Stop OverRiding Your Body's Signals

You're exhausted, but you can't stop. You say yes when you mean no. You override the tightness in your chest and the knot in your stomach because you're supposed to be rational, agreeable, strong. But your body has been trying to tell you something. In this episode, we explore how to read your nervous system's signals, recognize the armor you're wearing, and recalibrate the magnet that keeps pulling in the wrong people. Practical examples included.

If this episode is hitting home and you're tired of running the same patterns, I work 1:1 with high-functioning professionals to recalibrate their nervous systems.

Book a free 20-minute clarity call: liftoneself.com/session

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Transcript

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Welcome And Core Premise

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Welcome to the Lift One's self podcast. I'm your host, Nat Nat. If this is your first time here, welcome home. If you are a repeat listener, I want to say thank you for supporting the work. It means more than words can express, and I'm sending you my gratitude and energy. Please like, subscribe, and share this podcast out. Help grow, lift oneself.

Logic vs Body Signals

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Now, have you ever had this happen where logically something makes sense, but something in you just feels off? That's what we're talking about today, because your nervous system doesn't know nuance. It doesn't care about logic, good intention, or how things look on paper. It knows one thing, safe or unsafe, and it knows immediately. The question is, are you listening? Here's what most of us do, and I've done this thousands of times. We override the body's signal. We tell ourselves, I'm overthinking, I'm being too sensitive, I need to give them a chance. Maybe I'm just tired. Maybe it's my anxiety acting up. And we push forward, we take the meeting, we say yes to the dinner, we stay in the relationship, we ignore the tightness in our chest, the nod in our stomach, the sudden exhaustion that hits us. We've been trained to trust our minds over our body. Think about it. From the time where kids were told, use your words, think it through, be rational, don't be so emotional. Nobody taught us, trust your gut. Your body is giving you information. The feeling in your stomach, that's data. And if you did get those insights, kudos to you. Yet the majority of us never heard those statements before. So we learn to live from the neck up. We become these brilliant, high-functioning, cognitively advanced people who are completely disconnected from the very system designed to keep us safe. And right now, in the state of our world, that disconnection is

Disconnection In A Loud World

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costing us. Let's be real about what we're all navigating. The world feels overwhelming. Every day there's a new crisis, a new tragedy, a new reason to be afraid or angry or heartbroken. We're swimming in information, opinions, hot takes, doom scrolling at 11 p.m., telling ourselves we're staying informed. Our nervous systems were not built for this. They were designed to handle acute threats, a predator, a natural disaster, an immediate danger, activation, response, resolution, rest. But now we're in chronic activation. We wake up to notifications, we scroll through bad news over coffee, we're in the back-to-back Zoom calls, we're managing a hundred different things. We're performing productivity, we're performing wellness, we're performing like we have it all together. And our bodies are keeping score. The shallow breathing, the tension in your shoulders you don't notice until someone points it out. The clenching of your jaw while you sleep, the exhaustion that doesn't go away no matter how much you rest or how much coffee or energy drinks you drink. These aren't character flaws. This isn't you being weak. This is your nervous system trying to tell you something. But here's where it gets tricky. And this is where we have to take some accountability. Yes, the world is intense right now. Like looking at the things that are going on in the US, going on in overseas, going on in the Middle East and Europe, everywhere in the world. Yes, there's real stuff happening, but the way you respond to it, that's filtered through every wound you have ever experienced.

Wounds That Shape Perception

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Let me give you an example from my own life. I grew up in an environment that my worth was not affirmed. So my nervous system learned you don't have anything to offer others. Fast forward to adulthood, when I was building lift oneself back in 2019, when people would ask what I charged, I would feel a wave of anxiety. My heart race. I wanted to discount my rates before they even responded. Why? Because in that moment, I'm not just stating my price. My nervous system thinks I was asking for something I'm worth. And that felt really dangerous. I wasn't seeing the situation clearly. I was seeing it through the veil of my past. We all do this. Someone gives you feedback and you hear criticism. Someone sets a boundary, you feel rejected. Someone is direct and you perceive them as aggressive. These veils aren't your fault, but recognizing them, that's your work. Because until you distinguish between what's actually happening and what you're projecting from your past, you're not responding to reality. You're responding to the ghosts. Now, when people hear you're projecting from your past, they often think that means their feelings are invalid, that they should just get over it or think more positively. That's not what I'm saying. We are not bypassing here because when you bypass, you come back to the same junction you tried to avoid. Your fear is valid, your response is valid, and it is also worth investigating with curiosity. Here's what I mean.

