Our body speaks to us daily.  It tells us when we are tired and it’s time to go to bed. It tells us when we have been sitting too long or when it is time to use the restroom.  It’s a very useful tool if we actually use it as one.   

When we have something that feels a little more serious, a cold, a sore throat, knee pain, or a twinge in our lower back, we don’t normally address, or we may treat it lightly by taking some over-the-counter remedy from our local pharmacy as a ‘quick fix’.  We usually wait and ignore the symptoms until it gets so bad that we have to take some time off from our families, a sick day from work, or even eventually head to the clinic to get some help.  The habit of allowing our illnesses to linger and affect our lives negatively is truly a habit and maybe just a bit of not being completely informed of the real underlying cause of most illness.  

Have you ever thought of why you may have gotten sick, or an injury?  I am encouraging you to stop for a moment and think back to when you last felt a little out of sorts or when you injured yourself.  Just take a few minutes now.  Stop reading and think. 

Ok, now, think about what was happening in your life at that time.  Were you angry with a friend or family member and didn’t feel like you could say so?  Were you stressed about your financial situation?  Were you feeling badly about yourself?  Were you over committed to things you really didn’t want to do? Were you holding onto anger?  Feeling like a victim?  Were you over eating, exercising, drinking, working, etc.?   

What if I were to tell you that physical symptoms are often an emergency signal going off in your body to tell you that you should address the underlying issue. Louise Hay, founder of Hay House Productions, goes into depth about the causes of illness or ‘dis-ease’ in her book “you can heal your life”.  It’s an amazing tool if we listen to our body and think deeply about the underlying causes of our pain. 

There are a few common physical challenges that we often run to the doctor’s for when, if we were to work through the underlying challenge, may negate the need for medicine.  I am not suggesting that you don’t go to the doctor’s when you need to.  You know your body, I do not.  What I am saying is that you don’t always have to go – or that you could do more to help yourself in conjunction with the help your doctor provides.   

I can share from my experience and how true it is that your illness can go away in 24 hours (or even minutes) if you address what is really going on inside of you. One day, recently my throat started to hurt. The longer the day went on, the more and more it hurt.  I’m a healthy person and I couldn’t understand why it was getting worse instead of better.  I was drinking tea and had soup for lunch. When I got home, I went straight to Hay’s book and looked up what emotion a sore throat related to.  As I read the information, I realized exactly what the issue was: according to Hay, the throat relates to “Avenue of expression. Channel of creativity.” (pg. 203) When you have problems with your throat area it says this is, “The inability to speak up for one’s self.  Swallowed anger.  Stifled creativity. Refusal to change.” (pg.203) I thought about how my day had started.  I had met a friend for coffee, and he said something that really offended me.  But I didn’t say anything.  I finished my coffee and went on about my day.  Until my throat brought my attention to the response that I had stifled!   

I wanted to let my friend know how I had felt but I didn’t, so this caused the sore throat.  I knew I needed to have a conversation with him about how I took what he said.  I had the conversation (a calm and respectful one) and as it ended, I realized that my throat was no longer sore.  My sore throat went away almost instantly! 

Here are 5 ways your body might be speaking to you from Louise Hay’s website and how you can address them through affirmations (you can also purchase her book here):  

1. UPPER BACK TENSION

Your back represents the support of life.  When you have tension in the shoulder and neck area (upper back region) it would be a good time to think about how you are feeling in your relationships (with others and yourself).  Are you feeling loved or are you holding back love?  Do you feel like you don’t have emotional support?  If so, some affirmations you could do are “I love and approve of myself.  Life supports and loves me.”  Say these affirmations when you are looking in the mirror.  Look within for the love you deserve.  Say these affirmations throughout the day.  Look yourself in the eyes as you are saying them.  I will admit, when I first started this I felt a little awkward, weird, and goofy, but it gets easier as you go.  Truly it does.    

