If there’s one thing that strikes a sense of urgency in most people, it’s a warning light on their car. Hopefully, it’s just a petrol top-up that’s required, but at other times, those warning lights could highlight something more serious. What’s more, our cars go through regular checks to ensure they are safe for driving… from service to a WOF to checking the tyre pressure, checking the oil and (speaking as a parent) even just cleaning out all the missing socks, half chewed crackers and empty chip packets from the seats is regular ‘maintenance’ in the family vehicle.
Our cars are not more essential than us. So, do you take the same approach to your health? Since we don’t come with convenient warning lights that let us know when our body is overly stressed, lacking in iron, or needs rest (to name just a few examples), we must check in with ourselves regularly to see how we are going and what we need.
If you’re not already monitoring your physical health, as well as your well-being, I suggest it’s time to start doing it.
Here are a few ideas to inspire some regular checks.
“Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live.” – Jim Rohn
Every year or two, I order a full blood analysis from my GP. I ask for thyroid, cortisol, cholesterol, liver function - the works. I ask Labtests to send me a record so I can file the information for future doctor visits and compare them year on year to see if there are any areas I need to improve. Some doctors are reluctant to do these tests. I believe they are instructed to order them only if there’s a reason for concern. But for me, to check ‘how my health is and what tweaks can be made’ is reason enough. I suggest you do the same. You have the right to know what is going on in your body and if it has some health requirements that need to be sorted.
But don’t just rely on an annual ‘WOF’ checkup of your blood tests. I encourage you to check in with yourself several times a day to see how you’re feeling and your needs.
Let’s just consider how verbal children are about their requirements because they are ‘dependent’ on adults to ensure their needs are met.
“I’m hungry... I need a drink... I need a hug... I want to go outside… I’m tired… I need help…” Parents will be overly familiar with an exhaustive list of wants, needs and requests from the little humans in the family. While it may be tiring, children are beautifully in tune with their needs. Although I find the constant snack requests tiresome, I admire my boys’ ability to be straight up about their situation and what needs to change.
You’re the adult, it’s up to you to meet your needs.
I get it. When ‘real life’ kicks into high speed, we tend to spend our days racing from A-Z on autopilot and not so aware of what our needs are at the moment. And even if we are conscious of them, we may ignore them because we are too busy to prioritise ourselves. The human body has adapted to functioning on short bursts of adrenaline and cortisol occasionally. These hormones increase our strength, energy and focus from time to time. But in the long term, persistent surges of adrenaline can damage blood vessels, increase blood pressure and put you at greater risk of heart attack or stroke as well as anxiety, weight gain, headaches, and insomnia. If we care about our health, we need to be conscious of the flashing warning light in the body and even our mood. And these days, who isn’t feeling the pressure from beeping phones, an overflowing inbox, a groaning schedule and a lack of support to get through it all? In many ways, modern life is taxing on our health, and if we care about our health, we need to be conscious of the flashing warning light in the body and even our mood.
A car with a petrol light will only run for so long until it comes to a complete stop.
Ignore the warning signs in your body and even your mood (fatigue, irritability, digestive issues, headaches, insomnia, brain fog etc) at your own peril.
We are not machines.
We are as worthy of our attention as our vehicles.
We deserve tender loving care, just like the little people in our life.
One of the best aspects of mindfulness, for me, has been the heightened consciousness around my physical and emotional well-being and the ability to be deeply, intuitively aware of my needs.
“To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” – Buddha
Why mindfulness can help.
Mindfulness is simply the state of being conscious or aware of ourselves in the moment. The more we practice mindfulness, the more we break free from ‘rushing automatic pilot' mode’, notice if there is a warning light on in our body and become aware of our needs. The lovely thing is that the more we can engage in regular mindfulness practice, such as taking the time to pause and check in with ourselves, the better we cope with stress, not just because we are more aware of it, but because mindfulness helps to give us the skills to navigate our experiences with more ease and equanimity. Of course, it’s not a panacea, but it’s a tool that I think should be taught and encouraged in every home, school and workplace.
Sitting quietly for a few moments upon waking each morning is a good time to ‘go within’ and have a ‘chat’ with your body, asking yourself how you are feeling and what your needs are today. Not what needs to be done on your to-do list but what you need. This increased self-awareness can act as a warning light that something is not right. That way, we can take more control of our health and be decisive about the steps that need to be taken.
Another benefit is that increased self-awareness helps us to make better choices. Take a moment to run a mental tally on the source of food cravings (ie. tired and didn’t sleep well —> craving sugar —> eats chocolate —> temporary fix —> sugar crash). With more self-awareness, you can understand your experience and what might be a better option (ie. tired and didn’t sleep well —> craving sugar —> opts for herbal tea and a quick meditation or nap). This is a useful way to short-circuit a not-so-helpful food choice and opt for something that will boost fibre and nutrient intake to meet the body’s nutritional needs.
Pausing to ask ourselves what we need can help us be more in flow.
Given the rigidity of ‘adulting’ (be this place at that time, meet this deadline), I have realised the value in not running my personal time to the same inflexible schedule. I am the first to admit that I love a schedule, and I like to exercise at the same time every day, but I’ve recently moved on from being strictly ‘goal-oriented’ to ‘needs-oriented’. So, instead of a ‘Monday: upper body’ ‘Tuesday: cardio’ or ‘I must burn as many calories as possible’ type plan, I reflect on, ‘What does my body need right now?’ and choose my activity accordingly. This goes against all of those popular ‘bikini body boot camp plans’ and all the ‘quick fix’ approaches that advocate hours of exercise and drastic diets that cut numerous food groups out. Sure, one may not get results as quickly, but it feels good to be in tune with my body’s daily needs. If I feel lacklustre, a dance session with some house music cranking gets me buzzing. If I am sore, my body might just need a restorative stretch rather than be forced to lift weights through pain. Or sometimes my body craves a mindful walk in nature rather than a sweaty session in my garage/home gym. Nothing makes me feel better than being outside enjoying nature. Even Whittaker’s Peanut Butter Chocolate, and that’s saying a lot. ;-)
I pride myself on being organised. And it gives me comfort knowing that my days are structured. But the older and wiser I get, the more I discover that there’s a lot to be said for what I call ‘intuitive flexibility’ as a way to meet our emotional and physical needs.
As tired as the saying is, you can’t pour from an empty cup (or, for that matter, drive a car with an empty tank), so I implore you to be conscious about how you fill your (body and mind) tank each day. To start, take the time to simply come home to yourself and go within. In other words, put your phone down and step away from a screen. Close your eyes and sit very quietly for a few moments. Take a few gentle inhales and exhales. As you start to feel your shoulders drop and soften, you can ask yourself what you need to meet your physical and emotional needs at this time. Let your intuition guide you and listen to your true cravings. And I don’t mean the habits we’ve convinced ourselves we need. (Examples include: scrolling social media, caffeine, sugar, alcohol and nicotine). None of these quick fixes supports our health and can be detrimental in the long term. You just can’t fix stress with a bottle of wine or a coffee and a cigarette despite how much people may wish otherwise. And just like your vehicle, ignoring a warning light will lead to a high time and money cost down the road.
So, take care of yourself. You’re worth a lot more than your vehicle, after all.