Post # 27 - Listening to My Body Instead of My Calendar

Posted under: Wellness & Habits | The Full Life Edit

For a long time, my life was ruled by calendars and checklists. My planner told me when to eat, when to exercise, when to rest, when to push harder. If the square on the page said “gym,” I went — no matter how sore or exhausted I was. If the reminder said “networking event,” I forced myself, even when my body craved quiet.

I thought discipline meant following the plan no matter what. But the more I ignored my body, the louder it pushed back — with headaches, fatigue, burnout, and frustration.

At some point, I had to ask: What if I listened inward instead of outward?

🧠 The Lie of Perfect Scheduling

Our culture praises people who “stick to the plan.” Wake at 5 a.m., power through, push harder, rest later. Calendars make us feel in control — tidy boxes holding messy lives. But life doesn’t always fit neatly into boxes.

What if your body says “not today” when your calendar says “do it anyway”? I used to override those signals, convinced I was being weak if I adjusted. In reality, I was teaching myself to distrust my own needs.

🌿 Learning the Language of My Body

Listening to my body isn’t always straightforward. Our bodies don’t shout in full sentences — they whisper through sensations, moods, and energy shifts. I began paying attention to the signals I had ignored for years:

• Fatigue: not laziness, but a request for rest.
• Irritability: often a sign of needing space, food, or hydration.
• Soreness: a reminder to move gently instead of pushing harder.
• Restlessness: a cue to get up, stretch, or take a walk.
• Tight chest or shallow breath: an invitation to pause and calm my nervous system.

By noticing these cues, I started building trust with myself again.

✨ What Changed When I Listened

At first, it felt uncomfortable — even rebellious — to reschedule plans based on how I felt. But the results surprised me:

• When I rested on tired days, I worked better the next.
• When I skipped high-intensity workouts for gentle movement, my body healed instead of breaking down.
• When I said no to social plans during emotionally heavy weeks, I avoided burnout and could show up better later.
• When I honored hunger instead of waiting for “mealtime,” I felt nourished instead of depleted.

I realized flexibility doesn’t kill progress. It protects it.

💡 Listening Doesn’t Mean Drifting

Now, let me be clear: listening to my body doesn’t mean I abandon goals or discipline. Structure matters. My calendar still guides me. But it’s no longer the dictator — it’s a tool.

The difference is that I give myself permission to adapt. Instead of saying, “The plan is law,” I ask, “What does my body need today, and how can I align it with my goals?”

Some days that means sticking to the schedule. Other days it means rewriting it. Either way, I’m still moving forward — just without the constant resistance.

🛠 Practical Ways I Do This

Here are a few edits I’ve made that keep me accountable and in tune:

1. Body Scan Breaks
   A few times a day, I pause and ask: How do I feel? Tired, tense, restless, calm? This check-in informs my next move.
2. Flexible Scheduling
   Instead of “Workout at 6 a.m. no matter what,” I give myself options: yoga in the morning or a walk at lunch. Same goal, different pathways.
3. Energy-Based To-Do Lists
   I sort tasks by energy level: high-energy (creative projects, meetings), low-energy (emails, chores). I match them to how I feel instead of forcing misalignment.
4. Grace for Adjustments
   I remind myself: moving a task isn’t failure. It’s editing. And edits make the final story stronger.

🌸 The Deeper Lesson

Listening to my body instead of my calendar taught me something bigger: I am not a machine.

I don’t run on perfect inputs and outputs. I ebb and flow. I need rest and nourishment, play and pause. My worth is not measured by how tightly I stick to a schedule, but by how kindly I live inside it.

And when I honor my body, it rewards me with more energy, more clarity, and more presence in the moments that matter.

🌿 A Gentle Invitation

If you’ve been running on autopilot, maybe today is a chance to pause. Before you follow what’s written in a planner or a screen, ask yourself:

• What does my body need right now?
• What would feel nourishing instead of depleting?
• How can I move toward my goals in a way that respects my humanity?

You may find that listening inward doesn’t slow you down — it sets you free.

