In the last post we talked about habits and some different reasons why we may not be consistent with them. One of the reasons we discussed was that maybe the habit you have decided to establish is not the most helpful thing for you to put your energy toward. Your body may have different ideas about what is most important. Let’s stop for a moment and talk a little about your body, or body-partner.
What I am referring to is also called our innate intelligence. Innate intelligence is the idea that our body was born knowing what we need to be healthy and whole.
This may sound a bit out in the deep end, but hear me out. You already know this is true. Think about the time you skinned your knee as a child. Did you know how to heal it? Of course not! In fact, even as adults, there are very few who understand even the basics of how a wound is healed. So if we didn’t know how to heal it, how was our knee healed? The body already knew how to heal it.
Inside the cells of our body is a knowledge that we haven’t even begun to understand. But we can see the effects, so we can know it’s there. It is always working towards being more healthy, vibrant, and whole. And our body wants to work with us and help us understand how to get there. Innate intelligence helps us understand what’s best through senses & desires.
a desire for certain foods
tired and heavy eyes when we need to sleep
brain fog and fatigue when we’re sick
the urge go to the bathroom
a "gut" feeling about a decision or situation
And the list goes on... When we learn to listen to our body-partner, our communication becomes more fine-tuned and successful. (To learn more about this, I recommend reading Notes From a GAPS Practitioner, especially chapters 7 and 8.)
Ok, so back to the topic—how do you know what to prioritize for you? What’s the most important thing to focus on? There are so many good things to do. But what’s the most important thing for your healing journey right now? While the answer is not the same for everyone, following these steps should help you know what to focus on. Until later on, when the priority changes. When that happens, simply revisit these steps again. Each time you do this, it will get easier to know what to do! Hang with me here—there are a few steps! You can do it!
Read through a list of some of my top health change priorities. As you read through them, take note of the things that seem more important than others.
Eat more fat
Stop putting toxins on your skin and hair
Eat fermented foods daily
Consume meat stock daily
Stop drinking soda and energy drinks
Drink more water
Start moving a little every day
Eat more food
Stop eating sugar and processed foods
Switch to natural scents and cleaning products
Detox more regularly
Next, I want you to notice the things that are not on this list. Things like “30 min of cardio 5 days a week” or “take more vitamins and supplements,” or even “buy organic food.” Before we go on, throwaway all your preconceived ideas about what “healthy habits” are. These are not necessarily bad habits, but they may not the most important things to focus on.
Now, write down the things that jumped out to you from the list—first impression only, don’t over-think it! Limit your list to 3-5 items. Got them? Great. These things we are going to consider your body’s priorities, and put them on the Priority List. Think back to the concept of innate intelligence—your body knows how to heal itself. It also knows what things will help accomplish that goal, and it wants to let you know. This communication takes practice, but it's worth it! The more you partner with your body, the more effective change you will see.
Out of your body’s priorities decide which one seems the most important or most practical to start. That’s right—one! Unless they go together, like less soda and more water, I recommend working on only one at a time. And this is where your conscious decision and will comes in. For example, something like stopping processed foods and sugars may seem most important, but if you have tried and failed a hundred times, then I recommend that you pick another one from your Priority List. Perhaps eating more fat may be much easier to do consistently, and you may find that you are automatically eating less processed food by default. Even if that doesn’t happen, it is still better to set yourself up for success, because one success will help you with another. And remember, no good decision, however small, is ever wasted!
Make a plan for your change. "Detoxing more" is not possible to achieve unless you decide that “detoxing more” means “oil pulling daily” or “taking a detox bath on Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights.” Some of the things on the list are big, and should be broken into even smaller steps. It may take a while to feel like you are achieving the habit. But take heart! You are working on something that is one of the most important things to you. It’s worth all the time it takes to do it!
Accountability and support matters! Let the community know what your ONE thing is in the comments below, share your plan, and then go get ‘em! You are going to do great!
Onward!