816 thoughts on “To pee or not to pee – should that even be a question?”

1. Gosh how many of us put off going to pee because we are in the middle of something and then forget to go until we are busting for a pee. This is just one way we over ride what our body is communicating to us.

2. How vital it is giving the body signs the importance they actually have. Most of them are apparently simple but truly significant movements we do during the day.

3. Coleen I feel you were guided to your local pharmacy before going home so that you could have the physical reality before you of what happens when you/we switch off from listening to our bodies. The more we listen the more they tell us and we can change the relationship to one of deeply caring for ourselves and each other so that we do not rely only on what our mind is saying because that will always lead us all astray if it is not in unison with our bodies.

4. Coleen, you have bought to many’s attention the importance of not ignoring the body’s communication no matter how trivial it may seem and, we continue to do this at the detriment of our bodies. Every aspect of our body parts has a purpose to serve, to keep it functioning and flowing healthily, it is that simple. Why abuse it?

5. We think nothing of holding a pee, but this makes it so clear how overriding our body’s simplest need can eventually lead to a form of dis-ease. Really, nothing is nothing.

   1. As nurses and midwives we continually do this, hold back a pee or avoid drinking water so that we don’t need to pee, it is ludicrous. And then we wonder why we are tired, have headaches and are miserable in our positions when it is really a simple act of self-care, loving and nurturing thing we can do for our bodies.

      1. Teachers do this too. How ludicrous it is that we don’t feel comfortable to take care of our most basic of needs and that we put function ahead of any meaningful quality of care.

6. This highlights how sensitive our bodies are and if we are not taking care of it, it will let us know. It is worth listening to our body in every moment to care and love it the best we can.

7. Thank you Coleen, this has been a blog that’s changed my life as since I last read it I now make sure I attend to going to the toilet when I need to. We don’t realise the care needed for our body, it may not seem like a big thing to delay going to the toilet but it puts huge pressure on the body. The philosophy of self care presented by Universal Medicine to listen to the body and attend to its needs as a priority is simple common sense – yet not so commonly understood.

8. Thank you Coleen such simple acts as drinking water at intervals during the day and going to the toilet when our body is nudging us to do so seem too simple to mention but I am just realising now that I do not always follow these messages immediately and in delaying could be causing undue stress and tension. I do get headaches occasionally and this could be something that is contributing to that.

9. ‘So I will never again be ‘too busy’ to attend to these basic bodily needs because I am engaged in ‘more important’ stuff… not even for a minute! My body is now an equal player in my life, no more a 2nd class citizen: we are now a democracy.’ I know this is not yet something I live at the moment, there are still too many situations where I choose to not listen to this basics needs of my body, your blog makes me once more aware, shakes me up a bit to deepen the love for my body and let all other ‘more important things’ come second.

   1. It is interesting Annelies that we put so much attention to what is going on outside our bodies rather than listening to our bodies. I wonder why we put our body’s needs second to the outside stimulus.

10. A very wise man said, and I quote “the body is the marker of all truth” SB.
    There is no denying these words of wisdom, as our body will indeed tell us immediately if we mistreat it. Whether we choose to listen or not is the key.

11. The expectation of children to learn control of the bladder and needing to visit the toilet is one example of how we teach children early to override the most amazing source of wisdom, our body.

12. I know that feeling to do something because it is convenient and ‘saves time’ perhaps to save making an extra journey or to save money but boy do I pay the price for it afterwards or the following day. We know and when we listen and take heed to what our body is communicating with us it not only supports us but also supports those around us too.

13. Such are the basics of our functioning system and what our body is communicating to us, so to ignore and postpone is just demanding our body to be out of its divine sync. When you are obedient to what it is signalling and asking for it really does feel super loving and supportive. Today I sometimes override it still, and when I do it stands out like a sore thumb, so it is about appreciating when I do honour my body.

14. Our body is a beautiful teacher and it is our responsibility to pay attention to the lessons.

15. Brilliant blog Coleen clearly showing us how easy it is to ignore our own body to its, and our, detriment. I, for one, will be more aware of attending to my body’s needs in future, making sure I do not delay going to the toilet when I need to and also always carrying water with me.

16. The key may be to live in a way that we notice our body earlier, not just when the message is urgent and to live in a way that we can then do what our body needs without disruption.

17. Ignoring our body’s needs always has consequences, and the more in tune we are with our body the easier it is for us to support ourselves.

    1. Very well said Sally, our body is always communicating to us. Choosing to listen to it is a very wise choice.

18. “A true rhythm exclude nothing” – wow, that is something I really need to embrace. I can feel a sense of control when I feel into what I consider how I might be living in rhythm, that there are more dominant parts and there are some that are less so and in fact a bit neglected. It’s amazing how we can so cleverly convert a true wisdom to fit into what we envision as right.

19. That’s quite simply astounding Coleen, that drinking water and going to the loo can make such a difference on the internal pressure happening within the body’s vascular system. And as we know, nothing in the body works independently it is all interconnected and responsive, so these simple self caring gestures are indeed impactful on our health, all of the time.

20. I feel myself get impatient and irritable when I do not go to the loo when I need to and instead try to block out the feeling and race to get everything done first. Going to the toilet and drinking water are basic necessities and yet we repeatedly override these simple messages.

21. It is awe-inspiring to realise and appreciate just how attuned our body is to knowing what true and divine harmony is.

22. A very insightful sharing Coleen, offering us a testament to the fact that our body is always, without fail, reflecting the truth of how we are living and what quality of energy we are aligning to through the choices we are making. When we do listen, we know and are guided as to what is precisely needed to live in greater harmony with the rhythm of life, that which we are inescapably and intrinsically connected to.

23. It is incredible how we can put other people, animals and things as a priority but forget to nurture and care for ourselves on a functioning and necessary basis. I have been through years of this neglect and to be remindered how important I am and I am worth looking after has been deeply inspired by the teachings of Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine.

24. ‘My body is now an equal player in my life, no more a 2nd class citizen: we are now a democracy.’ It is our compass and instead of listening to my compass all of the time there are still moments I can take it for granted, small things but your example shows that what we consider ‘small’ is not small at all as the consequences are truly detrimental for our health

25. The body is the most trustworthy teacher for reflecting truth.

    1. The best teacher that is with you in every waking moment!

    2. And most intelligent teacher as well. And we all have one with us. Permanently.

26. Such a great reminder to listen to and honour what our bodies are telling us. So often we can override things and think they do not have any effect on us when, as you have proven, they do. Thank you for sharing.

27. The more in tune we get with our bodies, the more we feel how sensitive it is. So the neglect of not peeing when the body needs to now stands out so loud to me now, it is impossible to ignore it. Thank you body.

28. A great and very simple example for us all as to how our body responds when we ignore its messages, and especially to this normal need of having to ‘pee’ several times during the day, and sometimes at night. It really brings the consequences of the neglect of our body, even for one moment, right in front of us; for you in your blood pressure reading. Since first reading this wonderful blog I have definitely brought much more attention to my body’s messages to head to the toilet and I am sure I can feel my body thanking me.

29. Great to respond to the body without any delay. Will reflect on how much I do or don’t do this as I go on. Eating comes to mind as I can feel how I will often carry on eating a meal when my body has already said that my tummy is full.

30. ‘The diastolic reading was 85: it had dropped 40 points from a point of crisis to super normal after I went to the loo and then drank some water.’ Interesting how we can dismiss these basic needs putting the body into a pure state of tension. It just goes to show how super important it is to ensure we nurture ourselves in each moment, not taking anything for granted.

31. It’s fascinating how the body is so in tune with all the systems of the body, and although we want to isolate them and tell ourselves that it’s only this part of the body that is struggling, we often find that there are other parts of the body which show us our disregard.

    1. Julie I agree its when we look at one part without the rest that we fall into the trap of trying to fix the ailment without considering what is causing that in the first place.

32. This is a great example of how quickly our body goes into stress when we override what it needs, the body is also remarkable at how fast it is able to recover once we address the situation of what is required.

33. Yes, I love that the body doesn’t say – “you neglected me so I am going to neglect you for the same amount of time – see if you like it!” It doesn’t hold a grudge, it simply recognises its needs have been met and rebalances.

34. “I reflected how a true rhythm excludes nothing – it is in the flow of all life.” Yes, it excludes nothing because it comes from the knowing it is part of a greater rhythm. We can deny this all we like but our body still has a sleep wake rhythms, a period cycle, a monthly, yearly and even lifetime cycle. Nature and the animal kingdom are such a blunt yet divine reflections of that.

35. Yes Colleen, unfortunately for a lot of health care workers the question of whether to pee or not to pee right now is a real question. So often we put our patients before our bladder and ourselves and whilst we think this is a virtue it is not. In fact it is pure disregard and something that we need to learn not to do.

36. It is so humbling to be reminded of the delicateness and sensitivity of our body. How every part works together to keep it going. It seems that our mind is the only thing that has another idea.

37. What an awesome science experiment that is! It proves that self-care is important and that the body does not work with ‘we will do it when it is convenient’. The body just is and when it does not get tended to when it gives the slightest signals, let alone the big ones, it will have to go into a ‘managing mode’.

