You don’t need to treat your body as a machine - when it’s a whole ecosystem
For a long time, I lived almost entirely from the neck up.
I relied on over-thinking to be my compass, ignored gut feelings, overrode exhaustion, and learned to perform okay-ness, even when my body was screaming (or whispering) “Nope Maeve.”
And it ‘worked’, in that sort of socially acceptable, burnout flavored way. Until, well... it didn’t anymore. Eventually, my body got louder - anxiety, chronic tension, zero energy, and this wild, constant sense that I was totally out of sync with myself and the world.
Sound familiar to you?
That was my turning point. The moment I stopped asking, “What’s wrong with me?” and started wondering, “What if my body isn’t the problem… but the guide?”
There’s a whole wellness industry built around fixing, hacking, and optimizing our bodies - as if we’re broken little machines that just need better fuel and a more aggressive morning routine. I’m sure you’ve seen them too - especially all over social media. An array of them showing up in ads, in your DM’s, in your emails - and they can be pretty hard to ignore. But your body isn’t a machine. It’s not a productivity tool or a personal development project.
It’s an ecosystem - like a forest, not a factory.
And when we treat our bodies like ecosystems, very gently tending to our cycles, needs, and limits instead of overriding them, we start to experience something WILD:
A little more ease. A little more clarity. A little more truth.
Body wisdom starts with sensation (even weird ones)
Trusting yourself doesn’t start with an instant “aha” moment - and I really wish someone had told me this sooner! It really just starts with simply learning your own body.
Before you can follow your intuition, you have to actually feel and process what’s happening inside you. This is called interoception, it’s the ability to notice your heartbeat, your breath, the clench in your jaw, the hunger in your belly.
That body-language fluency is a game-changer. It helps you spot when you’re in a stress response vs. when your body is actually saying, “This isn’t for me.” It builds actual self-trust - not something performative or perfection-y.
And if you're thinking, “Cool, but I feel like a floating head with arms,” you are not alone my love. Disconnection happens for a reason (hellooo stress, trauma, and cultural conditioning), and reconnection is totally possible, with gentleness and time.
Healing isn’t a solo project
Here’s the other thing that shook up my worldview: healing isn’t just personal, it’s actually relational.
Despite all the “do it yourself” messages out there, our nervous systems literally needs other people (and the land, and animals, and perhaps a deeply comforting blanket) to resource and recalibrate.
Trauma often begins in disconnection, so in turn, healing begins in safe connection.
We co-regulate without even realizing it. So much of our healing happens with a friend, with a therapist, with a body of water, with ourselves when we finally stop running.
We’re not meant to figure this stuff out alone. And thank goodness for that!
The TL;DR?
Your body is not a machine. It’s an ecosystem.
You are not broken - you’re wise!
You don’t need fixing, you need space, support, and the safety to listen again.
You don’t have to do it alone - healing is a team sport. (or a dance circle)
If you’re curious about how to start listening to your body again, or wondering how to tell the difference between intuition and a nervous system freakout, listen to Episode 1 of my podcast, Your Body Knows.
We talk about:
Why disconnection is so common (and not your fault)
What interoception is (and why it matters)
How healing is deeply relational, not just “self-help”
Plus, I share a gentle invitation to begin tuning in (no pressure, no performance).
And remember - your body already knows. You’re just learning to hear it again!