“I love you and I’m listening.” 

I’ve been saying these words to myself for over a decade. You can find ones that feel right to you or borrow these simple words to start right now. Asking a question is always a beautiful next place to go. Because what does an open-ended question do? It prompts and leaves room for a response. 

It could go like this… “What can I do to help you?” “How can I support you?” “What do you need most from me right now?”

Imagine in a relationship with your partner, your lover… what if you proactively said these words to your person? If your lover had something on their chest, they would now have a safe and loving space to share it or at least the open invitation.  

There’s one more piece here that we can’t miss. Stillness. Full attention. If you say to your love, “I love you and I’m listening. What can I do to help right now?” but you’re scrolling your phone, thinking about something else, just multi-tasking, will your love really feel heard? If it were you, would you feel heard?

This requires eye contact. A still moment. Quiet.

Or in the case of the love relationship with our own body and spirit, it could look like asking this question while sitting and drinking your morning coffee or tea. During meditation. Yoga. A gentle walk. Journaling. While lying in bed upon rising or just before bed, with one hand over your heart and the other over your belly. Or while being outside, away from screens, walls, and distractions – I have found nature to be the greatest catalyst and space creator.

I’ve asked… now what?

Keep the invitation open. And check in often, you know, like any loving relationship with healthy communication. You may be surprised by the subtle or even not so subtle ways your body will let you know. It’s truly different for everyone.

My friend and colleague, Mandy Reckers, ND, reminded me the other day how this can come in many forms. Some people hear. Some see. Some sense. Some dream. For most, it’s simply a knowing. Something pops into your mind that you didn’t know before. You’re in the shower singing a great song and you feel like you realized that you need to focus on your water intake today, cut the sugar, minimize your caffeine intake, take a rest day instead of working out, or just get to bed earlier that night. It might pop up in conversation with friends multiple times. You could be drawn towards chamomile tea for 2 weeks straight and wonder, what’s that about? P.s. chamomile is lovely for relaxation, calming anxiety, and supporting digestion. It could also be the feeling of peace and ease. Listening to that feeling is equally as important and perhaps an indicator to keep doing what you’re doing!

By slowing down to listen, you become more aware of messages your body may be sending you like pain, bloating, headaches, fatigue, tightness in the chest, foggy brain, moodiness, etc. If these messages are patterns and seem to happen with consistency, it’s wise to pay attention and not ignore. There are endless ways we can listen.

In my 1-1 client nutrition consults, I listen both intuitively and with objectivity to holistically link the many pieces of health together. I partner with my clients in their care and while it may seem silly at first, I often ask them questions like…

What do you think? What’s new or different lately? Was there an event in your life when you noticed things changing? Is there anything else you think I should know (ahem, no matter how weird or unrelated it might seem!)? 

Why? We all have innate wisdom and we all have access to it. And no one will ever know your body better than YOU. I have deep respect for this wisdom and very much rely on my clients’ learning how to listen to their bodies for information to support their goals and healing. You are your best advocate for your own health. And the greatest physician… are you ready? Lies within.

We would be missing powerful information if we didn’t seek our body’s counsel, our highest selves, our source, our God, whichever you identify with.

This connection to self and Source is absolutely essential to living a vibrant, authentic life. You hold the keys, dear one.

We live in a wildly fast paced world. It’s hard to have time to pause to listen. I get it! Fortunately, this skill can be cultivated and we all have the ability within us, right now to tune in and create a safe and loving space for which to listen.

Start here: “I love you and I’m listening.”