A few weeks ago, I broke my toe. I learnt the hard way not to cough and walk in the dark. As I have been healing, I have learnt how much my healing is readying on listening to my body and I wish I had learnt more of the skills I know now when I was younger, so I wouldn’t have punished my body as much.
What does Punish Mean?
There are a variety of meanings of punish including –
- “inflict a penalty or sanction on someone for (such an offence).” ~ Google
- “to subject to pain, loss, confinement, death, etc., as a penalty for some offense, transgression, or fault.“ ~ Dictionary.com
- “to punish anyone who commits a particular crime” ~ Cambridge Dictionary
- “to deal with roughly or harshly” and “to impose a penalty on for a fault, offense, or violation” ~ Merriam-Webster Dictionary
For me the biggest way I punished my body was simply not listening to it and eating food unconsciously. I didn’t realise the range of skills and resources I had forgotten and needed to relearn (i.e. interoceptive awareness). I love how Louise Hay reframes punishment…
“Be willing to stop punishing yourself for your mistakes. Love yourself for your willingness to learn and grow.” ~ Louise Hay
What does Listen Mean?
Listen means to –
- “give one’s attention to a sound.” ~ Google
- “to give attention with the ear; attend closely for the purpose of hearing” ~ Dictionary.com
- “to give attention to someone or something in order to hear him, her, or it” ~ Cambridge Dictionary
In relation to listening to your body, it is giving it attention and listening to the cues, signals and sensations it gives you.
What are Some Ways to Start Listening to the Body?
When it comes to listening to the inner wisdom of the body, there are several ways we can tune in to it and I have created a graphic to show them below –
Some specific examples of ways you can start to listen to your body include listening to your –
- hunger cues to decide when it is time to eat,
- fullness cues to decide when to stop eating,
- taste and satiety cues to decide what to eat, and
- sensations within the body to decide what movement is pleasurable and what is not (helps in avoiding injuries).
Over to You
Do you punish your body? If so, is it time to start listening to it and transform your relationship with it? Feel free to share any questions or comments, please leave them below.
“Once you forgive yourself, the self-rejection in your mind is over. Self-acceptance begins, and the self-love will grow so strong that you will finally accept yourself just the way you are. That’s the beginning of the free human. Forgiveness is the key.” ~ Don Miguel Ruiz
If you are ready to reclaim your courage and take the next step towards your freedom and opening your heart, why not join our Toolkit?
Also – you are invited to download the free 10-minute mindful eating exercise here.
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