Lessons from My Dog: Listening to Your Body Without Overthinking It
I adopted a dog a couple months ago - a 5-year-old, 65 lb lab / husky mix named Jax. He’s a loveable goofball who’s obsessed with tennis balls, car rides, and being outside. He’s super well-trained, to the extent that he puts himself to bed in his crate every night and hasn’t had a single accident in the house.
The only big adjustment has been his energy levels. His foster mom told me that he would need two “good” walks a day. Well, “good” has ended up being about 45-60 minutes per walk. I went from getting about 5,000 steps a day, thinking that I was in pretty good shape, to getting about 15,000 steps a day and feeling like I was going to die.
My body has thankfully adjusted over time, and the hot weather has also given me a reprieve, since Jax just can’t tolerate more than about 20 minutes at a time, even early in the morning, when the highs for the day are in the 90s.
So what does any of this have to do with mental health?
Well, what cracks me up and amazes me is that when Jax starts getting too hot and tired on his walks, he literally turns himself around. He pauses, looks up at me, and when I let him pick the direction, he turns around and starts heading back home.
He’s fantastic at listening to what his body needs.
Why We Ignore What Our Bodies Tell Us
On the other hand, think about how most of us as human beings handle these situations.
We get hot and tired on a walk and we think:
“But I haven’t gotten in my 10,000 steps for the day yet - I should keep going.”
“I’m not going to be able to walk the rest of the week, so I should tough it out now.”
“It’s only a little heat - I’ll be fine.”
“I’d be lazy if I turned around now.”
“I’m not walking THAT far.”
We get so caught up in our thoughts, our high expectations for ourselves, and all of the “shoulds”, that we ignore our bodies and let our brains run the show, often to our detriment. Then we wonder why we’re tired, sore, and burned out, when our bodies were telling us all along to stop.
Everyday Moments to Practice Mindfulness and Body Awareness
Imagine what could be different if you actually started listening to your body and made decisions based on what it wanted, rather than what your brain was telling you.
Would you go to the bathroom rather than holding it another ten minutes?
Would you feed yourself, recognizing that you’re hungry?
Would you put a sweater on if you noticed you were cold, or maybe turn the AC up if you noticed you were warm?
And that list only includes basic biological functions. What would happen if you started listening to your body about more complex, meaningful decisions?
Would you choose to leave a relationship that’s continuously left you feeling badly about yourself?
Would you start looking for other jobs, trusting that the dread that you experience every morning is trying to tell you something?
Would you put down the to-do list and give yourself room and space to actually breathe and take time for yourself?
Letting Your Body Lead
Jax has reminded me of how simple it can actually be to listen to your body, when you’re not trying to rationalize your feelings away with your thoughts. Seeing his behavior has helped me to be more aware and intentional, and to give myself permission to adapt and change course when my body is telling me to do so.
So let’s all take a note from our pets and start listening to our bodies more. And if you’re struggling with this, I’d be happy to help. Feel free to reach out and schedule an appointment if you would like some guidance and support in this area.
Hi, I’m Amanda. I’m a psychologist in Bloomington, Indiana providing online counseling and therapy services to professionals navigating life transitions. Please reach out if you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment.