2. LOWER BACK

When your lower back is speaking to you (hurting) it is alerting you to your worry about financial stress.  Are you stressing about the bills, paying for your children’s college or even paying for your healthcare?  It’s an indication of “Lack of financial support.  Fear of money.” Financial discussions are truly difficult, and we get so wrapped up in the physical form of a dollar.  Money is energy just like we are.  Remind yourself each time you think a thought of not having enough to say, “I trust in the process of life.  All I need is always taken care of.  I am safe.”  Just keep repeating that and breathe deeply several times.  It will release some of the tension and worry because it really always works out.  It just does.  Worrying about it doesn’t help make it work out.  I know this one can hit a trigger for many and I encourage you to step back and just try it for a bit.  It might work!  I am not suggesting that you walk out of your job or not pay bills. I am suggesting you reprogram your mind to think differently while you are taking action.   

3. HEART

Our heart is the first thing that speaks to us.  It is our connection to source, to spirit, to love. It represents the center of love and security.  In Louise Hay’s book she describes a heart attack as the probable cause.   A heart attack is often caused from living in a lack of joy and focusing on material things like money or a position.  Putting the money or a position ahead of joy, love and laughter.  We all know that stress causes heart attacks too.  Those who experience heart problems may subconsciously believe that stress and strain is what their lives are about.  You can shift this perspective by focusing on things that bring joy to you. Real joy.  Like laughing with your family and friends, going for hikes in the woods to connect to earth and nature, sitting by the ocean or a body of water.  Say to yourself, “My heart beats to the rhythm of love.  I bring joy back to the center of my heart.  I express love to all.”  Do this daily, even several times throughout the day.  Be consistent with it and don’t miss a day.  Look yourself in the mirror and say, “I love you, I really do.” 

4. KNEES

Our knees have to do with flexibility. Knees represent our ability to be flexible and as well as pride, ego and stubbornness.  We want to move forward but we are afraid of what is ahead of us, so we become rigid and have difficulty in moving our knees.  I encourage you, the next time your knees start to hurt, ask yourself what you are being self-righteous about; where are you refusing to bend, compromise or see another person’s perspective.  Try to let it go.  Drop the ego and become comfortable in the uncomfortable.  Be flexible and move with the flow.  A resolution to the inflexibility could be as easy as stepping away from the situation, breathing deeply to the count of 4, holding it to the count of 4, releasing it to the count of 4, and holding it to a count of 4.  Do this four times in a row just focusing on your breath.  This will help you relax, go back into your heart center and see from a broader point of view.  Try to forgive the other person (or even yourself). Then affirm, “I am flexible.  I bend and flow with ease.  All is well.”

5. ASTHMDA

Asthma is a common dis-ease that many people have.  It is often blamed on the environment — the air.  What if I were to tell you that the environment you are choosing is not necessarily the air but your relationships and your belief of being able to breathe for yourself?  Have you felt guilty about what is presumed wrong in your environment? Do you feel unworthy of having what you have?  Unworthy of being loved?  Or, do you feel stifled, suppress your crying, or feel as if you can’t breathe for yourself?  These are all symptoms of your environment and can be resolved by breathing, crying, speaking your truth and sometimes leaving the situation you are in.  You can also affirm that “It is safe now for me to take charge of my own life.  I choose to be free.”  I had asthma for years when I wasn’t speaking my truth, when I suppressed my feelings, and felt unworthy of being loved.  I used to have an inhaler and used it two times a day for years.  Today, it has been two and a half years since I have touched an inhaler.  I took back my control and feel free because of it.  You can too!

These are just a few examples of how your body can talk with you.  Maybe instead of letting your sore throat turn into strep throat you could speak your truth with love and compassion.  I encourage you to go get Louise Hay’s book.  Learn more about what your body is telling you.  You will be happy you did! 

Cathleen Elle is an emotional fitness expert, intuitive advisor, healer and speaker. Her first book is coming out in 2019. Be on the lookout for it. Subscribe to her blog and contact her through www.cathleenl.com.

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