38. The moment our mind thinks in discordance to what the body feels is the moment we hand over the reins to the part of us that does not have our best interests at heart. Our Soul is our true self and will always move in and with respect to the body it is enhoused within. Whereas our spirit is the part of us that moves in opposition to this and uses the physical form as a plaything to joyride through life with no respect for it as it knows it is immortal and will get another one when the body eventually withers and is discarded. It is always to our benefit to discern in which moment who exactly holds the reins that steer us through life.

39. When we override our bodies signals and what it needs, it really puts a lot of pressure and tension on areas of our body that needn’t be affected, so by our simple choice to do what is needed at the time, our bodies are left to do what they do so very well.

40. Listening to our bodies and in particular responding to when we need to pee or not is a very practical way to honour ourselves and not put ourselves in an unnecessary state of tension.

41. ” The pharmacist asked me, with genuine care, ” This is wonderful that the pharmacist knew what she was doing and how she was able to bring a reality check, as to how you were treating your body. So beautiful how wisdom is imparted to us.

42. “My body is now an equal player in my life, no more a 2nd class citizen: we are now a democracy.” Well said Colleen and your body could only rejoice at your choice.

43. Overriding our body is a full time job that requires to constantly shift our attention away from the body and denying it what is asking for. This is a pattern of movement we adopt and reproduce and sooner or later generates a state of dis-ease.

44. Overriding the need to drink is a huge one for most people especially with the elderly, and it is so easy to get into the habit of not drinking enough. This surely would impact the body in a serious way, always having to struggle and draw water from other parts of the body to keep the vital organs going – it has to be a constant strain.

45. We can never ever underestimate and take for granted how important our most basic bodily needs are.

46. I love how finely tuned and sensitive our bodies are to how we care for them and your example shows how important the basics of self care are.. the response from our body and impact they have our health and how quickly our body can respond when we do care for it.

47. Yes, we can so often and so easily override what our body has been sharing even for just a few moments and complete or do whatever we deem as way more important or giving us something that we judge as being more enjoyable or rewarding in some way. This blog is a great example of how quickly things can turn around when we ignore these signs.

48. Two incredibly simple things that if ignored or overridden can really affect our health. This should be shared with everyone for more importantly a lesson to not override our bodies and what we truly feel .. something I am constantly working on!

49. Where we admit it or not the long- term effects of overriding what the body is asking us to listen to at every moment has its effects. Simple daily self- care acts are just the beginning of a myriad of examples that often deplete the body but we continue to ask it to provide us with all the support we need.

50. No, this should not be a question! If we need to go we need to go! It’s crazy to hold on and ignore the impulse to pee. But this is just one example of the many other things that the body tells us and we ignore. It’s great to highlight the harm of this through this example.

51. Oui Oui I agree. It is so simple when we need to pee, pee – when thirsty drink. Really life can be so simple if we allow it and stop sabotaging and bringing in complication.

52. This is such a great question, I can catch myself saying ‘I will just do this this and this, and then I will go’ yet this is not on and my body suffers in the mean time.
    How well we love and support ourselves will directly effect how well we can love and support together.

53. So fascinating to read how the simple act of not drinking sufficient water and peeing had such an impact on your blood pressure. Smart pharmacist to ask you the correct questions. Our bodies are amazing.

54. Isn’t it amazing how there are these fantastic machines that can read the messages of the human body and what is even more fantastic still is in the way they can be interpreted, because these messages can be taken as signs of mere functionality or they can be used to open up the dialog between the person and their body. Which seems to always lead to a greater understanding and humbleness.

55. “even feeling as lovely as I did on that day, the simple acts of not attending fully to my body’s needs to pee and to rehydrate completely had placed my body into a state of intense stress and me into a position of danger.” Isn’t it extraordinary how we have normalised a level of health and wellbeing that we often cannot feel, or feel but override, what our body is needing just to keep functioning on a basic level let alone support us as fully as it can if we look after it as fully as we can.

56. Great example Coleen how we need to attend to our body’s needs all the time, and ignoring the basic need of hydration can put an unnecessary strain on the body. Rehydration is an important factor to our health as a whole.

57. Wow Coleen thank you for sharing, it definitely highlighted the importance of listening to our bodies and not underestimating the effects of even going to the toilet when needed.

58. A great sharing Coleen in highlighting how quickly our body can go into distress if we do not care for it as we should and also how quickly it can re-harmonize when we do. I can imagine many of us spend a substantial amount of time stressing our bodies unnecessarily and if this is true it’s hard to not wonder of the knock on effect this could have to our general health and well being in comparison to what it could be if we lived relatively free of imposing unnecessary stress upon it.

59. This blog changed my life the first time I read it! The one thing it made me realize, is that I actually avoid drinking water sometimes as I know that I will need to go to the toilet through the day and was afraid I didn’t have time, if I did need to go. I would hold on too, for ages, if I did need to go! This was the deep level of disregard I was in, this quirky, brave and profound blog has changed my life and my relationship with the loo, I never hold on and drink much more water now, thank god.

60. Beauty it is what self-care resembles truly.. It is not an act of the mind but a true act of the body. How well are we listening?

61. This example just goes to show that what the mind thinks is not always in sync with what the body feels. Learning to sync these is the pathway to true health and vitality.

62. When we stop to feel it, there is a beauty to feel how one part of our body can affect the flow of the whole; reminding us that collectively one person also affects the whole. Does this not bring to bear an added element of responsibility knowing that if we ‘lose it’ it enables others to slide too?

63. The simplicity of basic self care and the vitality it brings to life really is amazing. Complicated or tense matters can be broken down when a lack of self care isn’t impacting the situation.

64. The self care that we can offer to ourselves is not a ‘big work’, but a simple attendance of our more detailed and everyday needs.

65. To pee or not to pee is the same thing as asking “to abuse ourselves or not”. This definitely ought to never be a question.

66. This is indeed a profound example how very sensitive and precise our bodies are.

67. I sometimes feel like I’m waiting for a big wake up call from my body to shock me enough into consistently caring for myself in a deeply loving and nurturing way. I’m learning how to but the consistency is not there yet.

68. Always awe-inspiring to hear of how our bodies are so willingly eager to support us to return us to a harmonious state of being. A finely tuned, delicate and super sensitive instrument that serves to guide and support us to live our Soulfulness. The only prerequisite required to be in true command with this instrument is the willingness to listen to, read and surrender to the truth of the messages that always reflect the effects that our choices have on us, and what needs to change in order for us to live with a deeper connection to our Soul.

69. So true I have overridden the natural urge to drink water and pee, it maintains a sort of anxiety when I do not honour how I feel, I have gone to food instead or got on to a task instead of peeing or drinking…time to turn our priorities around and make it about self-care first.

70. Your title offers a far greater enquiry Coleen – how well do we listen to our body and where is our level of care when we do not. There are so many ways in which we not only ‘do not listen’ but we attack and abuse this part of us that so loves us deeply and waits with all the wisdom we need to live a loving, nurturing and evolving life.

71. Your words remind me Coleen how we celebrate and champion giving up smoking or drinking alcohol, but in truth this is just a small step. It’s great that we choose to stop poisoning ourselves, but wow there is so much further we can go with listening, measuring and hearing what our body has to say. It is responsive to life in the most sensational way. We think flowers are delicate and precious – but isn’t this in reality like a bird of paradise marvelling at the beauty of a brick? We need to realise just what and how amazing that we are.

72. This is a very sobering incident Coleen. I know that I have done the same. I sometimes completely forget to drink water through the day, though I have focal points which I now cannot ignore – a glass of warm water first thing in the morning with minerals in it, then a peppermint tea. Make sure I drink something around 11am, mid-afternoon and with dinner.

    1. I think we can all relate to overriding the body’s signals in this way. By not tending to the basic needs of the body we create a situation that then needs urgent attention further down the track. And that is the whole point – that there is a part of us (our spirit) that gets very identified with all that it creates even though all that is created is not of the love that we are (our Soul). And while it may be difficult to accept that we wilfully create situations that are harmful to us in order to feel self-satisfied at this level, that is not to say it is not happening on a daily basis within each of our lives.

73. Talking to a friend the other day she was saying that nurses sometimes have 9 hour shifts and they don’t have time to go to the toilet. This is silly. We all have time to go to the toilet. I know I have put off going at work at times because I have felt there was no one else to do my job and I could not leave my position at the till but this is not true. If I collapsed at work someone else would step in or the till would be shut down for a wee ( pun not intended) while. We let a belief or an ideal run us to our own detriment and it is just not necessary and more than that it is causing us internal discomfort and consequent harm and it is also not having any let up from the rush and continual motion we have set ourselves in. This all has a knock on effect to everyone else and tells others that they don’t have to honour or take responsibility for their bodies either.

    1. Totally Elaine. In the past when I had back to back early morning meetings I was still so tense that I would put off going to the loo in case I disrupted the meeting in any way. Now I just freely leave the meeting when needed!

74. No Coleen it should not be a question but the reality is, it so often is. Why is it that we over ride the very clear messages our body conveys to us? Thank you for raising my awareness and giving me much to ponder on.

75. You really have showcased something that I have done a lot and still do at times, that is to hold on going to the toilet because I am busy. Which is such a bad excuse, for not honouring what my body is telling me. I will certainly bring a lot more awareness to this post having read your blog.

76. Wow such a simple example of not honouring the body and what a major impact to what it causes. Really goes to show how every little detail counts and we cannot ignore anything as we really do not know the damage it may cause.