Curiosity Over Bypassing

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Remember that pricing example I just shared? That when I started off, when people would ask what I charged and my nervous system would go into panic mode, well, I could have ignored that. I could have told myself I was being paranoid or quote unquote working on my money mindset. But what I actually did, I paused. I acknowledged the fear. I said, okay, body, I hear you. You're freaking out about stating my worth. Let me investigate why. And when I got curious instead of dismissive, here's what I found. Every time I stated my worth in the past, whether it was my pricing, my needs, or my perspective, I'd experienced rejection or dismissal. My body had learned claiming your value equals danger. So when that pricing conversation came up, my nervous system wasn't responding to the present moment. It was responding to every past experience where visibility felt unsafe. My mind wanted to excuse it. Just give them the discount. Make it easier. You don't want to seem greedy. But my body was actually trying to protect me from old pain, not current reality. The fear wasn't controlling me. I was using it as information. And I was finally allowing myself to feel what rejection would feel like, what honoring my worth would feel like. And that's the difference. When you acknowledge your fear, when you get curious about it instead of shoving it down or letting it run the show, it becomes your ally. You can ask, is this an old pattern being triggered? Or is this my body picking up on something real? Both can be true, by the way. You can have an old wound, and the current situation can actually be problematic. Here's what most high-functioning people don't realize. You've built incredibly sophisticated armor and you don't

Armor Of High Functioners

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even know you're wearing it. You've learned how to keep moving, how to push through exhaustion, how to override discomfort, how to perform competence, even when you're falling apart inside. I had a client recently, let's call her Sarah. She's a VP at a tech company, brilliant, accomplished, comes to me because she can't sleep. Her marriage is struggling, and she's exhausted all the time. We start working together and I ask her, when's the last time you felt something and actually stopped to feel it? She looked at me sideways, like I asked her to solve a calculus problem in an ancient Greek. She doesn't stop, she doesn't feel, she doesn't slow down. Because if she does, everything she's been running from will catch up to her. And that's the armor, the productivity, the achievements, the constant motion. It's not ambition, it's a defense mechanism. And here's what nobody tells you: that armor that helped you survive, it's now preventing you from living. Because that very sensitivity you armored against the feelings, the vulnerability, the needs, those are the things that allow you to connect, to rest, to experience joy, to know what you actually want instead of just what you're supposed to want. So let's talk about sensitivity. Because I know for a lot of you, that word makes you uncomfortable. You've been told you're probably too sensitive, too emotional, you take things too personally. And so you learn to dull it, you learn to toughen up, you learn to not care so much. But here's what's actually happening. You didn't stop being sensitive. You just stopped listening to your sensitivity. And your sensitivity, that's your radar. That's how you know when someone's lying, even though their words sound true. That's how you know a room

Sensitivity As Intelligence

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feels tense, even though everyone's smiling. That's how you know you need to leave a party, even though you just got there. Your sensitivity isn't a flaw, it's information. But because you've been taught to be repulsed by it, you miss the signals, you override them, you talk yourself out of what you know. Or sometimes that information is used to validate the fear and wounds, so it layers things into personalizing it as a way to protect yourself. Let me give you a practical example. You're in a meeting, someone pitches an idea, everyone's nodding, but you feel this subtle heaviness, this sense that something's off. You have two choices. One, ignore it, tell yourself you're being negative, go along with the group. Or two, honor it, say, can we slow down for a second? Something about this doesn't feel aligned. I'm not sure what yet, but I'd like to explore it. Option two is drawing in your sensitivity. It's using it. And the question is, are you brave enough to do that? Because nine times out of ten, someone else in that room felt the same thing, but didn't say it because they were also taught not to trust themselves. So if the armor is protection, what are we protecting ourselves from? For most of us, we're running from the pain of not being enough, not smart enough, not successful enough, not attractive enough, not worthy enough. We're running from the fear that if we slow down, if we stop producing, if we stop

What The Armor Protects

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performing, we'll be abandoned, rejected, casted out. See, we have a fear of silence, because in that stillness, we are met with ourself. And that can feel very overwhelming. So that fear, it's not irrational. For many of us, it's based on a real experience. Maybe you were praised for achievement, but got ignored when you were struggling. Maybe you learned that love was conditional on performance. Maybe vulnerability was met with dismissal or mockery. So you learned keep moving, stay valuable, don't let them see you need anything. And it worked. You became successful, you became the person people rely on, you became indispensable, but now you're exhausted and you don't know how to stop because stopping feels like death. This is the protective system and it's running your life. So, what's the way through? It is not about dismantling your armor overnight, it's not about suddenly being vulnerable with everyone, and it's not about throwing everything that got you here. It's about appreciation. Appreciation for the part of you that learned to armor up. That part kept you safe. It got you through situations that would have broken a lot of people. But appreciation also means recognizing that part doesn't have to run the show anymore. Here's how this shows up practically. You're working on a project, it's late, you're exhausted, and here's that voice in your head saying, just finish it, push through, you can sleep later. Old pattern, you listen, you push, you finish, you collapse. But the new pattern, you pause, you acknowledge that voice. Thank you for trying to keep me valuable. Thank you for believing that rest is dangerous. I know you

