Listening to the Love Letters from Your Body

I used to think my body was letting me down. These days, I see it as one of my wisest teachers.

Post-cancer treatment, I met fatigue in a way I’d never known before. Not the “I’ve had a long day” kind of tired, but the sudden, heavy, “my system is done” kind.

And while I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, it’s shown me something precious: my body sends love letters - gentle signals before the sirens - that guide me back to balance.

This isn’t a blog about doing more. It’s about listening more.

Wisdom vs. Anxious Thinking (How to Tell the Difference)

When we ask, “Should I push through or should I rest?” the mind can get very loud.

Here’s how I tell what’s speaking to me:

Wisdom feels calm, simple, sure. It doesn’t argue.

Anxious thinking feels pressured and confused: “What if I don’t do enough? What if I’m letting people down?”

When I’m in anxious thinking, I try to figure out the right answer. When I’m in wisdom, the next step is obvious, or I’m happy to wait until it is.

Fatigue Is Not Failure

Fatigue is different from tiredness. Tiredness says, “Sleep will help.” Fatigue says, “Everything is too much right now.”

In the past, I’d add pressure on top of that: Be better. Do more. Keep up.
Now I can see that pressure is the exhausting part. If I rest my body while my mind runs a marathon and I participate, I haven’t really rested at all.

The Body’s “Love Letters”

Your body speaks in whispers before it has to shout.

Mine looks like:
Joints feeling achy for no clear reason
Wired-but-tired at bedtime
A flicker of irritability or brain fog
A quiet sense of “not quite right”

These are love letters, not punishments.

They’re invitations to listen, simplify, and come back to presence.

Curiosity Beats Self-Criticism (Every Time)

Instead of, “Ugh, why am I like this?” I ask, “What is my body asking for?”

Curiosity opens the door to wisdom. Criticism slams it shut.

Try this shift:

From “I should be able to handle more.”
To “What would be kind to myself right now?”

Resting Fully: Body and Mind

Real rest isn’t just horizontal. It’s mental too.

If I’m lying down while rehearsing tomorrow’s to-do list, that’s not rest. When I notice the mind starting to spin, I gently let it be.

Thoughts are safe - even uncomfortable ones. I don’t need to fix them. I can let them pass like headlines on a ticker tape.

Celebrate the Small (It’s Not Small)

On some days, brushing my teeth, having a shower, and getting dressed were victories. That’s not lowering standards; that’s meeting reality with kindness.

Celebrating what is done shifts the nervous system toward safety… and from there, energy returns faster.

When You Push Through (Because Sometimes You Will)

Life happens. Kids, jobs, flights, stairs that come out of nowhere! If you push through and pay for it later - you haven’t failed. You’ve learned something. Offer yourself the same compassion you’d give a friend and let your system reset.

You’re Not Broken - You’re Brilliantly Designed

Your body and mind are on your side. The system is self-correcting when we stop wrestling it. Peace and clarity are our default - noise just covers them up. The more we trust that, the less we need to manage every thought or control every outcome.

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