Our Personal Check Engine Light: Messages From Our Body
In today’s age of emotional awareness, many clients ask, 'How do I honor my feelings without overreacting?' With so many mixed messages, it’s easy to feel confused about how to respond to our body’s sensations.
This question got me thinking on a run, where I had an ‘aha!’ moment. (For relatability, I’m someone who runs but would never call myself a runner—I’m not excited to start, and I’m always relieved when it ends! Not all good-for-us things are fun and enjoyable 😊). My ‘aha!’ moment came from receiving messages from my body. As I noticed my body’s signals—fatigue in my legs, my heartbeat quickening, and a sense of mental resistance—I initially interpreted them as STOP! IT’S TOO MUCH! YOU’RE SO TIRED! YOU CAN’T DO IT!
As I was taking in these signals and attaching meaning to them, I started some self talk to really diagnose the problem. My legs were still moving. Check! My heart was still beating and lungs seemed to be doing just fine. Check! My vision seemed fine and no other areas of functioning appeared to be impaired, Check! So, what was really going on? I started to think about all of these sensations from my body as messages and I get to choose how to interpret them.
When the check engine light in our car comes on, we don’t think, STOP! IT’S BROKEN! DANGER! and immediately call a tow truck. If we did this every time something felt off, we’d never get anywhere! Instead, we check for issues: no flat tires, no strange noises, just a new light on the dashboard. Often, we decide to keep going and get it checked later. Yes, sometimes we take it to the auto mechanic and sure enough something needed fixing, tuning, changing and we can continue on our merry way. But also, sometimes that dang check engine light turns off and we are left wondering, “Was something wrong? Is everything ok?”
This is how we can interpret signals from our body: listen, assess urgency, and remember that not every sensation needs an immediate reaction. Taking a quick self-care inventory—checking in on your non-negotiables like sleep, nutrition, hydration, exercise, and recent stressors—can help you decide if action is needed. If you’re still unsure, consult a therapist or trusted friend who can help you interpret these signals. The more familiar we are with our inner workings, the better we become at assessing and managing our needs without unnecessary worry. The more in tune we are with our bodies and the more knowledgeable we are of our own inner working mechanics, the better we will become about assessing, diagnosing and treating ourselves, rather than causing a panic at every bump, thunk or check engine light.
