Gut Instincts and Health
Researchers have found that the primitive part of the brain is always “looking out for you” and its aim is to keep you safe at all times, even when we are dreaming. When the conscious (intellectual part of the brain) is otherwise engaged we can imagine the primitive part as a vigilant guard with 360 degree vision and super senses always on alert.
So, if something is slightly out of the ordinary or out of kilter in relation to a memory, a new experience or the environment that you are in, hormones will be released to give you the heightened awareness to keep you safe.
As adults we are aware of how our own body reacts to new surroundings, repeated experiences good or bad, relationships, even how our body reacts to the changes in the weather and our environment. These changes can be positive or negative within our body. It could be a surge of warmth (the one you get when you have a hug) or a feeling of happiness and contentment, a burst of pride, there are so many more, I like to call it my fluffy feeling. The negative feelings some people are all too familiar with as they sometimes cloud their every-day which makes trying to even imagine a fluffy feeling difficult. These negative feelings can display themselves as a racing heart, sweaty palms, fatigue, change in metabolic rate, some people explain a head full of chatter.
The above reactions in the body can sometimes be described as gut instincts. The results of these reactions may mean you have a gut instinct that you have met your lifetime partner or having the gut instinct to quit your job and move to another role. Some gut instinct we need to listen to, some we don’t and some we need to manage. One gut instinct I feel strongly about is when we have a feeling about our own physical or mental health.
We only have one life, one body, so if we feel a change in this precious body and mind of ours, we should listen and take note. If we feel that our body isn’t firing on all cylinders, there is usually a reason and our body is trying to alert us. So many people ignore this gut instinct because they can’t put their finger on what the change or feeling is, it could be a general fatigue, feeling off, unable to concentrate, a pain, discomfort or an ache.
We are the captain of our own ship. Listen to your body and seek help to speak to someone who has the expertise to investigate. Most people’s first port of call would be the medical profession and being a nurse I endorse this as the medical profession have the knowledge of the anatomy and physiology and have access to arranging the appropriate investigative procedures and equipment.
We should also take responsibility and learn to look within ourselves and get to know ourselves better so we can detect changes in our physical, mental and spiritual health. Ask yourself these questions if you detect negative changes, “Am I going through a stressful period in my life?”, “Does my body feel on-alert regularly, or most of my waking day?”
Negative emotions or the consistent use of the flight fight or fright hormones in our body can also cause pain or discomfort and cause blocks in our energy flow.
Be kind and take time to get to know yourselves after all you should be your own best friend.
Take Care
Liz