This is the automatic sense, the one that keeps the necessary functions of our body operating. We like those systems to operate at their best. When they do, we have a healthy lifestyle. Much of what this sense is responsible for is overseeing our autonomic functions, but others have shut-off valves: eating, panic. This sense governs how our body’s operating system “feels”.
This sense of how we feel controls the overall health of our bodies, our physical and our mental health. It also makes us conscious of the breath we take and the beats of our heart. It’s the “fight or flight” warning system. It tells us when we have eaten enough and are satiated; it tells us when we need to relieve ourselves; it alerts us to the fact that there is something wrong with our body and we need to change something or seek medical help. This is our “gut sense” or probably what many have referred to over the years as their “sixth sense,” which is actually their eighth sense.
I’ve learned a lot about myself over the past 22 months, and I’ve had to constantly “check-in” on how my body feels. I seem to have a new normal every 9 months or so. In November, I had “discomfort” in my abdomen. Due to having weekly lab draws at that particular time, I did wait to speak in person to a nurse. I knew she would relay my concerns to my doctor. I also knew what the outcome would be because I know my oncologist; I was correct. She ordered a CT scan, and I was in radiology the next week. Listen to your body; hear what it has to say. Learn what your normal feels like so when something isn’t normal, you know what that feels like, too.
This final sense is the master switch for our bodies. It is how we know when we are not healthy or operating at our full potential. Spend time getting to know yourself. Sit quietly and think about how you feel mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually (MEPS). Make a plan to be healthy and take care of this body we’ve been given. Have you had a physical in the last year? Do you have a friend or confidant to help you through difficult times? Do you have a mentor or friend of your faith to help you? We are not intended to make this journey through life alone. Our lives are richer and healthier for the families and communities we build that help us through each day. (Galatians 6:2)
April 4, 2025
