Listening To Me

Rather Than Listening to Them All The Time

Photo by Ryan Stone on Unsplash

Before Dan had surgery, he took no prescription drugs, was overly concerned about his health, and was not good with pain. So when he said, “Take me to the emergency room; there’s something wrong with my stomach,” I doubted but took him - that visit led to a nine-day hospital stay. They didn’t know him - his personality, memory issues, and anxieties - and didn’t ask.

I wanted to take him home, but the doctor said, “You can, but it could kill him - it’s on you.” So, I acquiesced. Nurses gave him pages of meds over the nine days. They would ask, “Dan, does your finger hurt?” He would say - “Yes,” and they’d give him a pill.

I thought it was wrong for him to take all those drugs, but I also knew medication was necessary at times. So, I listened to the doctors and nurses despite my doubts. His body survived the surgery, the meds, and the hospital stay, but his fragile memory did not. I didn’t know enough to advocate more strongly for him - to ask more questions or to give more information.

For years, I thought everyone knew better than me; I read self-help books, sought others' opinions, and deferred to the professionals even though I disagreed. Sometimes, I listened and responded to my sense of things, but not very often.

However, the older I get, the more I realize that my ideas and thoughts are viable and valuable. I’m beginning to listen and respond more frequently to them.

People think of listening to themselves in many ways: using their intuition, talking with God, being aligned with the universe, or having an inner guide. These insights come anytime - sitting silently, reading a book, talking to someone, listening to a song, watching television, or walking in the park.

The author of the article entitled 2 Things You Can Practice Today to be More Intuitive suggests starting with a quiet moment and observing different voices in one’s head. He says

You’ll generally hear two voices. One is fear-based, associated with the racing, looping thoughts, while the other is more quiet and true to your nature.

The best way to identify them is by noticing how they make you feel.

Your inner voice will calm you, even in the face of big tasks, while your fear-based voice will increase the overwhelm.

The article 8 Ways To Develop & Strengthen Your Intuition suggests that people can meditate, pay attention to their dreams, consult their bodies, and align with their values.

The author says

We are equipped with an intuition that is potent, trustworthy, and impeccably attuned to our true path. Whether you use it or not is up to you.

I’m adding to my list of ways to listen to myself a comment from

Rebecca Holden

. She said, “I make sure that I ask myself, about a specific experience I'm not sure about participating in, 'Will you regret not doing this?' If the answer is 'yes' I'm in!”

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