6 Tiers of Epic Courage: How Your Body Protects You

I will do my best to empower you in this article.  

Doctors must maintain a professional demeanor with their patients.  So Doctors are cool, calm, and collected.  It’s their job.

But if you know what your Doctor has seen, you will understand why Doctors work so hard to give you this warning:  

Chronic diseases, like high blood pressure and diabetes, are a greater menace than Dennis the menace.

I will begin with a cautionary tale.

The Divine Defender of Mankind

I was a medical student when I first met this fierce, yet gentle woman.  She was a patient I knew nothing about.

Of course, I knew her medical story.  She had uncontrolled diabetes.  A simple wound on her foot developed an infection which began to quickly invade her body despite the powerful antibiotics.

The Doctors knew the prognosis was life-threatening; there were no other options and we needed to act fast.  

We spoke with the patient and she agreed to the last resort: Hope.  

She dared to sacrifice her leg in defiance of death.  Although the surgery was physically, mentally, and emotionally traumatic for her, we all celebrated her tenacious desire to choose life.  

Ten months would pass before I truly met this woman and glimpsed the extraordinary battles she waged beyond the confines of her hospital bed.  

Describing her as “bold” and “courageous” is an understatement.  

I only knew of her medical battles; only what I could see on the surface and in her chart.

I knew nothing of the war she waged behind her eyes.  

I had not known of her burning passion to see her granddaughter, and how her daughter was leveraging that desire for money;  I had not known she enjoyed the status of “Fashion Diva” in her church, but reclaiming her former glory feels unreachable after losing her legs and being trapped at home;  And when she burst into tears from her latest diagnosis, I did not know she watched her aunt struggle and pass away from the same diagnosis only a few years ago.  

I dare any Doctor to talk to this woman about controlling blood pressure and diabetes.  

Did they really think she cared to take her medications when her world has come crashing down around her?

As I said, she is a fierce, yet gentle woman.  

I believe she walks with grace and compassion.

When Your Body Cries Out

Are you listening?

Your body houses an amazing bank of ancient wisdom.  

This wisdom is not top secret; It’s not illusive; It’s not off-limits.

Spoiler alert: Your body is EAGER to share its wisdom with you; and gets upset when you do not listen!

If you desire to commune with your body and access this wisdom, you need not search far.  Your body will always be right here with you.  

Tapping into its wisdom only requires 2 things: 

1. Turning down the volume of distractions

2. Taking the time to listen

Let’s be honest: Distractions are EASY to come by, and time is HARD to come by.  

Here is some help to hear your body speak.

The 6 Tiers of Epic Courage

Your body is courageous enough to speak with you.  You must match that courage to hear what your body has to say about you.  

Let me tell you; almost NOBODY likes what their body has to say.  However, if you trust that your body knows what’s best for you, then you would do well to listen with an open mind and heart.

People do not experience heart attacks and strokes without ignoring vital clues.  This process takes time.  

Here are the 6 levels your body can speak up to warn you of an impending threat.

