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Health Advice: Listen To Your Body

Posted: 12/21/11 04:00 PM ET

This post is part of Sophie Keller's "How Happy Is" series on The Huffington Post. This week, Sophie offers advice on your health:

Have you noticed that when you get anxious or angry you suddenly get a physical ailment or even become accident-prone? Illnesses and accidents often occur at times of change or stress, such as moving to a new home, getting married or a change in your employment situation. This kind of uncertainty and fear can throw you off balance. In the same way, if you injure your body, you might want to look to see if there is a deeper, emotional component. Depending on the part of your body that is "stressed," this could mean different things:

Your Back: Your back represents your support system. If you tend to hold on to feelings or avoid dealing with them, you may experience back pain. If you do have back pain, ask yourself if you feel supported by those who are close to you. If you've had the pain for a while, think back to when it first started and see if you can remember whether you felt unsupported in your life when the pain began. Sorting out these old issues might help your back heal and release some of the stuck energy.

Your Arms: Your arms express your innermost feelings. Just think of all the things you do with your arms: holding, hugging, pushing away, folding to protect your heart, reaching out. Injuring your shoulder, elbow,,wrist or hand can often be an indication of an emotional conflict and an ability to reach out to others.

Your Neck: Your neck gives you the ability to see all around you. When it becomes stiff, it limits your movement and vision. A stiff neck can indicate that you are becoming narrow in your views or do not want to look back or forward. If you do injure your neck, you might want to ask yourself, 'What don't I want to look at?'

Your Legs:
If you hurt your legs, often there is a conflict about the direction you are going in or a fear of moving forward.

Your Stomach: Your stomach is about digesting your reality, and not just your food. If your reality is indigestible, then indigestion can assail you. If you have a pattern of stomach issues, like acid in the stomach, stomach ulcers or constipation, you might want to determine if you are feeling emotionally nourished and if your reality is in conflict with what you really want.

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This post is part of Sophie Keller's "How Happy Is" series on The Huffington Post. This week, Sophie offers advice on your health: Have you noticed that when you get anxious or angry you suddenly ge...
This post is part of Sophie Keller's "How Happy Is" series on The Huffington Post. This week, Sophie offers advice on your health: Have you noticed that when you get anxious or angry you suddenly ge...
 
 
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abhorson
Si Si Chiquita. There's a woman worth her ransom
08:31 AM on 12/22/2011
well, if I go back to my firs excruciating back pain, it was night and I was hitting a tree in a jungle, blown by strong winds after jumping out of a plane in C.A. while in the army...

I admit I felt particularly un-nourished as I lay on the ground wondering if I was going to walk again or die in some fu***d up place but, I really would put the pain on count of the impact with the bark-covered-hard-cellulose material ...

but I had been there awhile and other than some quick-love in some burdelos, I was fairly un-loved.
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AZreb
equal-opportunity Independent heathen
07:34 AM on 12/22/2011
Some pains and aches and illnesses are linked to your mental state at various times in your life. BUT one of the worst things that can happen is when you have a constant problem, go to your doctor and he/she tells you it is all in your mind!

You are the only one who knows your body inside and out - of course there are anxiety attacks brought on ny outside causes or depression when things don't go well in our lives. But there are also physical causes that can masquerade as anxiety or depression and should be addressed as physical and not mental.

Don't ignore an ache or pain when it occurs during a stressful time in your life. That could lead to worse physical problems - stress can exacerbate a small or hidden problem, one that you have ignored in the past.
11:55 PM on 12/21/2011
Good information... better sleep also plays a role in this :) nite nite
SARAH
Goodnighties Recovery Sleepwear
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The Corporate Champion
Conservative, because someone's got to do the work
10:37 PM on 12/21/2011
What the hell is this...? Not everything happens for a reason and not everything is linked to some mysterious power.