77. I know those moments at work when there is so much going on that peeing is the last thing on the agenda. But when I listen to my body and take the time to pee my body is then less anxious and I’m able to work better. Taking the time to stop is so important. It’s our body’s way of saying ‘pause for a moment’!

    1. Same here those moments can be an incredible stop in the day that help reduce the stress and anxiety.

78. ‘My body is now an equal player in my life, no more a 2nd class citizen: we are now a democracy.’ This is brilliant when so many of us are ignoring the messages from our bodies until it is too late and illness and disease take their toll. The mind can so overrule our real needs that we become very distant from the bodies innate wisdom. Re-awakening our relationship with our true feelings is essential to a healthy body and mind.

    1. Playing games with our mind is what often leaves us on the back foot when it comes to self-care. The knowing and impulses we ignore are often leading us on the path that is far from a life of true vitality.

    2. I love your comment Elaine. It so clearly shows how we have ended up with the governments that we have. Because we have not lived as a ‘democracy’ with our innately wise body but overruled it with our mind, we end up with government that is a reflection of this . . . and then we complain about it!

79. Overriding what our bodies are constantly expressing is just so disregarding. Your blog Coleen is a powerful reminder to deeply honour, listen and respond to all that our bodies convey.

80. I needed to go the loo while I was reading this blog and even with reading about the exquisite sensitivity of our body I tried to convince myself that I first had to make a comment before listening to this clear message of my body. I did go before writing this but it’s exposing how I treat my body in this, thank you Coleen for this awesome reminder to go from a dictatorship to a democracy.

81. This is a great example of what ignoring the basic functions of the body can result in, but what if we overload the body with food and drink it cannot handle, what happens then.

82. This just goes to show how delicate our bodies actually are – the very fact that one’s heart rate can change so dramatically from lack of water and the need to pee.
    The thing is though, for as long as humanity chooses to see the body as fodder for function, it will ignore these blatant constant signs which include the high disease rates.
    Realising that our body does not merely have a functional purpose in life, that its purpose is far far greater than that, and that we have a responsibility over our bodies and how we treat and care for them is a very humbling process. We come to this point when we realise that this fleshy vessel that enhouses us, is not ‘ours’ to do whatever we like with, but an all-important part of the universe we inextricably belong to.

83. I received a device for Christmas that is worn on the wrist and is not just a watch but also measures heart rate and steps taken and sleep rhythm and a couple of other things. I was amazed that my heart rate changes so often and so dramatically, showing me my reactions/responses having such a marked affect on my body. A great reminder to continue to develop a centred and steady approach to all things and to bring a quality to my movements that allows for harmony throughout.

84. The glorification of “mind over matter” is sold as a great thing to aspire to and we have become so used to force our will onto everything including our own bodies. What a great insight in this blog of the fallacy of this way of thinking.

85. Its an interesting share Coleen, and a testament to the sensitivity of your body and its ability to convey a message to you. It also got me thinking about how all those choices we can make can add up to a very different normal when it come to something as simple to measure as blood pressure. A friend recently shared how his resting pulse and blood pressure were well below what are considered normal values. He was sent for specialist assessment, and it turned out he was in great health. His reading was so low because of the choices he had made to look after his health and live stress free. It showed to me that normal is what we create, and that our parameters of healthy should perhaps shift, certainly they are very individual.

86. Keeping ourselves hydrated is really important, our body is at least 50% water, and without it we would die, not allowing ourselves to dehydrate is part of our self-care.

87. That’s so true Jane. Our body takes us by the hand day after day after day. There’s no judgement and yet it will never hold back the truth as it constantly shows us what our choices are actually doing. Now that’s loving!

88. I like to keep coming back to read this Coleen, because I am still notorious for holding on to going to the bathroom when I am at work. I am in the middle of something I want to complete, but realise that I am not at all honouring myself in this process. So it is great to get a good reminder here.

89. We have been sold this idea that our bodies are like durable bricks, able to placed anywhere, stacked, pushed and made to fit. Yet the truth is as your account shows Coleen, we are all, men and women much closer to the most delicate flower – precious,, full of colour and wow, stunning together. But we are not designed to be bashed around or deprived of natural resources like light, care and food that allow us to bloom.

90. Holding our bladder and increasing our blood pressure that has a domino affect on our whole body is the least of our worries! Is holding a need to pee, just the tip of the iceberg. We are just damming up our personnel sewage works! Would we willingly do that with our home! Then, what about all the things that also have ill affects on our bodies… that we put into our body willingly?

91. This is a great example of how sensitive our bodies are, and that it is for our own benefit that we listen to them.

92. This is a much needed discussion in any workplace. How often do we detach from ourselves and are consumed in the process of the work to not attend to the most basic of body functions? I know I have overridden this often just to get the last job finished or hold on for that phone call. The quality of how we care for ourselves is a marker of how we project to another. Is this not the primary purpose of our employment no matter in what field?

93. WOW, I had no idea that needing the toilet put our bodies under such intense pressure, it definitely makes you wonder the effect of other little things we often overlook, or take our time to address, such as needing glass of water, or needing to adjust position.

94. “My body is now an equal player in my life, no more a 2nd class citizen: we are now a democracy.” I enjoyed this playful way of showing that the harmony and equilibrium within our body is equal to everything else.

95. Because of our increasingly busy lifestyles many of us unwittingly over-ride and restrain many natural functions of our bodies by forcing them to fit in with our time schedules and thereby totally ignoring our natural body clocks,

96. I love the title Coleen. It seems absurd that we should even consider putting off our toilet stops, to make them fit in when we decide to have a break from what we are doing. Going to the toilet is part of the rhythm of our body, part of our ‘be-ing,’ so why do we choose to allow what we are ‘do-ing’ dictate the very natural flow of our lives, that is our ‘be-ingness’?

97. There is still a strong push in me to ignore the ‘time to pee’ messages my body flags up. Every time I have to say, ‘No, I am not dismissing this signal… I care about and respect my body enough to respond and pee, however inconvenient my mind might perceive this to be.’

98. A beautiful reminder Coleen to work with and listen consistently to the wisdom and clarity of our bodies. Whilst less and less, I am still surprised at how often I override the messages my body is sending.

99. There are actually situations in which the act of overriding and pushing our body to the limits is championed and glamourised. It is crazy, but I recognise that glee of power I sometimes feel within me when I push myself and hold on to my pee long enough to complete a task, or I manage to complete something against all the odds. Where do those thoughts come from? They certainly do not originate from my body, nor do they have my health and well-being as a priority. The more I focus on taking care of myself and my body, the more I notice the discrepancy of these thought patterns that clearly do not belong to a caring, honouring and healthy way of living.

100. Our bodies are indeed full of innate wisdom, the more we listen to and honour our bodies the more we become aware of this.

101. It is beautiful how the body just knows what is right for it or not. It does not need to go to school or university to know this, it just knows because its particles are divine and therefore are always in divine communication. If we want to know how God works then all we have to do is listen to our bodies.

102. It is both very sobering and deeply inspiring to experience how sensitive our body is and what we demand of it in order to maintain homoeostasis. And even a bit of basic support goes a long way, as shown in your example of having a pee and drinking water.

103. Coleen I find even as I go about my day that if I get fixated on an end result I miss the connection with my body and what my body is speaking to me about, what its sharing. This shows me an incredible difference in how life can be when I make the quality in my body ahead of results.

104. This story has left a very lasting impression on me. Since first reading it about 6 months ago I have been much more aware of when I hold on to go to the toilet. Every time I override or try to resist going to the toilet, I am reminded of the extra tension I’m creating in my body…and that reminder alerts me that it’s absolutely not worth it and so I go to the toilet, and lo and behold, I always feel so glad I did. It’s a simple thing…but it makes a huge difference.

105. It is an integral part of basic self care to observe our body’s messages such as needing to go to the loo. I know we can override the message but you have proved the effects of doing so Coleen. When we override, we are saying the job we are doing at the time is more important than our health, it is not surprising that I have felt out of balance sometimes in the past.

106. Thank you for bringing to our attention just how important keeping up fluids in our bodies is, and not over riding these messages our body sends us. I love this “My body is now an equal player in my life, no more 2nd class citizen, we are now a democracy”. Thank you Coleen.

107. To evolve or not to evolve.. that should be the question! Ignoring our bodies calls is more than just a convenience factor; it can equally be a great way to numb ourselves from creating a drama within our own body that can be more real than any other issue or tension we may be feeling from life.

108. I am still working on this… my relationship with my bladder is developing all the time, responding, listening, reading how it feels and why… this is fun, allowing myself to be supported by the wisdom of my body.

109. “This applies to we teachers, too, and we are the role models of bladder and thirst control.” So true that teachers model so much to their students. They are teaching so much more by the way they are in class with their students than the curriculum.

110. What a great and fun sentence – “My body is now an equal player in my life, no more a 2nd class citizen: we are now a democracy.” It reminded me of how much we have divided up the way we practise medicine; for example, we have the heart doctor, the lung doctor, the kidney doctor etc., but is this really supporting us and our bodies? Our body is one whole and complete organism, surely it deserves to be treated as such?

111. I recently got a little bit dehydrated, I was travelling and found myself every thirsty when I arrived at my destination – I could feel how sluggish it made me, and that when I then did drink some water it really revitalised me. It is amazing how simple it is to bring the body back to balance, as it is such a delicate and complex machine.

