Our Bodies
In the past, I've written a lot about the importance of knowing who you are as a person in order to make better informed decisions and in order to better understand those around you. However, there's another aspect of yourself that merits your attention.
On the outside, it is quite apparent that we are all individuals, that we are all different. However, when asked to think about how our insides compare, most of us will revert to our high school anatomy class teaching us that we are all the same.
How true is that though? Yes, we all have the same parts in roughly the same places (with the obvious gender exceptions), but we also have different levels of hormones running through us, different chemistry working its science magic within our brains. All of these little differences contribute just as much to our individual personalities as our experiences do. That being said, don't they merit as much attention, as much of an attempt at understanding?
A previous post entitled Keep Calm and Carry On My Wayward Son is a perfect example of what I am trying to say. In this post, I made reference to the importance of understanding how we react to stressful situations. By understanding that we all react differently to the adrenaline coursing through our systems, we are better able to understand how we are affected and how our reactions contribute to, and impact a situation.
The same can be explored in regards to our metabolisms, our sleep requirements, our hormone levels, the way we react to alcohol, even the way our bodies react when we fall ill.
For example, where one person may become violently ill come flu season and find themselves worshiping the gods of the porcelain throne each time, my body tends to take more of an IT approach. When I cross paths with a virus, more often than not my body says “You seem to be running a little hot/slow, have you tried shutting down and starting back up again?”. Yes, I am one of those few people lucky enough to sleep through most cold or flu bugs.
Understanding this allows me to realize that when I start becoming forgetful and tired, it's because I am sick and need to commit myself to a day of sleep. If I ignore these warnings and my body's natural troubleshooting, the virus then has a chance to strike harder and with more side effects.
It is my belief that our bodies tell us exactly what they need when we are willing to listen. When we get cravings for a particular food, sometimes it is our bodies telling us that it is low on something it needs (though sometimes it is just our sugar addiction making itself known.) Sometimes our body communicates that we need to be drinking more water by giving us a headache, and sometimes it yawns to let us know we are tired.
At times, what our body is communicating is obvious, other times it isn't but only because we haven't learned enough about ourselves to understand what is being said. Much like a new parent learning to distinguish the meanings of their newborns various cries, we need only pay enough consistent attention to learn the language.
How true is that though? Yes, we all have the same parts in roughly the same places (with the obvious gender exceptions), but we also have different levels of hormones running through us, different chemistry working its science magic within our brains. All of these little differences contribute just as much to our individual personalities as our experiences do. That being said, don't they merit as much attention, as much of an attempt at understanding?
A previous post entitled Keep Calm and Carry On My Wayward Son is a perfect example of what I am trying to say. In this post, I made reference to the importance of understanding how we react to stressful situations. By understanding that we all react differently to the adrenaline coursing through our systems, we are better able to understand how we are affected and how our reactions contribute to, and impact a situation.
The same can be explored in regards to our metabolisms, our sleep requirements, our hormone levels, the way we react to alcohol, even the way our bodies react when we fall ill.
For example, where one person may become violently ill come flu season and find themselves worshiping the gods of the porcelain throne each time, my body tends to take more of an IT approach. When I cross paths with a virus, more often than not my body says “You seem to be running a little hot/slow, have you tried shutting down and starting back up again?”. Yes, I am one of those few people lucky enough to sleep through most cold or flu bugs.
Understanding this allows me to realize that when I start becoming forgetful and tired, it's because I am sick and need to commit myself to a day of sleep. If I ignore these warnings and my body's natural troubleshooting, the virus then has a chance to strike harder and with more side effects.
It is my belief that our bodies tell us exactly what they need when we are willing to listen. When we get cravings for a particular food, sometimes it is our bodies telling us that it is low on something it needs (though sometimes it is just our sugar addiction making itself known.) Sometimes our body communicates that we need to be drinking more water by giving us a headache, and sometimes it yawns to let us know we are tired.
At times, what our body is communicating is obvious, other times it isn't but only because we haven't learned enough about ourselves to understand what is being said. Much like a new parent learning to distinguish the meanings of their newborns various cries, we need only pay enough consistent attention to learn the language.
So listen up bros and bras, your stomach growling it's hunger isn't the only language your body speaks.
Keep up the journey of self discovery, cheers!
Keep up the journey of self discovery, cheers!
The Bra Street Rambler
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