I often coach clients on the importance of listening to their body in what it needs nutritionally, what it needs in terms of exercise or even in terms of needing less stress or more rest.
But how do we listen to our bodies if we’re not spending any time with them?
As women, we’ve been conditioned to constantly export our body’s needs — pushing through, overriding signals, prioritizing productivity, caretaking and outcomes over internal awareness. So yes, learning to listen is necessary and incredibly valuable. But how do we listen without first understanding and getting to know her?
There are a few practices that help us begin to spend time with our body, to develop a relationship where we can tune in and receive guidance from the incredibly intelligent body we have as women.
The first is slowing down enough to feel. Not in a performative way — not in a “checking the box” way, but in a way that creates space for sensation. This might look like sitting for five minutes in the morning before the day begins, noticing your breath, the weight of your body, the tension you’re holding. Most women skip this step entirely and jump straight into fixing. But awareness always comes before adjustment. If you can’t feel your body, you won’t hear her.
The second is removing distraction during daily rituals. We tend to fill every quiet moment — scrolling while we eat, listening to something while we shower, rushing through transitions. But these are some of the easiest entry points back into your body. Eating without distraction. Showering slowly. Applying lotion with intention. These aren’t indulgent acts. They are opportunities to rebuild connection. The body responds to presence.
The third is shifting how we interpret signals. Fatigue isn’t always something to override. Hunger isn’t something to suppress. Irritability, brain fog, cravings — these are not flaws or failures. They’re communication. When we immediately label these sensations as problems, we miss the information they carry. Spending time with your body means getting curious instead of reactive. Ask, “What is this trying to tell me?” instead of, “How do I make this go away?”
This is where most women have a blind spot because they believe they’re already “in tune” with their body when, in reality, they’re responding to rules they’ve learned about their body. There’s a difference. True connection is not external knowledge applied inward. It’s internal awareness built from experience.
Lastly, we have to rebuild safety in the body. If your body has been a place of frustration, control or constant improvement, it won’t immediately feel like a place you want to spend time. That’s normal. But the more consistently you approach your body with neutrality — or even respect — the more it begins to soften. The more it begins to respond.
Spending time with your body isn’t about doing more. It’s about relating differently.Because your body isn’t something to manage. It’s something to know. And when you take the time to be with her — not fix her, not rush her, not override her — you’ll find that she’s been speaking clearly all along.
Bri Edwards is a holistic health coach at Healthy Foundations in Dubuque.
