This morning, I woke up tired and unmotivated. Nothing unusual there; that's been the norm for a while now. I burned myself out, started abusing alcohol, and spiraled into a darkness I never saw coming. Three suicide attempts later, I found myself enduring two separate six-week stints in the psychiatric ward. It has been over a year since my first stay. I'm healing, but in small, incremental ways progress measured in millimetres, not kilometers.

Today, when I muttered, "I'm feeling unmotivated and tired," my wife didn't miss a beat. "You look pale," she said. "You need to listen to your body, or we'll just be in the same place when you return to work."

She wasn't wrong. My body had been sending distress signals long before everything fell apart I wasn't listening. If I'm honest, I still struggle with it. Most of us do. We push through exhaustion, ignore stress, and treat rest like a luxury instead of a necessity. But science is clear when you don't listen to your body, it finds a way to get your attention. Sometimes gently. Sometimes by completely knocking you off your feet.

The Science of Body Awareness

Our bodies have a built-in messaging system known as interoception, the ability to sense internal signals like hunger, thirst, temperature, heart rate, and even emotional states. Think of it as your body's internal Wi-Fi, constantly sending you updates. Some people have a strong connection; others work with a dial-up signal from 1998.

Studies have shown that interoception supports both physical and mental functions, establishing a sense of psychological and physiological safety that is foundational to meaningful participation in life. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

Conversely, deficits in interoception have been linked to higher body mass index (BMI) and may contribute to weight gain. (nature.com)

In his groundbreaking book, The Body Keeps the Score, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk highlights how trauma and chronic stress alter the body's ability to process and respond to internal signals. When the body is overwhelmed by stress or trauma, it can become numb to its own needs, making it difficult to recognize exhaustion, pain, or hunger. This dissociation from bodily signals is one reason trauma survivors often struggle with self-care and burnout. Van der Kolk emphasizes the importance of reconnecting with the body through practices like mindfulness, yoga, and deep breathing, which help restore the nervous system’s ability to regulate itself.

Ignoring the Signals: A Cautionary Tale

I used to pride myself on my ability to function on minimal sleep, caffeine, and sheer determination. In fact, pride was the sin I used to create this mess. "Power through," I told myself. "Mind over matter." Well, the mind did not win. One day, after months of ignoring exhaustion, stress, and a suspiciously achy hips, my body decided it had had enough. I hit a wall hard. The kind of wall that leaves you needing weeks... no, years of recovery and some serious self-reflection.

Turns out that rest isn't for the weak it's for the wise. And all those little aches, pains, and energy crashes? They weren't inconveniences. They were warning signs. My body wasn't being dramatic; it was just trying to get my attention before something significant went wrong.

How to Start Listening to Your Body (Before It Yells at You)

If you're used to tuning out your body, reconnecting with it can feel like learning a new language. But the good news is, you don't have to become a Zen master overnight. Here are a few practical ways to start:

1. Pause Before Pushing Through
   Next time you feel exhausted, instead of grabbing another coffee or scrolling your phone, pause. Ask yourself, "Do I need caffeine, or do I need sleep?" (Your body usually prefers the latter.)

2. Check-in with Hunger and Fullness
   Many of us eat on autopilot. Try pausing before and after meals to notice if you're actually hungry or just eating because it's "time."

3. Notice Tension and Pain
   That tightness in your shoulders? That persistent headache? They're not random. Your body is trying to tell you something—probably that it's time to take a break, stretch, or maybe stop carrying stress like a pack mule.

4. Get Outside and Move
   Studies show that even short walks help regulate stress hormones, improve digestion, and clear mental fog. Your body loves movement. (Your couch, not so much.)

5. Honor Rest Without Guilt
   Rest isn't laziness. It's fuel. Your body repairs itself when you sleep, so skimping on rest is like skipping oil changes on your car. It won't end well.

Van der Kolk’s research also supports these approaches, showing that practices like yoga and rhythmic movement help re-establish a connection with the body and improve self-regulation. Trauma-informed movement, even something as simple as stretching or deep breathing, can help rewire the nervous system and restore balance.

You can try one tool for meditation, which I call mindfulness strings. If you are religious, you can try prayer strings. Both help ground you in the present with statements and thoughts to guide you.

Final Thoughts: Be Your Body's Friend, Not Its Boss

If there's one thing I've learned the hard way, it's this: Your body isn't trying to sabotage you. It's not lazy, weak, or inconvenient. It's doing everything possible to keep you alive and well you have to meet it halfway. So maybe today's the day you stop treating your body like an overworked employee and start treating it like a trusted friend. Listen to it. Respect it. And for heaven's sake, get some sleep.

Your body will thank you.

Warning Tangent Coming:

Speaking of employers. Never assume your employer has your best interest at heart. They don't, and they can't. Employers' priority is to their institution, whether it is a church, sawmill, small business, charity...(you get the idea). My experience with most employers is that they focus on their brand, profits, shareholders, and how the world views them. An honest and skilled employer will admit this and work to build a culture that accomplishes this without sacrificing their people.  Hopefully, staff safety, satisfaction, and health make up the top five. A competent employer will understand the need for these things, but only you can advocate for you. Only you can take care of you.

What About Pushing Through? A Look at 1 Corinthians 9:27

Many Christians misinterpret Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 9:27, where he says, "I beat my body and make it my slave." Some take this to mean that we should push through exhaustion, suppress our needs, and accomplish more at any cost. But that’s not what Paul meant.

Paul used an athletic metaphor for self-discipline in Christian life. He was talking about resisting sin, not ignoring rest. In fact, his words align with the reality that a well-disciplined life includes knowing when to stop, reflect, and care for oneself. Scripture never glorifies burnout. Even Jesus withdrew to rest and pray (Mark 6:31, Luke 5:16). If the Son of God took time to recharge, why do we think we can push through indefinitely?

The real lesson? Self-discipline includes knowing when to press forward and when to pause. If we genuinely want to run the race well, we need to take care of the bodies God gave us not drive them into the ground.