A new calendar year has begun, but really, the numbers on the calendar don’t matter near as much as our own inner tracking system.
We all know when it’s time for our basic bodily needs such as eating, rest,giving and receiving intimacy. What I’d like to remind you about is how
it also tells us when it’s time to act. We receive nudges that tell us we need to move away or toward something. We may start to crave being outside, physically moving, relaxation and rejuvenation, getting away from a situation or person.
When we get so uncomfortable in our life it’s more than a nudge, it’s a command. Life would be so much easier for us if we acted on these needs instead of ignoring them. Can you imagine how healthy it would be for
us to ignore our need for food or sleep? It could literally kill us.
How important do you think it is that you pay attention to your needs? The clue is in the word “need”. It isn’t a want. It’s a need.
But we’re stubborn humans who have a brain that tells us it must be safer where we are than where we might go; because at least this is familiar. And usually, also a history of being told to suck it up and push through.
I admit I’m guilty of it too. There are times we have to push through otherwise we’d become spineless blobs not getting anything out of life.
Here’s what I do to know when it’s time to either push through or redirect with rest, food, a new angle to tackle a problem, person, or thing. I pay
attention to my body. It tells me a lot.
For me, I feel like I’m being strangled. My throat and neck get tight. It’s not pleasant. When this happens as I’m working on a project, I give it one last little bit of a push knowing I’ll feel immensely better when it is finished. If necessary I take a break and then come back to the task. Some projects take multiple breaks for me to get through them.
If it’s a situation I need to address, I’m that rip the band-aid off kind of girl. I want it over with. I even told my husband the other night after an ‘airing of grievances’ that I knew it would get better after we talked. And it did very quickly.
You see, not honoring our needs is denying ourselves what it takes to thrive in this life. This year I’m determined to do a better job at this. And yes, sometimes I NEED chocolate.
