Recently A + therapist and I were talking about how I can clue into my body to help me make important life decisions such as the people I want to give my time and energy to, everyday decisions related to my health, which Taylor Swift song to blast in my car, and which season of Real Housewives is the best. You know, all those really critical life decisions. She said “You don’t have to process everything. If you tune in to your body your body will let you know if a decision is the right one, a person in your life is meant to be there, etc. You just have to listen.”

The last two years my body and I have built quite the relationship with one another. Many days it’s a love-hate relationship, but one non-negotiable in our new relationship is I have to listen to her or I pay greatly. There is no ignoring the signs and signals she’s giving and just pushing through. Pushing through leads to crashing and crashes can last hours, days, or weeks. As I have cultivated a closer and more in tune relationship with my body I have noticed that I get sensations when I am in certain places, with certain people, trying to make certain decisions, etc. Instead of hanging up the phone on my body, I am trying to learn to listen to those sensations and the messages they are trying to send.

There are things in life that we have to do whether we want to or not. These include paying taxes, going to the DMV, and sitting through meetings that easily could have been an email. That is one of the joys of adulting! However, there are many things in our lives we can choose. How often have you made a decision, or said yes to something or someon when everything inside your body was saying No? How often have you ignored your own gut and your intuition because you didn’t want to be labeled as difficult, judgmental, etc? Somewhere along the path of growing up we are taught not to trust our gut and those instinctual signals our bodies send us to let us know that something is off. I am here to tell you that without question that when your body speaks it is speaking for a reason and you really should listen.

In any and every area of your life clue into how your body feels and let that guide you. Clue into the messages your body is sending through sensations and let them help you make decisions. Trust that little voice inside you because that little voice is the most authentic part of yourself. That little voice ins’t worried about being liked, or being enough, or the opinions of others. That little voice is only worried about taking care of you. That little voice can offer a lot of clarity and save you the headache of processing a decision, weighing the pros and cons, etc. Your body knows what things, people, environments, decisions are best for you… You just have to be willing to listen.