Listen Up!

I find it telling that, in my world, aches and pains are generally viewed as personal attacks rather than what they actually are- symptoms.  My head isn't pounding right now because someone out there in the universe is mad at me, and my throat doesn't hurt because my body is trying to sabotage my 6-2:30 shift tomorrow.  My body is trying to tell me something- probably that I don't eat a balanced enough diet or drink enough water and that somewhere this week I found some germs, and my poor body just can't hold out any longer. It's also probably telling me to rest.  Instead of receiving this message and saying, "Thanks Team Kathryn! Let's go to bed early and add some orange juice to the diet this week," I'm thinking, "Gosh, tomorrow's shift is going to suck.  What if I lose my voice?  Where did I put that Tylenol Daytime/Nighttime Cold Medicine pack?"  I spend most of my life trying to mask any pain while causing the least disturbance to my normal routine, not recognizing the fact that most of the time pain is an indicator (symptom) of a deeper issue I'm not seeing, and perhaps the routine I'm so intent on protecting is part of the unhealthy cycle causing the pain in the first place.  I have recognized at various points in my life that I'd like to be a better listener, but I always think of that in terms of how I interact with other people.  Turns out, there are a few other ways I could use that same skill set.