“Listen to your body, listen to your soul.”
Introduction
This page will attempt to help you with questions like: What do I do about feeling ill? What, if anything, should I think about it? (Quick answer: illness is (obviously) a natural consequence of showing up to life, but it can also be a sign that you’re not listening to what your body (and soul) is really needing right now.)
Another three minute guide to a common thought/feeling (a la The 3 Principles).
My Thoughts About Feeling ILL
Okay, at time of writing I have two forms of ill health I’m aware of, that have been in my life for the last few years:
- Ongoing athletes foot – regular doses of cider vinegar help
- A low level cold – runny nose, a bit of a cough
Both of these things flare up when I am tired.
So I guess you could say I have two symptoms of not listening to my body’s wisdom, that I’m currently engaged in. And, as I’ve said, there is probably a single source of my illness: tiredness – so my body’s defences don’t have enough energy to let the natural healing forces do their stuff.
(This is a form of me getting in my own way – being tired – can you see that?)
One source of tiredeness, or fatigue, is unhealthy mental activity – also known as worrying. And even though I worry much less than I ever used to, I’m still a bit of a worrier. I can almost tell I’m worrying over some recent event, at times, simply for the ‘pull’ on my energies…
About Feeling ILL: I Once Had Fatigue, For Years…
Several years ago, my worrying and anxiety got so bad that I worried myself into a fatigue that lasted a few years. Trips to the doctor didn’t help – blood levels were fine – but I WAS exhausted all the time. I didn’t like this, as you can imagine.
A couple of bouts of homeopathy sorted out the problem.
Or (what I’m going to call) a couple of bouts of ‘being listened to’ helped – by the homeopaths, and then by me – I kinda sensed that I was worrying myself ill, even though that did not seem plausible to me at the time.
My energy levels are so much higher these days. Just every now and then – boom! – my energy collapses again, almost as if I’ve returned to high (unseen by me) levels of mental activity. I let it pass, now, and I most definitely make sure I drink more water.
More About Ill Health and Worry
What do I worry about, then, that could cause so much mental energy to be used up? Well I’ve worried about relationships. I’ve worried about what other people think. And whilst I’ve never worried about ‘shame’, not feeling shamed (or not wanting to be demonised) is a powerful source of worry, for me at least.
I usually take my ill health as a direct sign that I am out of balance with life, out of balance with with listening to myself.
And so I take the appropriate action as soon as I notice something’s up.
And if that means I need to rest a while, then that’s what I do, because my health is VERY important to me (isn’t your health to you?).
About Feeling ILL – The Inside-Out Understanding
Illness is feedback. That’s all. A kind of speed bump telling you that this is not the direction to keep heading.
Illness is natural, too. It comes from growing, living, and being in the world.
Recovering from illness is also natural, just let your body use its energy to heal itself. (Listen to doctors, too, of course. And listen to how well they are listening to you, too.)
- So don’t fight your illness – “this shouldn’t be happening to me, not right now!”. Surrender, let go, instead.
- Don’t worry about being ill – you are ill, now let the healing begin.
- Listen. And keep listening. What good can come from this?
That’s all I have to say, really, bout illness – those are my thoughts about being ill. Not exactly sure why I’m sharing on this particular feeling, other than to highlight the often un-listened to wisdom of the body. But I am. It came up, it seems, so I’ve shared…
Whilst I do not specialise in coaching people to good health, I most certainly know how to help people (like you) heal, to recognise your wellness, and that’s by encouraging you into silence, stillness, so the healing can begin.
About Feeling ILL – Video
Here’s what I was inspired to share in a video I recorded in October, 2015:
Thoughts About Feelings Video Series MENU:
Introduction | Angry | Anxious | Broken-Hearted | Confident | Confused | Contented | Defensive | Depressed | Disappointed | Enthusiastic | Fearful | (In) Flow | Foolish | Frustrated | Fulfilled | Hopeless | Overwhelmed | Sad | Uncertain | Unwell (ILL)
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Thoughts About Feelings full video playlist on YouTube
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"If you don't have a smile, I'll give you one of mine." – Unknown
(A SMILE video and more smile quotes here!)
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