Learning to "hear" what your body is telling you for what it needs is challenging. To start, some people are just naturally better at it than others. But it is also challenging to tune in to those subtle cues when we live in such a distracting world. On top of that, everyone experiences body cues differently.
Today I wanted to share how I experience different body needs and also discuss some other signals I've found in my research of how others experience messages from their body about basic needs.
The purpose of today's post is to recognize how your body is trying to speak with you. You may read about signals you hadn't correlated with body needs before. At the end, I'd love to hear about the signals from your own body.
Hunger
When I feel slightly hungry, I get an empty feeling in my stomach. As my hunger grows, the sensation grows stronger, I may feel tired or irritable, and experience stomach growling. I start to have cravings for different things and get more distractible. If I go too long without feeding my body, I may get a headache or severe stomach pain.
Other signals people may experience include:
Dizziness
Anxiety
Heightened emotions
Mental exhaustion
Shakiness
Cravings
Feeling out of control around food
Fullness
Fullness has been hard for me to get better at detecting. I definitely have the habit of eating quickly for a long time and until the food is gone so I tend to ignore when I'm beginning to feel full. As I've started to pay more attention, the fullness signals that I have noticed include a lack of emptiness in my stomach and feeling satisfied. When I get too full, my stomach feels bloated and uncomfortable, so I'm trying to work on noticing what slight fullness feels like in my own body.
Other signs of fullness include:
Belly tightness
Food no longer sounds good
Good doesn't taste as good (sensory specific satiety)
NOTE: I was a little disappointed when I researched fullness cues as I found mostly negative symptoms associated with fullness. However, learning what fullness feels like to you can contribute to much more satisfied meal experiences and feeling more comfortable.
Thirst
When I need to drink more water, I notice the obvious sign of feeling thirsty, but I also get some more subtle signals. When I haven't had enough to drink I will experience dry or chapped lips, dry hands, and decreased bowel regularity. Again, when I become more dehydrated, I will get a headache.
Some other signals for thirst:
Dry, sticky mouth
Fatigue
UTIs
Moodiness
Urination/Bowel Movements
Probably the obvious signs for this category would be the discomfort or pressure in the abdomen, back, or genital area when we need to go to the bathroom. This may feel like a super simple concept but a lot of parents, like me, can vouch for the extreme difficulty if potty training a kid that can't feel the sensation that they need to go.
Some other signals you're waiting too long to use the bathroom could be:
Sweating
Fidgeting
Straining to have a BM
Abdominal pain
UTIs
Pain with urination
Feeling like it's emergency when you need to go
Kidney stones
Sleep/Rest
Sleep has always been something that I cannot go without. I usually fell asleep first at slumber parties when I was a kid and even in college, I couldn't tolerate all nighters. Therefore, sleep deprivation with having children was rough on my body and mental health.
Some signals I've noticed if I don't have enough sleep are severe difficulty waking in the morning, difficulty concentrating, irritability, and increased anxiety. In addition, I feel less happy, weak, and have little motivation when sleep deprived.
Some other signals that may mean your body is trying to tell you that you need more rest or sleep are:
Recurrent injuries
Getting sick often
Difficulty making decisions
Having a short fuse
Becoming easily overwhelmed in chaotic situations
Relying on caffeine during the day
Forgetfulness
Drowsiness while driving
You are making more mistakes than usual
Always hungry (although this could also be a sign of under eating too)
Weight gain
Motor skill issues/clumsiness more than usual
Impulsiveness
Memory loss
Movement
I have also found that working from home means a lot of time sitting. I have to be very intentional about getting up and moving around so I feel good. I can tell when I've been sitting too long when my butt starts to hurt, my muscles feel tight, and I'm feeling sleepy.
Some other signs your body may need to move include:
Getting out of breath easily with regular tasks
Moody
Constipated
Poor sleep
Forgetfulness
Low metabolism
Back pain
Often sick
Personal Hygiene
I joke that I forget when I've last showered now that I work from home, but I'm all seriousness, signs that I need to shower, aside from obvious visible and olfactory signs 😊, include an itchy scalp, feeling run down, clothes feel uncomfortable, and my skin just feels sticky.
Some other signs indicating the need for personal hygiene could include (some of these could be correlational versus causal in their relationship) :
Becoming sick often
Feeling depressed
Infections
Lack of self esteem
Being able to identify your own body's signals can greatly improve your mental well being and self trust, not to mention your overall physical health. Don't feel bad if some of these signals are harder to detect than others. Learning to "hear" and respond appropriately takes practice. Some key things to remember when practicing sensing your body signals include:
Limiting distractions
Actively looking for the signals
Being patient with yourself
Practice practice practice
I would love to hear from you and how you feel different signals from your body! Send me a message, share with a friend, or like on social media ❤️
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