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Listen to Yourself — Your Body, Your Energy & Your Mood
Day Four of my journey toward greater health and wellness
I’ve never been a good sleeper. When I was little, my mom suggested an exercise to help me fall asleep. She’d say, “Lie flat on your back and say goodnight to each of your body parts, one at a time. Start at your toes and gradually work your way up.” I know it sounds silly. But I tried it. And sometimes I fell asleep before making it to my nose.
The funny thing about that story is that it’s the first thing that popped into my mind when I read about the “body listening practice” of the 10-day experience I’m participating in. My mom may have been ahead of her time. Her advice sent a similar message to the words of my yoga instructor — that having a conversation with your body can help you achieve greater health and wellness, and in that particular case, a good night’s sleep.
I’ve got to be honest — it all seems a little corny to me. But I’m all in with this thing, so I’m trying to be open-minded. Here’s my solution. Instead of journaling about how I honored or disrespected my body or keeping track of things like whether my gut felt better in the morning or in the afternoon, I played a little game with myself today. I paid close attention to the emotions I experienced at different points throughout the day and thoughtfully decided on one word to…