Appreciation Then Repatterning

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learned that for a reason. And then you rest, anyways. You say out loud, we are safe to rest. Not because the voice is wrong, but because you're teaching your system something new. I'm valuable even when I'm not producing. This is the practice. Acknowledging the defense mechanisms, thanking it, and then making a different choice. Here's the part that's going to land hard for some of you. How you treat yourself is directly reflected in how people treat you and who shows up in your life. Let me be clear with this, okay? If you constantly abandon yourself, ignore your needs, override your boundaries, dismiss your feelings, you will attract people who do the same. If you constantly criticize yourself, minimize your worth, doubt your value, second guess your decisions, you will attract people who reinforce that. Your nervous system is both a radar and a magnet. It's a radar that scans for safety and threat. And it's a magnet that pulls in what feels familiar, even if familiar isn't good for you. I see this all the time. Even I've done this. You leave a toxic relationship, and six months later you're dating someone who is eerily similar, different name, different face, yet same patterns. Why? Because we haven't changed the relationship with ourselves. If chaos feels like home, calm will feel boring and untrustworthy. If criticism feels like attention, kindness will feel suspicious. Freely given love will feel like a trap. Your magnet pulls in what matches your internal frequency. So if you want different people in your life, different opportunities,

Radar And Magnet Dynamics

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different experiences, you have to change the signal you're sending. And you change that signal by changing how you treat yourself, how you shift your perception. So, how do you actually do this? How do you recalibrate? It's simple, not easy, but simple. You start honoring your body's signals instead of overriding them. I'm gonna give you some practical examples. Example number one, you're invited to a dinner party. Your first reaction is, I don't want to go. But then your mind jumps in and it tells you you should go. You're gonna seem antisocial if you don't, you need to support your friend. The old pattern, you go, you're exhausted the whole time, you resent being there. New pattern, you pause, you check in. Body, why don't we want to go? And maybe the answer is we're depleted, we need rest, so you decline, you honor the need. Number two, you're in a group in a conversation, and someone says something that makes your stomach tighten, but they're smiling, it sounded like a joke, everyone else is laughing. Old pattern, you laugh too, you tell yourself you're being too sensitive. New pattern, you notice a tightness, you trust it, you possibly say to them, hey, that actually didn't land well for me. Or you simply make a mental note, this person's humor doesn't feel safe to me. Number three, you're scrolling through social media and you notice you feel worse after seeing certain accounts, anxious, inadequate, stirred up. Old pattern, you keep following them, you tell yourself you're being petty or jealous. New pattern, you

Practical Recalibration Examples

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unfollow, not with judgment, but with self-respect. This isn't serving me. I'm choosing differently. These seem like small things, but these small things are how you retrain your nervous system. You let your system know that you're listening. I'm taking you seriously. Your signals matter. And over time, your radar gets clearer, your discernment strengthens, your intuition has clarity, and your magnet starts pulling in different energy. You start attracting people who respect you because you're respecting yourself. You start attracting opportunities that align with your values because you're living your values. You start magnetizing what matches your new frequency. You know that manifestation stuff. So here's what I want you to walk away with today. Your nervous system has been trying to talk to you. It's been giving you signals, tightness in your chest, exhaustion, that sense of something's off. And maybe you've been dismissing them. Maybe you've been calling it anxiety or overthinking or self-sabotage. But what if it's not any of those things? What if it's wisdom? What if your body has been trying to protect you, guide you, redirect you, and you just haven't been listening? The veil over your perception, those old wounds, those defense mechanisms, that armor you built, they're not your enemy. They kept you safe, they got you here, but you don't have to live behind them anymore. You can acknowledge the fear, you can use it instead of being controlled by it. You can drive. In your sensitivity instead of running from it, you can appreciate every part of yourself, even the parts you've been taught to reject. And when you do that, when you start treating yourself with that level of respect, that level of care, that level of deep appreciation and honesty, everything changes.

Reframe: Wisdom Of The Body

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The people who show up in your life change. The opportunities that come up to you change. The way you move through the world changes because you've recalibrated, you've shifted your frequency and your nervous system, that radar, that magnet, starts working for you instead of against you. This is the work. It's not about fixing yourself. It's not about becoming someone different. It's about coming home to yourself, all of you, the sensitive parts, the scared parts, the exhausted parts, the armored parts, all of it. You don't have to have it all figured out. You don't have to do this perfectly. You just have to start listening. If this work interests you, check out my website and the services I offer at liftoneself.com. That's L-I-F-T-O-N-E-S-L-F dot C O M. Now before I leave you, let's take three intentional breaths together. Deep breath in through your nose. Hold it. Let it all go. Another deep breath in through your nose. Hold it. Let that shit go. Another deep breath in through your nose. Hold it. Gently release. Thanking your body. Appreciating yourself.

Closing Breath And Invitation

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Allowing yourself to take in this moment. Now, if someone popped into your mind, please share this episode with them. It may be the medicine they need to hear. Help lift oneself grow. Thank you for being here. Thank you for doing this work. And as always, remember to be kind to yourself. You matter.