I recently ran across a meme that said, “If you listen to your body when it whispers, you won’t have to hear it scream.” I shared it in a Facebook post because so many of my clients come to me the first time with their body screaming or complaining loudly. Regardless, waiting until you’re in pain before seeking help is not the greatest of ideas. Convincing your body it can heal itself is much easier and results occur much more quickly if you learn to listen when your body is whispering.
The idea of the body whispering intrigued me because you don’t often see hints and tips on how to identify the pre-emptive rumblings of physical malfunction. So, I spent some time talking to my regular clients and asking them what they considered whispers that prompted them to schedule a massage. Then I spent some more time with a couple of my massage communities asking the bodywork experts what they considered the early, early warnings. The following list is what I learned from exploring this idea.
How to tell when your body is whispering…
Hello, Listen!
First you have to tune in and actually start listening to your body. So many of us ignore the small aches, pains, rumblings, and grumblings that our body has. Start tuning in to those things. Here are a couple of articles that talk more about this subject.
Unexpected Emotions
If you’re normally a pretty even keeled person, but find yourself weepy for no good reason or losing patience with people or situations that normally would be no big deal, that’s a pretty loud whisper. Maybe you’re suddenly angry at situations that normally wouldn’t bother you or you feel the green-eyed monster creeping in when your friend gets some good news. Unexpected emotions are sure signs of stress whether it be work-related, family issues, or not getting enough rest. In cases like this, a good massage can help take the edge off and down regulate the nervous system allowing you to get back to your normal self.
Poor Quality Rest
There are a lot of reasons people have trouble sleeping or getting good rest. If you find yourself feeling tired or just generally lethargic then it’s time to take action. Check out your sleeping area. Make sure it’s quiet, dark, and free from attack kitties. Consider an herbal sleeping draught before bedtime. If these things don’t seem to be working it might be time to get some bodywork to see if it’s low-grade pain or stress keeping you awake. Click here to read more about creating bedtime rituals.
Discomfort
You know when your hip sort of catches when you get up from a sitting position and you have to stand there and let it unwind before you can take off, that’s the kind of discomfort I’m talking about. Or if you catch yourself absentmindedly rubbing that troublesome spot on your neck. I’m talking about those little aches and pains we ignore so we can get a little further through our day. Then there’s the restlessness that won’t let you sit still. A lot of times that is caused by discomfort that we’re not even aware of. These types of discomforts are the harbingers of real and sometimes very painful soft tissue and even structural issues. What most of us consider small, inconvenient pains can be eliminated by receiving regular bodywork and may head off looming issues that can keep us from working and enjoying life.
Reduced Function
Maybe nothing is hurting, but one day you notice you’re just having more trouble bending over to tie your shoes. Or there’s an activity you have been doing forever that suddenly is much more difficult than it used to be. Or maybe one day you just can’t do something that you did just fine yesterday. This is where your massage therapist can really shine by getting you back into fighting shape.
Apathy
When you stop caring about people, pets, your home, or activities that used to bring you joy, it’s time to sit up and really pay attention. This can also manifest as a lack of motivation, feeling overwhelmed, lack of joy, feeling fried, done, or burned out. All of these feelings are serious clues to something being wrong in our world. Perhaps we just need some downtime away from the usual stressors where we can take care of ourselves and our mental health. But sometimes it can be more serious than that and we need to see a doctor or mental health professional to guide us through it.
Where do we go from here?
So what do you do if you’re reading this and realize that your body is whispering to you? I believe there’s no magic bullet when it comes to fixing tissue issues; it takes a multi-disciplinary approach. Massage therapy is going to be one of the first things I recommend for almost everyone who has a whispering (or screaming) body. It’s minimally invasive and helps to relieve all sorts of physical, emotional, and mental issues. I usually recommend massage therapy first before seeing other bodywork and medical personnel unless someone is clearly injured, sick, or showing tendencies of self-harm.
For learning to listen to your body I recommend some form of meditation. There are an avalanche of studies being published almost every day about the benefits and value of meditation. For other more active relaxation techniques, movement, flow, and binaural beats music are invaluable tools. And finally, plant medicine, don’t forget the beautiful herbal tonics and remedies that are available to us for relaxation and healing. If you don’t know where to start with herbs, let me know and I’ll give you a referral to an herbalist.
Happy Listening!
Sharon Bryant at Harvest Moon Massage Therapy is Decatur’s Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage Therapist!