🌿When the Body Says It’s Time - Learning to Listen Before the Burnout, Breakdown, or Big Life Wake-Up Call
🌸 This post is part of The Sacred Return — a 6-part blog series on redefining success, self, and soul. Each piece is a gentle invitation to come home to yourself.
There are moments in life when the body speaks louder than the mind.
It starts as a whisper — fatigue that no amount of sleep fixes, a pit in your stomach during your Monday meetings, a tightness in your chest every time you say “yes” when you mean “no.”
At first, you override it. Push through. Stay strong. Stay busy.
Until one day…
You can’t.
And the truth comes rushing in:
Your body has been trying to tell you something for a while now.
✨ The Body Keeps the Score — and Sends the Signal
While the world teaches us to think our way forward, your body carries its own intelligence.
It remembers the promises you made to yourself — and the ones you broke.
It registers every “I’m fine” that wasn’t fine.
It stores what’s been suppressed, sacrificed, or shoved aside.
And eventually, it will say: It’s time.
Time to slow down.
Time to listen in.
Time to return to the wisdom within.
“It stores what’s been suppressed, sacrificed, or shoved aside.”
If you're curious to explore how trauma lives in the body, one of the most powerful books I’ve encountered is The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk. It’s not an easy read, but it’s a profound one.
🌿 A Personal Note from Me
After running a successful staffing firm in New York for over a decade, everything changed on September 11th. Like many others, I lost my business in the aftermath. But what I hadn’t anticipated was the deeper unraveling — the part of me that no longer had the energy, the drive, or even the desire to rebuild the same kind of life.
At first, I went into problem-solving mode. But underneath the strategic thinking, my body was saying something else entirely.
I felt depleted — physically, emotionally, spiritually. Years of pushing, striving, and carrying the weight of everything had caught up with me. With the noise of business gone, I could finally hear what my body had been trying to say all along:
Slow down. Reevaluate. Choose differently this time.
So, I did.
I made a conscious decision to begin a new chapter — one that honored my passion for wellness and my growing awareness of how disconnected I had become from my own body and purpose.
I returned to school at night to study therapeutic bodywork and energy healing, while still running my downsized firm and raising my children during the day.
Eventually, I opened a private practice and wellness center. And what happened in that space was transformative.
Helping others reconnect with their bodies reminded me, every single day, that healing doesn’t come from force or performance — it comes from presence. From paying attention. From honoring what the body is trying to tell us before it has to scream.
What I learned in those years shaped everything I am today…
You cannot live on purpose if you ignore the wisdom of your body.
Because the body always knows.
And when you choose to listen, life begins to align from the inside out.
🌿 Mini Exercise: What Is Your Body Trying to Tell You?
Take a moment right now to pause and breathe.
Then ask:
What part of my body feels tight, heavy, or uncomfortable today?
If that sensation had a message for me, what would it say?
What would it feel like to offer that part of me relief or permission?
Write your answers without judgment. Your body doesn’t lie — it just wants your presence.
🌀 Symptoms Are Signals — Not Enemies
That foggy head? The chronic tension in your shoulders? The sudden loss of interest in things that used to light you up.
They’re not just inconveniences.
They’re invitations.
To reassess, realign, and reconnect.
Sometimes we wait until we’re forced to change — a health scare, a breakdown, a divorce, a job loss.
But what if you didn’t wait for the breakdown?
What if you listened to the body’s whisper before it became a scream?
One of my favorite tools for tuning into what the body is saying is The Mindbody Workbook by David Schechter, which offers a daily approach to exploring symptoms through a lens of self-awareness and compassion.
🌿 Mini Exercise: A Somatic Check-In
Try this short 3-minute grounding practice today:
Sit comfortably with your feet on the floor.
Close your eyes. Inhale slowly through your nose, exhale gently through your mouth.
Bring your awareness to your body — one area at a time (feet, legs, torso, arms, face).
Ask: Where do I feel most at home? Where do I feel tension?
Without trying to fix anything, just breathe into that awareness.
This is how you build the muscle of listening.
Want to enhance your somatic check-in? Consider using this grounding essential oil roller during your practice — it’s a simple way to activate the body’s relaxation response while you tune in. Tip: roll some on the bottoms of your feet and you won’t believe how grounded you will feel!
🌸 You Are Not Meant to Power Through
You are not a machine.
You are not weak for needing rest.
You are not behind for needing time.
Your nervous system is wise.
Your gut instinct is sacred.
Your need for slowness is not laziness — it’s leadership in a different language.
🌷 A Gentle Invitation
If you’ve been feeling off — but can’t quite explain why — trust that your body knows.
You don’t need a 10-step plan.
You just need to begin paying attention.
So here’s your invitation:
🕯️ Unplug for 15 minutes today.
🌿 Take a walk without your phone.
💗 Place your hand on your heart and ask:
“What do you need from me right now?”
And then listen. Without judgment. Without rushing. Without fixing.
Because sometimes the greatest act of healing is finally hearing yourself again.
If this message stirred something in you, I’d be honored to walk beside you — reach out to explore life coaching that supports real balance between mind, body, life, and career. Book a coaching meeting with me today.
🌿 Continue the Journey — The Sacred Return Series
This post is part of The Sacred Return — a 6-part blog series on redefining success, self, and soul. Continue exploring below:
👉 Post 1: Career Shifts, Life Shifts — There Comes a Moment
👉 Post 2: The Art of Choosing Yourself
👉 Post 3: The New Definition of Success
👉 Post 4: When the Body Says It’s Time (you’re here)
👉 Post 5: The Power of the Pause (coming soon)
👉 Post 6: Aligned, Not Hustling (coming soon)
🌸 Because I Value Your Trust
✨ Some of the links shared in this post are affiliate links. That means if you choose to purchase something I’ve recommended, I may receive a small commission — at no additional cost to you. I only ever share resources I genuinely love and believe can support your path. Thank you for helping me continue this work.
