What are the messages from your body telling you?

Today I wanted to share some pretty cool resources that I've come across recently that I think you'd really appreciate.

It's the stories of two formerly successful medical professionals who have started to look at their mental, emotion and physical health and listen to their intuition while working in the medical system. 

I find it SO interesting because they are NOT woo woo crazy people, but hard working women who just recognised that they had been pushing really hard in one direction but their bodies and subconscious minds were calling them to do something else.

 
While they seemingly had it all, were logical and science focussed. They were both working in industries where proof was king. Yet when they paid attention to the seemingly unimportant  and unexplained niggling aches and pains, or voices of their intuition. Their lives changed radically. 

For me, these types of interviews are so much more relevant that the stock standard literature on burnout. They started paying attention to the not-so-tangible signs of discomfort and they were then were able to better position themselves to create lives that suited them best.   
 
We already know that irritability, loss or increase in appetite, loss of interest in usual leisure activities, increased alcohol consumption and unexplained tiredness are some of the more common symptoms we associate with impeding burnout. But here I want to pay particular attention to a symptom that often goes unrecognised, the niggling aches and pains and unexplained illnesses that can crop up when we start pushing too hard for too long in something that isn’t working for us.

So, without further ado, I bring to you two podcast brought to you by Australian entrepreneur, Karly Nimmo in her podcasting series, Karlosophies.
 
While Karly’s interviews focus on the trials and tribulations of entrepreneurs in particular, I still found these two podcasts offered great discussions about the way our bodies and our subconscious minds can bring to light little warning signs and messages about our current lifestyle to uproot and reveal a better and more joyful way of living.
 
These discussions align so much with the intention and content of my online course, Crisis to Connection, which encourages us to look more deeply at what our bodies and mind are telling us about our wellness, and creating our own personalise solutions to bring more joy and fun into our world.
 
Podcast 1:  Jenna Ward (Former pharmacists, now kinesiologist) Episode 17
 
Check out 0:00 – 5:21. Here Jenna Ward describes how life was before and after finding kinesiology. Jenna’s so interesting because she had achieved what she had wanted to do in terms of school achievement and getting a good job. She talks about the physical symptoms she was experiencing (and her attempts to mask them) and how they related to her general emotional and mental dissatisfaction with the way she was living.
 
In coming weeks I’ll be taking more about the relevance of some of these symptoms within the framework of Traditional Chinese Medicine but in the meantime here are the stories of two medical professionals who both recognised that their bodies have been telling them that something was up before reaching crisis point.
 
If you like, you can download the podcast here at:
http://karlynimmo.libsyn.com/rss
Be sure to click Episode 17
 
Podcast 2: Kylie Patchett  (Former forensic scientist, now mindset coach) 
 
Kylie Patchett seemingly had it all the very decent income, nice car, good job managing 200 staff yet she talks of a niggling feeling that she is “haemorrhaging joy”. Once she took a new path, it led her to her current career as a mindset coach. Check out the first five minutes.

If this interests you further you can get the podcast here
http://karlynimmo.libsyn.com/rss
 
Be sure to click Episode 59
 
While these are extreme examples of needing to take a new look at our lives, perhaps there are messages (or feelings) that are letting you know where your life could be tweaked to allow you to live more joyfully. Do you have a niggling feelings about where your life could be improved or tweaked?
 
I’m not at all suggesting a total life overhaul here like these women. I’m referring to more subtle changes that can totally re-energise and re-inspire you. Some questions to consider include:

Is there a sport you would love to start playing?
Have you been drawn to visit a special place on your next holiday?
Do you need to start saying no to a regular commitment outside of your work?
Are there a group of people you feel drawn to meet up with?
Is there an old friend you should contact about a new career opportunity (in or out of your chosen field of work)?
 
The beauty of listening to your body early on is that you can avoid the whole Life Overhaul Burnout Situation just by making very small changes and tweaks that can make a world of difference to your levels of happiness right now, today. Cool huh?

Small but big life changes could include:
- meeting a new group of people who share your interests and values more fully than they do now;
- moving to a suburb or a home with a bit more blue sky and less  traffic, closer to a gym or a swimming pool;
- taking up that art class you've been contemplating for months now;
- going back an area for a holiday that was meaningful to you as a kid; or
- resting when you need to rest, to read a book you've had on your mind for weeks.

The thing with starting to listen to your intuition is that you don't really know what's on the other side, it might be a chance meeting, it could be reuniting with an old friend, it could be rediscovering a passion that's been forgotten from when you were a kid. 

I’d love you to make a comment on this post below nd let me know about a time you followed your instincts to people or activities that bring you fun, passion or support. Or, if you are feeling brave, let me know what hunch you want to follow up on and let us know the results;)