | No More Bacon
Jun 28, 2011 @ 01:04:28
[...] Please come with me to the Attune Foods Blog so we can talk about listening to our bodies. [...]
Jun 28, 2011 @ 06:22:57
Ah, love this post! I subscribed to the “intuitive eating” way of life a few years ago, and it has changed my life. After 20 years of dieting/binge eating, I was scared to let go and trust my… well, gut. Once I stopped the dieting madness, I started really taking note of how every food I ate made me feel. Fast-forward a few years to the present, and there are certain foods I just never eat because they make me feel horrible- donuts, sugary cereal, and jalapeno poppers from Jack in the Box, to name a few things. Also, if I’m having one of those days where I just can’t seem to eat enough, pausing to ask myself, “what do I REALLY need?” will usually prompt me to put the jar of peanut butter down and go do something meaningful. Being aware and present and mindful takes practice, especially in this day of GO! GO! GO! I noticed a huge difference in my body, mind and spirit when I began listening to the gentle wisdom that my body has to offer. Good stuff!
Jun 28, 2011 @ 06:46:32
When eating I sometimes don’t give my body enough time to talk to me. Adnd what usually ends up happening is I over eat:-( Nice post. In sixth grade, Kevin Connolly beat me in the spelling bee. The word I missed cordial. C.O.R.D.I.A.L cordial!
Jun 28, 2011 @ 09:48:23
Ryan – this is something I blog about a lot – not always formally though but I am always writing how I listen to my bod & do what feels right for me. It took me a few years “to get it” but once I did, all was good. We are all different so I feel we do need to “listen” to what our bods are telling us not only with eating but exercise & life too!
Great post!
Jun 28, 2011 @ 09:55:49
As we start down the exploratory path of whether my girl is lactose intol.or not this is so timely.
What a gift to learn to listen ad to KNOW to skip the cheese stick because of how it makes her feel.
Jun 28, 2011 @ 13:16:58
Isn’t it amazing how much “studying” we do on the right foods for our body, best diets, what everyone else is eating (or not eating) and what we really should be doing is just listening to our own bodies! Yay for that!
Jun 28, 2011 @ 13:54:33
Ryan, why do you always ask the hard questions?
The answer is no, I do not listen.