is easy to solve with clear communication
This week has been one of those weeks.
You know the kind.
The kind where everyone in the house is moving in different directions, schedules are changing by the hour, responsibilities are shifting, and somehow a simple conversation turns into frustration before anyone realizes what happened.
With two teenage boys in our house, life is anything but predictable these days. One is navigating college life and adulthood, the other is stepping into new levels of independence and responsibility. There are jobs, schedules, plans, expectations, and countless moving parts.
Like most families, we occasionally have disagreements.
What's interesting, though, is that when I really stop and look at those moments, they are rarely caused by someone being selfish, careless, or intentionally difficult.
Most of the time?
We're simply not on the same page - we were operating with different sets of information.
It was assumed something was understood when it wasn't.
Someone didn't communicate what they needed ahead of time.
Or thought that they were helping while someone else experienced it differently.
The signals got crossed.
And the more I thought about it this week, the more I realized we do the exact same thing with our bodies.
Many of us expect our bodies to deliver results without first making sure that we're speaking the same language.
We want better sleep, but we're sending mixed signals all day long.
If we don't get exposure to natural light and movement early in the day to help regulate serotonin and cortisol, we can't expect our bodies to naturally wind down and produce the melatonin needed for deep, restorative sleep later that night.
We want:
Stable energy, but we skip meals, live on caffeine, and grab whatever is convenient when hunger finally catches up to us.
Better blood sugar control, but we're not consistently providing the high-protein, high-fiber foods that help regulate insulin and keep energy steady throughout the day.
To get stronger, but we never give our muscles enough recovery time to rebuild.
Less stress, but we forget to create space for stillness.
More mobility, but we spend hours sitting and only think about stretching once something starts to hurt.
More energy, but we treat exhaustion like a badge of honor instead of a signal that something needs attention.
Our bodies to adapt, but we change our routines every few days and never give them enough consistency to learn a new normal.
The truth is, our bodies are communicating with us all the time.
Through energy levels.
Through hunger cues.
Through sleep patterns.
Through aches, pains, moods, cravings, digestion, focus, and recovery.
The challenge is that many of us are listening for what we want our bodies to say instead of what they are actually saying.
Just like relationships, communication with our bodies works best when we slow down enough to understand the other side.
Sometimes that means asking better questions.
Sometimes it means paying closer attention.
Sometimes it means realizing that our expectations don't match the signals we're sending.
With it being Father's Day this weekend, I thought about how much of both parenting and learning to become an adult are really learning this lesson of clear communication over and over again.
The best moments don't happen because everyone always agrees. They happen because we keep trying to understand each other better.
We take the time.
We check in.
We clarify.
We adjust.
Our relationship with our health isn't much different.
The more we learn about our bodies, the better we become at giving them the signals they need to thrive.
And the more we learn about the people we love, the easier it becomes to live, work, and grow together in harmony.
This week, take a moment to ask yourself:
“What outcome am I hoping for? And… What signals am I actually sending?"
You might be surprised by the answer.
Xoxo,
Kim
P.S. Your body is always communicating. The question isn't whether it's talking. The question is whether we're listening to what it says.
