Stop, Look, and Listen

I came home the other day to a fire truck outside of my building along with all my neighbors huddled outside.

As I picked up my pace to approach them, I immediately asked what happened and thankfully it was just someone who pulled the fire alarm.

So while it was safe to enter the building, the only problem was the alarm was still going off and the firemen said it would take 10 minutes to get the approval to shut it off.

I thought for a minute, “Should I wait 10 minutes out here until the very loud ‘BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!’ stopped? Or should I just go in?”

Eager to go home and take a shower, I decided to go in and bear with the “beeping.”

I hopped in the shower still hearing the (now) very annoying beeping, but I pushed through it, tried to ignore it, and hoped that soon it would go away.

Here’s the interesting thing that happened next.

The beeping eventually stopped, but I’m not quite sure when that happened, which is weird because it was SO loud.

I figured that I must have ignored it so well that I actually think I got used to it.

I mean, when I first walked in the building, it was so loud that only a few steps in, I almost walked back outside because I couldn’t stand the pitch.

But I suppose I wanted that shower even more, so in I went.

Later that evening, I started thinking about how similar this is to how health is often viewed.

At first, something might happen, perhaps a wake-up call of some sort – you know the kind – a doctor’s visit, an ailing parent, or even having to stop halfway up a flight of stairs to catch your breath, will do the trick.

But in order to not have to deal with it, the health problem (or in my case, the beeping) is ignored or pushed aside, hoping it’ll just magically go away.

Pretty soon, if ignored long and hard enough, like me and the beeping, you might just not hear the warning signs anymore, but the problem is still there.

In my case, it was a false alarm – life could go on; I just had to bear with the short-term annoyance.

But when it comes to health, wake-up calls are usually warning signs that we essentially need to pay attention.

I believe for us women, paying attention means making regular time to pause our busy lives to listen.

It reminds me of an event I attended recently.

The small room was packed with over 100 people, and I and the person I was standing next to were trying to have a conversation.

I’m sure you’ve been there too – you know the situation – we both found ourselves shouting at each other in order to hear one another.

Our lives can often look (and sound) like that busy room – there’s a lot of “noise,” and unless we step outside to a quieter place, it’s nearly impossible to hear, let alone listen.

Just as we’re taught as children to stop, look, and listen before we cross the road, we women must too build in this practice of regular Me Time to stop, look, and listen to our own bodies, especially in the time of midlife when there are so many changes going on.

It’s only then that we’re able to see if we’re ignoring any warning signs that are really in our best interest to pay attention to.

As you begin to stop, look, and listen to your body, ask yourself:

• How is my body feeling?
• Any aches, pains, or injuries I’m avoiding?
• What, if anything, needs to be addressed immediately?

Over time, perhaps stopping, looking, and listening becomes a regular practice of yours.

And eventually, the aim is to get to the point where you’re not ignoring problems anymore.

In other words, rather than being reactive, you begin to become proactive when it comes to your health and well-being.

Stop, look, and listen – will you begin this self-care practice today?

It’s your turn to take care of you,

 

 

 

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