1. The Nudge
   1. This looks like a food coma on Thanksgiving.  
   2. Or this looks like a stomach ache; or constipation; or diarrhea.  
   3. Anything that says, “Hey, you did it wrong this time.  Let’s not do that again any time soon.”
   4. If you ignore the nudge, the next step is the whisper.
2. The Whisper
   1. This looks like a constant feeling of fatigue or tiredness.  
   2. Your body is saying, “Hey, you’re constantly doing these crummy things.  Would you please stop so that we can restore our energy?”
   3. We can often get by with a low-nutrient, high fat, and high carbohydrate meal.  We can also get by during highly stressful times.  
   4. Eating poor meals or chronically stressed on a consistent basis leads to frank talk.  
3. The Frank Talk
   1. This looks like taking medication to control high blood pressure, diabetes, or high cholesterol.  You also have frequent visits to the Doctor’s office.  
   2. The body now tries to sit down and have a talk with you.
   3. “Listen, I know this is hard to hear.  But we do need to have a chat about how your actions affect my feelings.  If we don’t change something now, we might not be in a good place.”
   4. Ignoring your talk and continuing “business as usual” will lead to a reminder/warning.
4. The Reminder/Warning
   1. This looks like catching colds more frequently; having headaches more frequently; getting dizzy more frequently.  
   2. At this point, you may find yourself at the Doctor’s office more frequently and checking your blood pressure daily and checking your blood sugar levels before every meal.
   3. Medications don’t seem to be helping and your Doctor calls for more medications and higher doses.
   4. Your body seems to say, “We’ve had this talk before.  I am reminding you that things need to change before they can get better.  Otherwise they will get worse for both of us.”
5. The Raised Voice
   1. Now we’ve entered a danger zone!
   2. This looks like headaches, dizzy spells, blurred vision, chest pain, racing heart rate, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting, swelling of the hands and/or legs, numbness and/or tingling of different body parts, change in appetite, more thirsty, more bathroom breaks.  This list goes on.  
   3. You will even have uncontrolled high blood pressure, uncontrolled high blood sugar levels, uncontrolled high cholesterol levels.  
   4. Your body is telling you, “Do something NOW.  We are on a VERY slippery slope!”
6. The Yelling and Screaming
   1. Sirens are wailing; the ambulance is on the way.  
   2. This looks like a stroke and/or a heart attack.  
   3. The body has reached the point it has done all it can to help you know that something is wrong.  
   4. Now, others must intervene to help you.  

Sounds like a relationship – doesn’t it?  

“How many times do I have to remind you to take out the garbage?!”  Sound familiar?

You are, in fact, in a relationship with yourself; and this relationship will last your lifetime!  

Everybody’s relationship is different.  The steps I outlined above may be different for you, so you need to talk with your Doctor if you experience any symptoms.  

However I wanted to personify your body’s attempts at communication and relationship.  

Your relationship with yourself is going to be painful and pleasurable.  But you can tip the scales, one way or the other, if you learn how to listen to your body or if you continue to ignore it.  

If your body talks with you, speak with your Doctor as soon as possible.  He/she can help you decipher your body’s wisdom and put you on the right path. 

Tips for Success

1. What to do when your kids are on your last nerve
2. What to do when you lost that intimacy with your spouse
3. What to do when you have to decide between food and medicine
4. What to do when your landlord wants rent; and you’re behind 2 months
5. What to do when your friend lost weight and looks amazing while you’re still struggling
6. What to do when your boss doesn’t care why your late and your scared of getting fired
7. What to do when your friends are married and you’re not sure marriage is in your future
8. What to do when the surgeon says we need to amputate your leg in order to save your life
9. What to do when you get a surprise hospital bill because your insurance did not cover the full cost

Stress has many faces and wears many hats.  

Here’s the tip:

Remember what they taught us about fire in grade school?  Stop, drop, and roll!

The best tip I can think of in these fiery times is this:  Stop, sit, and breathe!  

You might cry and sob uncontrollably… but you’re breathing; probably for the first time in ages!

Give yourself the time to put everything away and decompress.  

You don’t need to shirk your responsibilities in order to get some me-time.  However, stepping back from the demands of life will help you get in touch with yourself; help you listen to your body’s needs when it’s only a nudge or a whisper.  

And of course, have that talk with your Doctor before your body has that talk with you!

The Last Thing You Need to Know

Sadly, I lost contact with the Divine Defender of Mankind.  

I wish her well and I am truly blessed and grateful to have known her.  

I sincerely hope she does not return to her former glory of “Fashion Diva” because I believe she has attained a far greater glory: My neighbor.

If she reads this, she will know what that means.  

Please leave comments below and share this article with friends and family if you enjoyed it! 

I especially appreciate any feedback as well as anything you would like me to write about in the future.  

Thank you for reading!