Body over Mind

I have this constant hot feeling in my tummy—like a flexible, burning metal churning inside me. I get the occasional sharp pain in my side. There are ulcers in my mouth. The body has its own way of communicating when something is wrong. Sometimes it’s easy to dismiss—maybe it’s something I ate.
But when you really focus on your body and how it feels—and start keeping track of those sensations—you begin to recognise when it's sending you a warning.

Is your body or your mind a better gauge of your wellbeing?
My mind tells me I’m ready to return to work.
But my body says—not yet.
It’s speaking in all the ways it knows how.
Every time I have a thought that my body disagrees with, a sharp pain jolts my side, forcing me to acknowledge that I’m not making choices in my best interest. The churning in my stomach is a constant reminder to be gentle with myself—to stop pushing. The ulcers are saying you’re stressed—nourish yourself.

It’s a strange thing to learn and accept about yourself: that you might need to give yourself time off, to create space to reconnect with your own needs.

I was never very aware of the body’s warning system.
I think I began tuning in more after I started meditating regularly about a year ago. I’m not “skilled” at meditation—I just follow an app on my phone for five minutes a day (recently bumped up to ten). But even that small commitment has made a difference.
It’s helped me notice what’s happening in my body and made me respect it more. I’ve started to recognise where discomfort sits in me and feel curious about it—Why does this ache? What happened recently? Is there something mentally unsettling me?
And slowly, it’s led me to trust my body more.

Trusting myself is hard when I feel the weight of societal, work, and personal expectations.
I want to be someone with a job that aligns with my values, who is highly skilled and respected at work. I want to be capable and strong, a reliable friend, someone who is consistently thinking of others regardless of what I am going through.
My mind urges me—go back to work, make those plans, keep up.
But my body is a big red stop sign.

So the sensible thing to do—the kindest thing—is to listen to my body.
To rest.