112. I remember when I first met Serge Benhayon and I was inspired by the integrity and wisdom with which he lived. I craved that same connection and access. Little did I know then that the access to that wisdom for me is through my own body, the body that I had become so good at ignoring and disregarding. I find pretty much every message from society encourages the disconnection from and glorifies the overriding the messages of our body, so it takes ongoing choice and dedication to have a loving and honouring relationship instead. Blogs and conversations such as these are great reminders of the power and significance of our daily choices.

113. It is the simplicity of this that gets me, in how we are essentially so vulnerable when it comes to our bodily functions, and yet can just carry on regardless of them, as if they do not exist – completely overriding the messages from our exquisite human physicality as it ceaselessly works to remain in a state of homeostasis.

     1. Ceaselessly working to remain in a state of homeostasis – it is this steadiness that delivers such joyful ease if we choose to work hand in hand with the body.

114. Few forget we are not a machine, we are far more intricate in every way possible, so when an indicator, a feeling comes up to say go to the toilet, it’s time to respond to maintain the harmony in our body. I know if I don’t, my concentration diminishes and the quality from there in diminishes, and as you have shown Coleen, at a deeper level the body goes into stress.

115. It is interesting how I can occasionally find myself so involved in my busy day that I have not listened to my body and notice I have a headache because I haven’t drank much, or that I haven’t been to the loo for hours. The message are always there to be tuned in to, it’s great to ask ourselves why we have not listened to them?

116. Coleen what I’ve also come to appreciate is that we get into a flow of caring for ourself or a flow of not, it’s like we can get swept away with what we call normal or life, yet it’s up to us to choose the quality in that life. Do we listen to our body as a quality we consider important or make the function of sending the next email more important that the care we have of ourselves, which in turn affects how we feel about ourselves and all others? A real life science experiment and whilst I go between the two I certainly find life simpler and more enjoyable when I make it about the quality of care I live with.

117. Our bodies are like a gold assayer scale that can weigh the smallest amount. Our body will tell us fast if something is not right, but we have conditioned it to ignore the messages. We can re-calibrate our body back to its precise state, with simple choices.

118. Sometimes we seem to forget that our body is a living organism and that it is highly interactive!

119. What a great example of just how sensitive and responsive our bodies are when we are willing to listen.

120. So true Leigh, we are the ones who can research and ascertain without doubt what’s good for our bodies and what is not.

121. What jumped out reading this great blog is “When is enough enough?” How many times have I over ridden how I’m feeling to do just one more thing? This is happening much less these days and I can really feel the difference and appreciation in my body when I may think I’ll do one more thing and then I offer my body a moment of awareness to see if how I feel in my body matches my thoughts. If it isn’t a match I don’t do it – particularly obvious if I am driving and I choose my well-being and set my course for home over one more task.

122. Holding on from going to the toilet I find is a real indicator for myself if I am or am not listening to my body and myself. Some times I can find that I have been holding off going to the toilet because I just need to get x done or y done and then realise it has been ages. I then have to ask myself, where have I been? Why would I not be making the time? The answer usually is, I have dropped my connection with myself, that connection being, acting on self honouring what the body is sharing.

123. Considering that ignoring such basic and simple needs of the body already can have severe consequences what about the more extreme disregarding behaviours like eating, drinking, consuming things the body can actually not really handle or depriving it of rest and sleep, ignoring the natural rhythm regarding day and night, the speed in which we do things, nervous tension, etc etc. This is very confirming of how much our lifestyle and everyday choices affect our health and wellbeing and how much we have dislodged ourselves from our body. Time to rejoin the body.

124. What you share Coleen is so incredibly essential to our well-being. We don’t know the long-term consequences of over-riding such simple caring needs for our physical well-being, except the reality that there is so much ill health present amongst people. We can cope and manage with medications and treatments but the overall well-being and vitality is faded. It makes sense that the decline starts in the simple over-riding of listening to our body’s most basic of requests.

125. Coleen this blog has stayed with me from first reading and continues to support me to clock into my body and to support myself in the most basic of ways.. Really how can we really love and nurture ourselves if we override our bodies’ signals by getting absorbed in the moment of what we are doing? I saw a video of a dog show at Crufts recently where a dog stopped in the middle of an exciting and time winning round only to defecate because he had to.. A reflection for us all if ever I saw one!

126. Apparently such a simple thing to do: pee when our bodies ask us to… but I have noticed there is much more to it than that. Having for years ignored my body’s signalling on many things I am needing to break through walls of ignoring and patterns of selective deafness… and then when I do hear the call to pee I am noticing the habit of dismissal: ‘in a moment’, ‘right now is inconvenient’, ‘soon’, ‘really?’… so having to redress this ingrained behaviour with, ‘yes, now is great and I love me enough to take this basic care’. I know my relationship with, ‘To pee or not to pee’ is just one insight into my relationship with my body, myself and life.

127. The title to pee or not to pee reminds me of all the choices we have when our body is calling out to us be it in going to the loo, be it in eating certain foods, be it in completing a work, be it in moving in a different way. Fact is our body tells us, the question is do we listen.

128. I love coming back to read this blog, because depending on what is going on at work I can still hold on for longer than I should before going to the toilet. So rereading this great blog has given me more a stop to come back to myself and honour when I need to go : )

129. “My body is now an equal player in my life, no more a 2nd class citizen: we are now a democracy.” After neglecting my body for so long and having learnt to love and nurture myself I can so relate to this comment Coleen.

130. In my 20s, I and some mates would have friendly poker games on the end of the month paydays. A big loser after playing for hours would be down 20 dollars. It was cheap entertainment to get together and have a few beers. It was the few beers that you can never own, you can only rent, for you have to give them back. I had found that I could be like a camel and go forever without having to pee… which was good because I could play more hands that way. The pressure I would put my body under was immense. This blog has been a reflection to me that I had still been hanging on and would pee later, is still putting pressure on my body. Peeing is a neutral method of the body to expel waste… why would we what to carry something around that doesn’t support us?

131. I love this blog which has inspired me to be more responsive to my bodily needs rather than the bossy brain. However this week I allowed an infected sore to go untreated, even when I had the clear body message to consult the doctor, because I was busy at work and I forgot. I appreciate the lesson, and fortunately did deal with it on the weekend ‘just in time’ and paid the high weekend penalty rates. Putting oneself last, or delaying the treatment one needs, is not at all loving or nurturing.

132. I often quote we are born 80% water and die less than 60% water, so we are slowly dehydrating until we pass over and return to our etheric counter part or spirit. Could it be that as an etheric being who is eternal, the spirit sees no need to truly look after the body? As Serge Benhayon presents, we need to nurture every aspect of this body so the soul can reunite with the wayward spirit who cares little for the body.

133. When I was training as a student nurse I remember being shocked that some of the nurses would do a 12 hour shift and not once go to the toilet. Often they get too busy to go and also too busy to drink fluids. This shows how dire the situation is when you think that these are health professionals who in theory know how important it is to hydrate and go to the toilet. What gets in the way of such basic rights and a choice to override the body at such a level?

     1. A great question, Samantha. Maybe simply the learnt and ingrained behaviours of living in our heads not our bodies and dismissing our bodies as insignificant until such time as their shouts (signs and symptoms) stop us from doing what we have programmed ourselves to do.

134. I just know how often I hold onto going to the toilet, i am not even quite sure why I do it. But after reading your blog, I had an epiphany, I don’t immediately honour my body when it tells me something. I ignore it, its almost like I say to it ‘hold on, I am far too busy to support you, look after you or listen to you’, which is sending a horrible message to it and I hadn’t quite felt the depth of that until I read this here so thank you!! I now have deeper awareness, so an opportunity to make other choices now to self honour.

135. Since reading this blog I have been really aware of when i would normally just override the feeling of needing to go to the toilet and actually making myself stop in what ever it is that I am doing. Go to toilet and I feel so much more relaxed and at ease in my body.

136. Getting caught up in our day at the cost to our own bodies seems quite a crazy thing to do, yet it is something most of us can recognise in some form or other, whether it is not drinking enough water, not going to the toilet when we feel the urge or perhaps staying up later than our body is asking for. Recognising that my body is my greatest friend, that is always there for me and never lies, helps me to listen more closely and heed those messages that are a constant and loving source of communication.

137. ‘And I decided that, henceforth, any bodily need, no matter how insignificant or basic it may appear to be, will be addressed by me immediately… in line with my body’s communication of it.’ This is the point – our body is not saying ‘In five minutes I need to …’ it is always communicating in present time – it is an immediate feedback system, working in ‘real time’ so when it speaks to us, it is in our best interests to listen and act accordingly.

138. As I read your blog Coleen, I couldn’t help wonder what the blood pressure of people walking the streets is these days…many people are ticking time bombs. With high stress, high caffeine and sugar consumption and possibly inadequate water intake, blood pressures would surely be on the rise. Your blog is a great reminder for me to make sure I’m well hydrated.

139. How amazing is our body!? It is constantly feeding information back to us, and will continue to do so until it finally gives up. We of course can override it, and sometimes we put a lot of effort into that, but nevertheless the body continues unabated to let us know exactly what is going on.

140. To me it is the arrogance of the mind that feels itself superior to the body by intelligence, but how intelligent is it to ignore the basic needs of the body and to let it suffer the consequences of that?

141. It strikes me as I read this blog just how much I have been arrogant about thinking my body is tough and able to handle anything. Only to suffer the tensions and strains of it forever showing me that meychoices were not true. Needing to go to the loo and not going is one classic example.