💬 Tell me: Have you ever shifted your plans because your body asked you to? What changed when you did? Share your story in the comments — I’d love to hear.

– M.E

Post # 26 - The Art of Play: Why Adults Need to Have Fun Too

Posted under: Creativity, Joy, or Expression | The Full Life Edit

At some point, many of us stopped playing.

We traded hide-and-seek for deadlines, coloring books for spreadsheets, and Saturday afternoons of make-believe for errands and “being productive.”

Somewhere along the way, we absorbed the idea that fun was frivolous, that joy had to be earned, that play was for children. But the truth? Adults need play just as much — maybe even more.

🌿 The Moment I Realized I’d Stopped Playing

A while ago, I caught myself sitting on the couch with free time and not knowing what to do with it. I scrolled on my phone, half-watched TV, and felt restless. Then I remembered being a kid, filling hours with imagination and laughter without once asking if it was “useful.”

That moment stung: I had forgotten how to play.

🎲 What “Play” Looks Like as an Adult

Play doesn’t have to mean board games or playgrounds (though it can). It simply means doing something for the joy of it — not for money, not for productivity, not for a “result.”

Here are some ways play has crept back into my life:

• Drawing badly in a sketchbook just because colors feel fun.
• Dancing in the kitchen while making dinner.
• Playing card games with friends and laughing over who cheats at Uno.
• Karaoke nights at home, singing terribly into a wooden spoon.
• Building blanket forts with kids in my life and realizing I love it too.

None of this is about achievement. It’s about delight.

🧠 Why Adults Need Play

Research shows play reduces stress, boosts creativity, strengthens relationships, and improves problem-solving. But beyond the science, play reminds us that life isn’t just work and obligation.

Play is rehearsal for joy. It teaches us to let go of perfection, to improvise, to laugh at ourselves. It connects us to the present moment — the way a child immersed in Lego isn’t worried about tomorrow’s homework.

When we deny ourselves play, we flatten life into seriousness. When we reclaim it, we add dimension back.

⏳ The Barriers We Put Up

So why don’t we play more?

• Guilt: We think fun is a waste of time.
• Perfectionism: We avoid hobbies we’re not “good” at.
• Busyness: Play feels less important than productivity.
• Self-consciousness: We worry about looking silly.

The irony is that fun actually refuels us. Ten minutes of play often gives me more energy than an hour of forcing myself through another task.

🌸 How I Reintroduced Play

1. I gave myself permission to be bad at things.
   My doodles are messy. My karaoke is off-key. And that’s the point.
2. I started small.
   A five-minute dance break. A puzzle on the coffee table. A quick round of a silly game with family.
3. I tied play to rituals.
   Music during chores, coloring while listening to a podcast, playful banter at dinner.
4. I said yes more.
   To spontaneous walks, to trying pickleball with a friend, to baking cookies for no reason.

Play doesn’t require grand plans. It requires a mindset: What would be fun right now?

🌟 What Changed

Since reintroducing play, here’s what I’ve noticed:

• More laughter in my days. I catch myself smiling for no reason.
• Less pressure. Life feels lighter when everything isn’t about goals.
• New creativity. My ideas flow easier when I allow myself to loosen up.
• Deeper connection. Laughing and playing with friends builds bonds that small talk never could.

In short: I feel more alive.

💡 A Gentle Invitation

If your days feel heavy, maybe it’s not more discipline you need — maybe it’s more play.

Try asking yourself:

• What’s something I loved as a kid?
• What hobby would I try if I didn’t care about being good?
• When’s the last time I laughed so hard my stomach hurt?

Then, give yourself permission to do something that makes no sense — except that it feels fun.

🌿 Closing Thought

Work will always be there. Chores will always be there. But so will the chance to play.

The art of play is remembering that joy isn’t childish — it’s human.

And in rediscovering play, we rediscover pieces of ourselves we thought we’d outgrown.

💬 Tell me: What’s one playful thing you’ve done lately — or something you’d love to try again? Share it in the comments. Let’s make play part of the full life we’re editing together.

– M.E