Learning to Listen to My Body’s Messages
Despite being crude, Mark Manson is pretty wise. I am currently reading The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck and have found quite a lot of takeaways. For one, recognizing the value of pain. This pain can be physical or mental. Either way, it is a warning system that your body gives you to say: “Hey! Enough of that!”
For many years I had chronic health problems. A years-long stomach ache, vision problems, a heart that could have belonged to a scared rabbit, and nervous system issues so severe that I had to go to physiotherapy to relearn basic tasks – like touching my fingers together. A cause was never really identified. Sure, there were diagnoses- depression, POTS, chronic fatigue syndrome, etc. but they always described symptoms. Never the cause.
Looking back, I can understand my stomach ache, racing heart, and overworked nervous system. I understand what my body was trying to tell me. It was telling me: “Enough!” It was overworked. I knew that, but I didn’t know how to fix it. I didn’t see a path toward healing and peace.
I think it is a big step for me to admit there was a problem. So many of the people in my life at the time (including myself) frantically said, “No, this is fine!” It became my new (yet completely unsustainable) normal. Looking at our emotions and physical symptoms as a warning system in a way takes away judgment from them. It makes symptoms impersonal.
Do you get annoyed at your house when your fire alarm goes off or do you go check what’s wrong? A symptom is not a personal failure, it is just that your own internal check-engine light has been on for a while and you should probably look into it.
Messy Bun Book Lover
(Originally posted on June 16, 2025)
Read The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson → https://amzn.to/3IQtwrE
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