142. What you share puts a very interesting light on the fact that often in schools you are not allowed to use the bathroom during lessons, especially in the lesson straight after break – the understanding I gain from your blog is that we can’t live life putting everything above and beyond as more important than the basic care of the body such as drinking water and going to the toilet.

143. I share your experience with so many people I meet, mostly we are talking about the lack of ‘time’ to do everything we have to do. I share that since reading your blog I have noticed that I become less effective when I don’t honour the body’s call to receive my bladder. That I can feel my body stressing out that I have ignored a core function and that the toxins that my body was ready to release are now still in my body. It is illogical to ignore that sign and I have found space opening up all around me ever since so I get done exactly what needs to be done!

144. I love reading this blog Coleen because for me I only have to focus for a second on the marvels of the human body and I am completely humbled: the kidneys especially are such amazing and intricate organs! How we care for them is a reflection of our self awareness.

145. Coleen its a great example you share of the level of care we can take and that some of the simplest things like water and going to the toilet form a quality of foundation in our body and how quickly the body responds when we take care of it, quite remarkable.

146. I love the honesty of this blog Coleen and your willingness to look at how you have been supporting your body or not. It gives me pause to look at my own life and how I override even the little or most basic signals at times from body as to what it needs for support. I agree, to pee or not to pee should not even be a question.

147. Such a relevant and poignant reminder Coleen to listen to, and more importantly respond to, our body’s clear messages. On reading your blog I am aware of just how often I over-ride my body’s clear calls for action.

148. Since reading this article I have made a quiet commitment to myself to go to the loo as soon as my body suggests it… there are times when I hear myself saying, ‘really… again… but I am in the middle of something’, however I have settled this critical voice and respond to my body respectfully. It is amazing how this simple choice has changed the quality and respect with which I treat myself. And the great thing being that going to the loo is a regular occurrence in my day, giving me lots of opportunities to check in as it were.

     1. This is a deeply beautiful decision Matilda. As I read what you wrote I could feel the coinciding of the self-interested spirit with beautiful knowing of truth, and could feel the surrender to truth happening. Every time you or any one of us surrenders to truth and sees the spirit for what it is, the volume of love and truth becomes that little bit more powerful for the world to feel and have access to.

149. It amazes me how many of my colleagues hold on in order to continue working. We really don’t pay attention to our bodies – after reading blogs like these, I am a bit more careful of going to the toilet when I need to and not holding on, but I was careless the other day wen I burned my hand – because I was busy cooking lunches for other people, instead of taking ten minutes out to run cold water over my hand, I carried on cooking. I ended up with a very sore hand and an open skin injury that is taking longer to heal. It was a day when I was feeling very distracted, so my lack of conscious presence led to the burn. We definitely need to pay more attention to our body’s signals.

150. Coleen, this has been very exposing to read, ‘I began to reflect on how many times in my life I had overridden the needs to drink water and go to the toilet, as well as many other bodily needs, deferring all these needs to a time that was ‘more convenient’’ Since reading your article a while ago I have been very aware of all of the times I override needing to go to the loo and having a drink, having read this article and having the awareness of how harmful this can be for my body I am now more and more choosing to listen to these signals and to honour them which feels lovely when I do. What feels important is to now reflect on the other areas in my life where I have been overriding my body.

151. “Alcohol is a direct cause of seven forms of cancer, finds study” The Guardian. 22 July, 20161. This reads as if this is the answer to our search for answers but if so and if our research and discoveries were so profound we would soon have resolved many of our age old questions but we do not and as is suggested in this blog this is because we having always been missing a part of the picture – the truth.

152. Thanks for sharing Coleen, I agree this reminds me to reflect on, ‘how many times in my life I had overridden the needs to drink water and go to the toilet, as well as many other bodily needs’.

153. To be able to honour ourselves at such a simple level is an area that has totally been over looked if not encouraged so that we can with stand the demands of life and get what needs to be done complete. Putting everything before ourselves including not going toilet when we need to is detrimental to the body. I love how this was confirmed in an instant when having your blood pressure checked – our bodies do not lie.

154. Over the last few days I have begun to acknowledge more of what my body feels and tells me on a deeper level – I have started to realise that so often I could have been misinterpreting these feelings and been in reaction to what I can truly feel.

155. Our bodies call for healing often comes through our physical anomalies, discomforts and ailments. When we start to understand and live from this truth, listening to our bodies brings on a whole new meaning to life.

156. I have shared this story with so many people since reading it, it blew me away. I have paid so much more attention to how my body feels when I say to myself, hold on, I’ll go in a minute. So it has really upped my attention to detail and I am enormously grateful for that.

157. I love that you now see your body as an equal 😉 the fact is there will always be little signs from our bodies telling us they are our equal and that to ignore our body is to ignore our entire selves. It’s pretty cool to learn from these experiences and be open to receiving them.

158. Just to say that my relationship with my own bladder has completely changed since reading your blog a while back. Taking myself to the toilet when I need to is gold and I can feel how it reduces unnecessary tension in my body.

159. Thank you again for sharing this Coleen. This reinforces for me the absolute necessity to take deep and tender care of ourselves, not pushing through or ignoring what our body is telling us. Every aspect of our body is so connected and we are so connected with everything around us, that we can’t ignore any aspect.

160. I just love how up front the body is – it can show us so clearly how the choices we make not to look after ourselves impacts our physical health – it really is the marker of all truth.

161. Sometimes I will be sitting at the computer and it’s only when someone phones that I realise that I actually need to go to the toilet and then I realise I had been aware of it but had put off going to get something finished. Coleen, thank you for pointing out how much we get affected by ignoring our body. Your blog highlights how abusive it is when we override our bodies like this.

162. It is amazing the huge impact on our body, drinking enough or too little water can have. I find this is often one of the areas of disregard we can go into and most patients I speak with don’t drink anywhere near enough water. You make a good point about hanging on for a wee also. We get a lot of recognition as little kids for being able to ‘hang on’ and wait for a convenient time for everyone. I wonder if this sets up a lifelong pattern, unless we consciously choose to start putting the wellbeing of our body first.

163. I was drawn to the title of this blog. As a nurse there is a lot of discussion about peeing! We make jokes about needing a camel’s bladder (so you can hold on for ages), or not drinking too much water so you don’t have to pee during your shift. As you say. To pee or not to pee should not be the question and if we can’t find 3 minutes to go to the loo we need to look at the level of care we are giving ourselves, since this determines the level of care we can give to our patients.

     1. And it also calls into question what we call intelligence, if when working in health care we can be that irresponsible with our bodies and their well-being.

164. Why do we make our body wait? Would we do that to a loved one?

165. I loved this blog Coleen, although it may be such a small thing as hanging onto a the need to urinate, this shows that it is not as simple as we would like to believe, and what other things do we override and what effects do they have on our bodies – the list is endless.

166. It is not just with the loo, but just how much do we attempt to push through? And from what you display here Coleen, what is the real and true effect of this on our body? Just because we do not collapse or fall apart, we like to think the way we are acting is smart, or at least within reason. But when you look at it and understand just how deeply we feel energy, the way we behave is harsh and quite insane.

167. I remember this blog all the time when I am in a situation where I am busy but I need to pee. It inspires me to heed the call of my body over choosing to continue with my task. This blog has spelled out why it is so important to listen and not over-ride.

168. So simply and playfully expressed and yet so critical and significant. if we are over-riding this clear and simple message from our body on a daily basis, what else is slipping under the radar in terms of our body’s communication with us?

169. Thank You Coleen for this much needed blog. I am always going on about not holding on when our bladder is talking to us. Generally when a woman asks me for a number one self care tip, I always say ‘go to the loo the first instant you feel you need to go’. No more overriding is a life changer.
     What you are sharing is huge as it confirms how our body goes into a dis-harmony simply by not doing the water in and out business consistently everyday.
     Amazing how something simple can make such a big difference.

170. This blog has stuck with me since reading it the first time – I know during the day I may catch myself getting involved in what I am doing, but I keep reminding myself that water and the toilet is just as important if not more so than anything else. The quality in how I am and the clarity is also becoming noticeable, which I find interesting.

171. “My body is now an equal player in my life, no more a 2nd class citizen: we are now a democracy.” This is a great statement to live by, thank you.

172. This is a great and very wise blog to come back to… such a simple yet basic call from our bodies that we often don’t heed because when it comes down to it, we don’t cherish our precious body and its profound wisdom enough.

173. This sharing has made me ponder how many other areas in life do we attempt to control, besides our bladder. And what is the affect of this on our bodies?

174. Its quite incredible that we can and do override such a simple request from our bodies such as it asking for water, or wanting to pee or not, that it is worth considering what other more vital signs and signals are our bodies sending us and asking us to do. Imagine if we listened so carefully to our bodies that we didn’t even consider that not listening to them was an option, but that we paid attention to every request and acted on it there and then. This could potentially change everything about the way we live and have an enormous impact on our health and our medical system.

175. “To pee or not to pee – should that even be a question?” What a great title. Makes me laugh. Most of the trials that we place ourselves through by ignoring the very wise prompts from our body are laughable. It is incredible that we consider ourselves to be the most intelligent species on the planet.

176. I chuckled Coleen at the thought of my body as part of a democracy and have embraced the idea that it is entitled to an equal vote in what happens to it and how I choose to look after it or not.

