Your Body Isn’t Broken—It’s Talking to You (Here’s How to Listen)

I used to think my body had turned against me.
The brain fog, the joint aches, the stubborn weight that wouldn’t budge… it all felt like proof that something deep down was wrong.

But here’s the thing I wish I could go back and tell the younger me:
Your body isn’t broken. It’s just speaking in a language you haven’t learned yet.

And if you’re anything like I was, you’ve probably been taught to quiet those signals—push through the pain, drink more coffee when you’re exhausted, start another restrictive diet when you feel sluggish. We treat symptoms like annoyances instead of clues. But your body? It’s not nagging you. It’s trying to have a conversation.

Let’s talk about how to listen to your body and finally understand what it’s saying.

The Day I Finally Heard the Message

I remember one morning, after a string of 12-hour nursing shifts, I woke up with swollen fingers and knees so stiff I had to shuffle to the bathroom like I was decades older than I was. My first thought? Great. Another thing to “push through.”

But pushing through wasn’t working anymore. I couldn’t out-caffeine my fatigue. I couldn’t “clean eat” my way out of inflammation while secretly running on four hours of sleep.

That morning was my wake-up call. Not because it was the worst pain I’d ever felt, but because I finally realized—I’d been ignoring my body’s inflammation and burnout signs for years.

Your Body’s “Language” 101

The human body has a built-in feedback system, and it’s a lot smarter than we give it credit for. When something’s off, it always tells you—just not always in plain English.

Here’s how it usually “talks”:

• Pain or tension → Often a sign of inflammation, overuse, or stress overload.

• Fatigue → Not just “you need more coffee.” This can signal nutrient deficiencies, poor sleep quality, emotional burnout, or blood sugar swings.

• Bloating, gas, digestive upset → Gut health issues, food intolerances, or chronic stress (yes, stress can literally slow your digestion).

• Skin changes → Breakouts, dryness, or rashes can point to hormonal imbalances, inflammation, or immune responses.

• Brain fog → Common in nutrient deficiencies, poor hydration, high sugar intake, or chronic stress.

We’ve been taught to mute these body signals with quick fixes—painkillers, antacids, sugar for a pick-me-up—but that’s like putting duct tape over a “check engine” light.

Why Women Ignore the Signals

If you’ve been dieting for years or hustling through constant stress, you might not even notice the messages anymore. We normalize exhaustion. We call chronic pain “just getting older.” We label weight gain as “a willpower problem” instead of asking why our bodies are storing fat in the first place.

Here’s the kicker: When we’re constantly in fix mode, we never pause long enough to practice real body listening techniques. And honestly? Sometimes we don’t want to hear it, because listening might mean slowing down or changing habits we’ve clung to for decades.

Listening Starts Small

When I finally decided to stop bulldozing over my body’s signals, I didn’t overhaul my life overnight. I started with three simple shifts:

1. Body check-ins – Once or twice a day, I’d pause for a minute, close my eyes, and just notice. Was I clenching my jaw? Was my stomach tight? Was my energy dropping? No judgment, just observation.

2. Symptom journaling – Nothing fancy—just a few lines in my phone’s notes app. “Afternoon slump after sandwich,” or “Hip pain after sitting at desk too long.” Over time, patterns jumped out.

3. Experiment, don’t punish – If I suspected something was making me feel worse, I’d adjust one thing at a time (like swapping my sugary afternoon snack for a handful of nuts) and see what happened. No shame, no “I blew it,” just curiosity.

Inflammation: The Body’s Loudspeaker

One of the clearest “voices” your body has is chronic inflammation. Sometimes it’s acute (like swelling after an injury), but low-grade inflammation is sneakier—it builds over time and can show up as joint pain, brain fog, digestive problems, low energy, or stubborn weight gain.

I see this in women all the time—especially those who’ve done years of yo-yo dieting. Diets that are too restrictive can stress the body, spike cortisol, and actually increase inflammation. So while you think you’re “being healthy,” your body is waving its arms saying, I’m in survival mode, please slow down.

Burnout is a Body Signal, Too

We usually think of burnout as mental—emotional exhaustion, feeling detached—but it has a very real physical side. The body starts pulling energy away from “non-essential” systems, which can mess with digestion, hormones, and even your immune function.

If you’ve been dragging yourself out of bed, relying on caffeine to survive the day, or getting sick more often, that’s not weakness—it’s your body begging for self-care for inflammation and burnout.

How to Translate What Your Body is Saying

Here’s my quick cheat sheet for decoding body signals:

• If you’re constantly tired, look at your sleep quality, hydration, blood sugar balance, and stress management before blaming “getting older.”

• If you’re in pain, track when it happens, what you were doing before, and whether it worsens with certain foods, stress, or activity levels.

• If your digestion is off, notice how different foods, meal timing, and stress affect your symptoms.

• If your skin is changing, consider whether hormones, food sensitivities, or inflammation might be playing a role.

Remember: symptoms are data, not defects.

Rebuilding Trust With Your Body

When you’ve spent years feeling like your body is fighting you, trust can feel impossible. But your body isn’t your enemy—it’s your partner. The more you respond to its signals with curiosity and care instead of frustration, the more clearly it will “speak.”

Start with one or two signals you’ve been ignoring and respond to them like you would a friend—offer rest, nourishment, or gentler routines. Over time, you’ll notice your body “softening” back into balance.

The Bottom Line

Your body isn’t broken—it’s been sending you postcards for years. You just haven’t been reading them. The next time you feel a symptom—big or small—pause before you push past it. Ask yourself, What might my body be trying to tell me?

It’s not about becoming hyper-aware of every ache or twinge. It’s about recognizing the difference between normal fluctuations and consistent signals that something needs attention. And when you start listening? That’s when the real transformation begins—not just in your health, but in how you feel about yourself.

Ready to Learn Your Body’s Language?

If you’ve been stuck in the cycle of ignoring your symptoms until they scream, it’s time to break that habit. As a registered nurse and health coach, I help women like you decode your body’s signals so you can take back control of your health—without crash diets, punishment workouts, or obsessing over the scale.

Here’s how we can get started together:

• Take the free quiz → What’s Sabotaging Your Healthy Habits? to find out the hidden patterns that might be keeping you stuck.

• Download the freebies → The Inner Critic’s Playbook (to quiet the mental chatter) and What Spikes Me? Workbook (to track your blood sugar responses and energy swings).

• Book your free 60-minute consultation → Let’s sit down, talk through your unique struggles, and make a plan that works for your real life.

Your body is ready to talk. I’ll help you listen.