177. Coleen it was a while ago I last read your blog and I wanted to say how your words have impacted me, I am now more likely to go pee when I need to rather then waiting for another moment, I am also more aware of when I need to stop and hydrate – both such simple actions but hugely important and ones we can often override under the illusion of being ‘busy’.

178. You are right Coleen… Should it be a question we have to ask ourselves, but it is one that is asked over and over again and over ridden because there’s a tendency to ‘hold on’ because of ‘X’ Y’ or ‘Z’… Starting to learn ways of not disregarding ourselves starts with honouring this simple call from our body.

179. I was reminded today of this blog when I was holding onto a pee – realising that I was more likely to water the plant than drink water myself and realised how ridiculous this was, that we put so much else ahead of looking after ourselves.

180. I find this blog fascinating – how easy it can be to brush off drinking throughout the day or going to the loo or taking a break in favour of getting the job or day done, and yet how quickly the consequences catches up to the physical body.

181. This is such a great example of how we continually ignore and override the very sensible and wise ways our body can naturally communicate to us, and how we fail to understand the power and wisdom that is on offer to us if we but chose to connect to it.

182. I love this super simple example of ways that we do or do not honour and care for ourselves. Our bodies let us know how we are going, what we need, but are we willing to listen, there is so much subtle and not so subtle amazing cues and yet many of us, including myself will and have ignored the most simple cue to go the bathroom when we need to….great to reflect upon.

183. The glorious thing about stopping to take a pee, is the stop of it all. I have been doing a marathon run of back to back meetings for much of the last few days and have been observing how stopping, leaving the room and taking a pee has so often inspired an evolution in me, in the room, in the dynamic, in the whole process. Without the need to pee, I would have stayed in the room, stayed in whatever space I was in and would never have been able to have the clarity that these pee moments have supported. On top of which it is a real act of self-love for me to put myself (and my bladder!) before whatever it is that I am involved in. This is huge for me, because all too often I will sacrifice myself for my job.

184. Our bodies – a living, breathing, constantly expressing science lab – always ready and willing to make professors of all of us – should we choose to listen.

185. Coleen we often push our bodies for various reasons, not thinking too much of it yet in your example “the simple acts of not attending fully to my body’s needs to pee and to rehydrate completely had placed my body into a state of intense stress and me into a position of danger” i am shocked at how significant not attending to your body is.

186. This blog is so powerful I refer to it all the time in my life, especially if I am overriding my need to pee to a task that needs to be done. I always now honour the body not the task.

187. Reading your blog is a great ‘stop moment to look at all the ways and habits where we can over-ride the body. This takes self-care to a completely new foundation. And with self-care comes true medicine for the body.

188. Taking care to listen to the needs of our bodies, even down to the minutest detail is what Serge Benhayon has always always presented. He also lives it. It’s interesting how this seems to be so difficult for most of us to do. The amount of love that is required of ourselves to do this is massive. It needs to come first before anything else.

189. This is something that many of would be familiar with and yet we do not reflect on it….”I began to reflect on how many times in my life I had overridden the needs to drink water and go to the toilet,” And now here is this fabulous article, reflecting light on a subject that most of us have an experience of. I know I have delayed both drinking water and going tot he bathroom, why would I do that…what could be more important than honouring the messages our bodies are sharing with us….nothing I would suggest.

190. Ever since reading this article a month or so ago my respect for my need to pee has greatly increased and there is a tenderness and understanding in my approach to my body and its needs and sign posting. Thank you, Coleen.

191. When I think back to the days working on the different wards in the hospital I know so many nurses and care staff would ‘hold on’ sometimes going the whole day without going to the toilet because they were under to much pressure and to busy. What kind of irresponsible culture have we created where health staff and encouraged to be unhealthy?

192. Coleen no matter how advanced our society is, unless we follow what our body is telling us we are not using any form of true intelligence. If we feel to pee and don’t, like so many of us, how inteligent are we being?

193. Coleen awesome article Coleen, simply showing us the outcomes of our choices to look after ourself or not. Your blog has certainly made me more aware of listening more to my body and its needs.

194. An important study you present here Coleen… simple, practical and with huge results. Attending to the needs of our body as they present and not ignoring, them makes total sense.

195. Wow, what a supportive blog this is! I love what you’ve shared Colleen and goodness, am i even a bit embarrassed because I am often the culprit of holding on, dismissing these calls from my body to attend to them as and when there’s a need to do so, taking my time and attending to more ‘important’ things — what an insight this is.

196. Our choices make a huge difference, we make choices in every second of every day, are we conscious and aware of these and the consequences, do we always respond and honour what our body is impulsing to us?

197. Hello Coleen and how relatable is this, “I began to reflect on how many times in my life I had overridden the needs to drink water and go to the toilet, as well as many other bodily needs, deferring all these needs to a time that was ‘more convenient’ – a time when I wasn’t busy or engaged in other activities.” Two very simple things but yet at times we put them on the clock by saying: no not yet, I will just finish this. What are we truly saying to ourselves? That function or doing something is more important then what we feel? It may seem minor to some but this can be reflective in our lives. When we feel something, the honouring or listening to that feeling is important and if you ‘want’ to listen at times when it appears to count more than in these everyday functions, it pays to listen very in a deeply caring and direct way.

198. Yes Coleen, I am sure many of us can relate to having overridden our bodies ‘needs’ and impulses over the years, this post highlights how dangerous and harmful that can be.

199. The simplest of choices have a huge effect on our bodies, be it self love or not. Either way, the outcome is determined by our choices, that we make.

200. Isn’t it great that we have amazing medical health professionals to support us in life with things we may not know about. That coupled with listening to our bodies is the path to true health.

201. I remember feeling it as a great hurt that I was asked and placed into situations at school where I simply had to override my body’s feelings to go to the loo and drink water. It happens so much at school that our bodies become second class or even third class citizens, when not honouring them as our equals is actually not wise and in fact creating a lower quality of living for us. Because after all, any discomfort in the body is never nice to feel.

202. “To pee or not to pee – should that even be a question?” I love this title which in itself makes a huge statement. When we are living in harmony, with care and honouring of our body and everything else in our life, most questions become redundant. There is no longer a need to go into huge analysis, comparisons and justifications, because in each moment it is clear what is the most loving and evolving way forward, that is the one and only way pure and simple.

203. Our bodies respond instantly when we listen to them, it’s as simple as that, we don’t have to go searching or looking or off on some big program, in the sense of following someone else, a fitness instructor, health book or celeb book. Everything we could possible want or know is being directly communicated with us from God through our bodies every day.

204. It’s not only busyness we use to avoid stopping, and really feeling the misery and emptiness in our lives and bodies, we use it to avoid building relationships. If we look round us people are constantly on the go, too busy to speak, to stop, to care, to say hello. When one of the things we are all craving and crying out for is being met, being with people, community, connections, meaningful relationships and conversations, to be listened to and feel like people truthfully really care about you. Imagine a man losing his wife six years ago, and his next door neighbour never once asking how he is, this is how we are living. It may not be he wants to have big conversation about it, but the just the fact that one person stops and asks how are you doing since your wife died, he can deeply feel the care, and that can make a huge change to his life and day, because he feels someone genuinely cares about him.

205. Having grown up at school where we were not allowed to go to the bathroom apart from at breaktime it is great to read about the awareness of the importance of listening to our bodies and pee’ing when it is time to pee. The question that arises for myself is why do I choose to make what I am doing more important than what my body is clearly telling me?

206. What if the spin and dramas of the world are all geared to ensure we lose ourselves in the stimulation of emotions and raciness, and we ourselves are willing parties to this strategy as we can stay caught up and do not have to look at what we have been responsible for creating. But this is a vicious cycle that will guarantee we end up in misery and destruction, as the more we lose ourselves, the less we have connection to our Soul, the true guide and teacher that is our greatest ally to navigate our way back to the truth of who we are.

207. By not ignoring, dismissing or putting off to later, the clear signals to attend to our body, are great ways to begin deepening the relationship with ourselves, with self-care and self-regard.

208. This is very humbling, how even when we feel lovely if we override or do not respond to what the body is asking it has quite a significant affect. I also feel especially as you work with children this is great to know as now they can go to the bathroom when ever they need to : )

209. “The diastolic reading was 85: it had dropped 40 points from a point of crisis to super normal after I went to the loo and then drank some water.” What amazes and inspires me Coleen is how quickly the body responds to both the intake and out take of liquid – indeed it is timely to read this as i have recently begun drinking hot water and lemon first thing in the morning, what seems like a small thing has felt hugely supportive – for a long time I have over-riden the signs of dehydration where as now i clearly know the signs to both my physiological and psychological state of being.

210. I am reminded every day when I think about this blog the minute I feel like a pee, I think about the implications you mention here and check in with my body and listen to what else it is calling for.

211. Your awesome blog has been a great reminder for me many times lately when I have found myself going to override the feeling I need to go to the toilet, and even if I ignore it for a moment I can feel my body beginning to let me know how uncomfortable it is. When I think back over the years I have been the great ‘need to pee’ ignorer, obviously to the detriment of my gorgeous body. But no more, the message you have given us here Coleen has served to shatter this old and very ingrained pattern; for that my body and I are so very appreciative.

212. I work as a teacher and I know of many who deliberately don’t drink water so that they don’t have to go to the loo. We have it all wrong when we sacrifice our well being for work.

213. If God is continually sharing with us all the time through our bodies, how much do we ignore and how much do we listen.

214. Asking myself do I need to pee or not pee has been a fascinating experience at work! I usually have 2-3 hour appointments where it is not easy to take a break to pee. So often before I ask myself the question. If I need to I go. But I have also found sometimes I find I can get a bit anxious about not being able to for the next few hours, so it is a great moment I now use to check in with myself. This happens when I am usually feeling a little flustered and do not actually need to go to the loo, just am not feeling fully preset with myself. noticing this I can now change it. So it has been great to put the blog into practical everyday life!

215. I had no idea that going to the toilet and drinking water could affect blood pressure, but after a couple of very busy days where I can recall at least 2 occasions where I overrode my need to go to the toilet and drink water I can feel the consequences in my body. It has had to work harder and I am now more tired than normal. It is wonderfully empowering to clock these choices and consequences in order to perhaps choose differently next time around.

216. Like a driver of a most expensive car, we are keen to put our foot to the plate to accelerate and career around life’s track but we always completely ignore the dashboard and details of how our car is performing. It is like we only notice when our petrol tank is running low. We pump it back up and return to our crazy driving. What would it be like if we started to see that for every turn, every move, and road we take there is data and feedback that our car generates. It is not an unfortunate side effect or a distraction from the race, but everything we need to know to guide the car true and low through the curves that life may throw. So it is clear in your words to me today Colleen that the greatest drivers in the world are those who move in complete harmony and listen to and feel everything they see, not those who pummel ahead pursuing a fantastic prize, driven by their head.

217. Dear Coleen,
     Reading your article again, has opened a level of awareness that I had not considered until now. Travelling in the car would always bring up contention, especially if travelling for long distances, when to get there sooner, holding on for an extra half hour or so. What is interesting is this time of holding on, which was extra to the holding on that had already occurred a good half hour before, was more stressful. Wanting to get to the destination sooner, so then being more likely to get annoyed with slow drivers or road works. It is very revealing how one choice can then lead to a culmination of stress, annoyance and discomfort. Just how much harm are we doing to our bodies, every day?

218. This story shows so well that we may think we are getting away with it when we orverride the messages from our body, because we have learned to make ourself numb and blind to what we choose to not see, yet even what seems so insignificant as holding on to our pee and not drinking enough water can have significant impact on our body and who knows what else in our life.

219. This has been an amazing blog to take with me everyday and notice how my body is feeling how I often over ride it and how often I need to pee or drink but don’t and forget with something else to do. Making changes and taking the extra care to listen to my body and honour it has also had a big effect on my life and whole body and the strength from this inside is very beautiful to feel.

220. Recently I have taken more notice of how often I pee and realising how long I go without needing the loo, showing me just how little I have been drinking. Your blog is a timely and important reminder.

221. Wow, thank you for sharing this I never knew how pronounced the effect of not drinking enough and going to the loo regularly could have on you – a very important message not to override these signals

222. Ever since reading this article the first time I have been showing my bladder a great deal more respect. This has had a subtle, sweet and important impact on my relationship with my body. I am simply more responsive, honouring and tender with myself. Thank you, Coleen.

223. Wow, that is a really simple and very revealing example of the consequences of when we don’t care for ourselves – for me it has made me stop and consider all those times I know I am pushing through and think I can get away with it – but how many times can we do this in our lives before it begins to take its toll? What if you hadn’t gone to the loo and had water till a lot later that day and what if it wasn’t water you drank but was a big night out partying – what if this was your every weekend – how long would it take for the stress on the body to build up into and illness or disease which we then blame on bad luck or genetics.

224. I just reflected on the fact that you were already advised by your GP to keep an eye on your blood pressure as part of looking into the causes of some health issues. In that light the discovery that not peeing and not drinking water when your body needed it caused such a dramatic change in your blood pressure is even more significant. Society champions our ability to be goal oriented and to override our body’s messages if that is not in line with our perceived goals – but at what cost?

225. Love what you have shared “My body is now an equal player in my life, no more a 2nd class citizen: we are now a democracy.” we seem to have championed being able to ‘conquer’ the body, pushing it through extremes, subjugating its needs, like this is a great thing to achieve, when in fact we are merely destroying the very instrument that can bring us back to the truth of ourselves, and allow us to live together in true harmony and with great joy.

226. This reminds me of an experience going to a doctor for a health certificate for a pretend flu as I wanted a night off nursing night duty. To my surprise also my blood pressure showed dangerously high and the doctor wanted me to go on medication for three months and come back. I knew it was not looking after myself on night duty (partying and staying up with little sleep during the day) and graciously declined the prescription and spent my night off sleeping and catching up over the next few weeks. The blood pressure returned to normal after a day or two but the shock remained with me and the lesson what I was doing to my body and how I was not aware of it and could override it.

227. Thanks Coleen, Its quite interesting how there is possibly a parallel that we can ‘hold-on’ and not pee, which this ‘holding on to’ in some way, may reflect a familiar pattern of not attending to matters of importance instead, leave until it is in dire need of attention…

228. Since reading your blog Coleen, I have been so much more conscious of when I need to go to the toilet and not holding on. I was a notorious, holder-onera, meaning, I would hold on going to the toilet. Usually because I am busy, or not wanting to interrupt what I am doing etc. But realised just how damaging this was and disregarding for myself, so thank you.

229. Since first reading this article I have become very aware of how often I go to override my need to go to the toilet, but what has changed is that I am clocking it and not holding on as I used to. Such a simple thing, but one that can be applied to so many areas of our lives, and by starting to pay attention to this one area, can lead to changes in many others.

230. Halfway through this I realised I was thirsty but putting it off until I’d finished reading this article! Needless to say I stopped and drank some water before reading to the end and writing this comment 😉

231. It is actually championed in life to override the body’s needs and communication. Forgoing common-sense and glorifying the mind’s ability to do so. It would make much more sense to be educating children to listen and respond to their feelings and bodies constant communication.

232. Since reading this article it has come to my attention that many people I speak to do not drink fluids in the day so they don’t have to go to the toilet. There is the potential to cause an enormous amount of harm to our bodies when we do not drink enough water, we simply do not function to our capacity and do not flush out the toxins built up in our bodies.

233. Your detailed account makes me wonder to what degree we are able to mask what is really going on by feeling high about something that has gone well, i.e. how often do we refer back to the mind in those instances rather than check in and listen to the body?

234. As long as we don´t adhere to the smallest of things that teach us to be in harmony how can we ever expect to bring harmony to the whole? Dedication to detail is part of making a harmonious and healthy life a reality. Good thing about details is that they are very practical – it is just a matter of taking care and doing what needs to be done as we already know everything about it.

235. Dismissing our body when it calls upon us to do something is like ignoring our best friend…

     1. Beautifully said. The great thing about this best friend is it never stops loving, supporting and letting us know what is going on.

236. We as society have created rules, both spoken and unspoken, to dictate the way that we need to be in life. We accept these as normal because everyone adheres to them and they are rarely questioned, but some of these rules are in complete disregard of the body and our ability to bring all that we are to all that we do.

237. I know I sometimes see my body and its needs as an inconvenience for so called interrupting me from doing something so called very important. But what could be more important than my health and wellbeing and my body is continually communicating with me how to stay in balance.

238. ‘To pee or not to pee – should that even be a question?’ In my book, no it shouldn’t… as we take more responsibility for our own health, caring for and listening to our bodies, there is no question about whether we should respond to our bodies’ calls or not.

239. When we behave lovingly and caringly towards our body we don’t just forestall illnesses, discomforts and possibly diseases but we also get the benefit of a more vital body which is great fun to have.

240. It is so true that we need to really feel and understand what our bodies needs are. Being thirsty is already a sign that our body is under stress -the messages are there before the thirst is actually felt. This has to be true as most elderly people do not feel thirst at all so many get dehydrated very quickly. I am learning to feel my body at a deeper level to discern what is needed.

241. This is a great reminder, thank you. Recently when I have been working away from home I have been drinking lots & lots of water but at home I have not. I tend to eat more as in snacking when I would otherwise drink. It has been very hot recently and my body may well have been asking for water and I have filled it with food. This could be why I have been feeling a bit dull and out of sorts!

242. “I could not but marvel at my body’s exquisite sensitivity”, equally marvelous that you were given the opportunity to listen to it.

243. This can be applied to so many things. When we don’t listen to our body immediately it has an impact on everything.

244. “..To pee or not to pee… should that even be a question?”… Great question, as it shows how easy it has become to dismiss or even over-ride the simplest of needs the body asks for. In an age where distraction is so high taking one away from presence with their body, it is an important question to ask, as its a way of reconnecting and checking-in with our body.

245. I love reading this and seeing the way it comes into my life most days to feel as I make the choice to pee or not to pee so often in my day. I am amazed how I can override this but also how often I feel the need to pee from anxiousness and taking the opportunity not to be missed. All this is ingrained behaviours that I am observing and learning from and is bringing a caring and attention to my body lovingly

246. I have noticed my awareness of messages from the body can vary depending on how much I can be distracted from my whole awareness of myself when I get into doing jobs or projects at work. On those occasions, I have completely forgotten to go to the toilet, but your description of all that happens as the body works hard to correct itself when we don’t bother to empty the bladder shows us how this is not good for our health. Since first reading your article Coleen, I have been more conscious of my body’s messages throughout the day, thank you.

247. I have to share the impact of this blog on me Coleen, I no longer make myself hold on or dismiss my need to go to the toilet as something little and to be over ridden, now it is important that I attend to my bodies needs. Thank you so much again for sharing!

248. This blog is a great reminder to follow the moment to moment wisdom of the body and not confine ourselves to applying rules to the body that we have taken on.

249. Hydration is a key as we are born around 80% water and die usually around 60% water. It is any wonder we look like prunes when we die!

250. This type of experiment is very simple to do on ourselves if we need proof to make us listen to our bodies. As our awareness increases, the need for proof decreases, we only need to connect to those messages and act on them rather than ignore them. Simple messages of discomfort, tiredness, exhaustion or weariness will all affect different levels of readings of substances in the blood or immune system. It is great to highlight your example Coleen, because it’s a readily available test to do on ourselves to show how we stress the body on a daily basis.

251. This is so true, something so basic as going to the toilet when needed, but we override it and make other things more important. Since first reading this I have been more aware and less likely to ignore the urge to go to the toilet and can see that it is abusing the body by putting it under undue stress.

252. As you say how many times to i override my body during in a day and how much pressure or tension that it create on body?

253. “My body is now an equal player in my life, no more a 2nd class citizen: we are now a democracy.” Perhaps listening to our own bodies is the first foundational tool needed to form a democracy? If we listen to the messages from our own bodies and take responsibility for what those messages are telling us we show respect for ourselves and for our vehicle of expression, which is the body. The more we respect and love ourselves the more we can do the same with another.

     1. Wow that’s cool Elizabeth. I would not normally link medicine with politics but what you are saying here feels very true. What if the basis for any democratic society actually lies in how democratic we are with our own bodies?!

254. Not only do we override our natural impulses but the communication from our bodies to let us know that we have done so – through simply reconnecting to our bodies we are offered a wealth of information as to our own wellbeing.

255. It is true our bodies are very wise and responsive. If we listen to them they are very clear in their messages and there is no question.

256. What I find incredible is how we can keep going and ignore these fundamental needs that our body is asking for and how the body is still managing to function. What is so clearly obvious is that the quality of how our bodies are functioning is at their bare minimum. Imagine the potential of how we can feel with in our bodies when we honour every aspect that it is calling for then what we feel at the end of this is well beyond any expectations of a vital, energetic and alive body.

257. “To pee or not to pee – should that even be a question?” – When you put it like that it seems ridiculous that we would even question whether we should pee or not when we feel the need to. It just highlights the fact that it is so easy to override the body.

258. The moments that I override what my body is telling me call in energy that is so dismissive and cruel. My body cops my choices and I try and pretend (dismissal again) that it is OK. In these moments I can feel the arrogance of ‘it won’t happen to me’ (‘it’ being illness) which could lead to that ‘why me?’ behaviour when it does…

259. Thank you for sharing this Coleen. This is a reminder to me about the care that we need for our entire body and how each part affects the other. Every aspect of our body and our life is interrelated and we need to care for it all.

260. When we say we are feeling ‘good’ what is it we are really celebrating? Is it being vital, totally at ease and at one with our divinity? or being a little bit relieved from our pain? The example you show illustrates beautifully Colleen how we are absolutely sensitive, and in carrying on and pushing through things in life, we settle for much that just is not right.

261. This reveals the arrogance of us as individuals – that we ‘think’ we know best for our bodies. Whereas by really listening to them we are able to respond in a way that truly supports and nurtures us, and in doing so we are able to do more anyway. This may seem hard to comprehend, but once lived it soon becomes evident that this is the way forward.

262. Hungry we are rarely, thirsty we are often.

263. Very good point, Shirley-Ann. Amazing that the pharmacist’s medical knowledge has led Coleen, and now all of us, to learn something so simple as to listen to our bodies. I appreciate your appreciation ☺️

264. Coleen, I love how you’ve shown that a simple thing such as holding in your pee is much more revealing about how we treat ourselves. I can relate to your example and it’s really inspired me to look after/love myself more in that regard. Our bodies speak, we need to be better at listening.

     1. Yes, we are in total denial if we pretend that our bodies do not communicate with us, readily so. It is our listening and responding skills that need developing.

265. Our bodies communicate with us is such simple yet profound ways, offering all of the messages we require to maintain harmony within our bodies if we choose to stay connected, listen and respond with the love and nurturing we all deserve.

266. What amazes me about reading this- aside from the huge effect not listening to our bodies has – was that the pharmacist knew what the problem was and was able to support. This exposes an arrogance in me that I know best- an arrogance I see in many people like myself who in one way or another override their bodies and discount the severity of the effects of their behaviours. Something to very much heed.

267. It is lovely how we can always deepen our awareness of feeling into what is happening in our bodies. What felt like self-care a year ago can feel like neglect a year later with more learning, feeling and listening more to the body’s messages.

268. Wow this really does reveal the care we take with our bodies and the love we hold for ourselves and others in respect of this, these basic needs to drink water and have a pee. Being too busy and not listening to our body and overriding this seems to have become part of life today and really does need calling out, as you do so beautifully, exposing the level of care we have gone down to and lost in the demands of life today, simply not feeling what we really do feel and acknowledging this.

269. Over the past months that i have been attending a Sacred Movement group (http://www.esotericwomenshealth.com/sacred-movement.html) my awareness of my cervix and pelvic floor has deepened, and in this i have been shocked to discover how much anxiousness i have been holding in this area, a feeling of clamping, a tightening that is now a brilliant marker for me to observe. But what has been amazing is that in focusing on letting go of this anxiousness i have discovered that i am peeing much more than i do normally, it seems that in honouring this part of me my body can no longer accept this longterm override or numbing that i have made my normal when I need to pee.

270. Universal Medicine restores a profoundly enriching friendship with our bodies, one that i continue to delight in and learn from with each passing day.

271. Coleen this is an important warning for us all to indeed attend to all details of self care no matter how small or insignificant. I too attended a blood test recently and my results said that there were potential problems with my kidney function and it was recommended that I drink more. Having brought greater attention to my daily water intake, I returned the next week to be given the all clear.

272. You have highlighted a very important point – something as basic as needing to go to the toilet and need for water can so easily be ignored. However, our body is always the marker of truth exposing where we are at, and if we are truly honouring its body signals.

273. Such a simple example conveying such a powerful message; listening and responding to the continual loving messages our bodies send is the key. Your heading Coleen says it all.

274. ‘I could not but marvel at my body’s exquisite sensitivity’ – I have lots of moments like this too Coleen; the body is truly amazing and super, super sensitive. The way it shows us so clearly whether our choices are supportive or disregarding is incredible; bloating, acne, tiredness, oily skin, weight gain/loss being a few examples of how it reflects this to us.

275. I appreciate the reflection that this blog offers in that every choice we make affects everything else. If a choice such as whether we pee or not affects the others aspects of our body, so does it affect all else in the body of humanity.

276. This is such a simple common sense article yet I remember it each time I choose to hang on to go to the toilet. It always comes to the forefront of my mind as a gentle reminder. Why not to wait. So thank you Coleen it is much appreciated 🙂

277. Reading this I can feel how often I stretch these simple bodily needs like going to the toilet, drinking water or eating, just because I deem other thing to be more important. Yet I am learning that through actually listening and having a drink or meal when needed, I feel much stronger in my body and less anxious, thus way more productive than if I get the job done and attend to my body after that, when it is most of the time already in a state of distress.

278. A great day to day example of how what we think is a supposedly simple act of disregarding our body’s needs, by not going to the toilet when we feel the impulse, and not drinking enough water, puts the body into a state of stress.

279. I can also relate by over drinking water and not really listening to my body’s level of hydration needed. The mind can so easily override the messages that our bodies are constantly communicating and we think that this is a good thing!

280. ‘To pee or not to pee – should that even be a question?’ Recently I was aware of how much I wanted to complete a task when needing a pee, but I ignored the feeling and carried on working. On remembering this blog I was firm with myself and made myself go…it takes retraining to make ourselves the priority over what we do.

281. When you think about it, it is like we are actually holding our body to ransom by ignoring or dismissing the impulses or messages our body gives us, when in fact, it is our body that is the holder and key to connecting to so much love.

282. Awesome example of the crazy tyranny we allow over our bodies, the most delicate precious instrument we can have, one that can serve to bring Divinity to earth, or can continue to allow the craziness to rule supreme.

283. As I have learnt more about the body and our ability to control and influence it, I am more and more amazed at our ignorance in doing so.

284. Great to re-read this blog again as it reminds me to pay more attention to the messages of the body and to not override the little signals and to push through.

285. My appreciation of my body is steadily growing as I become more aware of the constant messages it is giving me. Such a simple example explains it all, stop and feel. Thank you Coleen

286. This illustrates so simply how we have gone so far astray in the absolute arrogance of our attitude of ‘mind over matter’.

287. Makes me appreciate how resilient our bodies actually are when they are so delicate and sensitive to even the smallest of things

288. Such a great example of the simple act of listening to and honouring the signals of the body.

289. I love the reference to ‘appear to be normal’. Normal has to be up there with one of the most re-interpreted words we use.

     1. Normally the use of normal in just about every context is a word that get extremely over prescribed allowing all sorts of misinterpretations, and reinterpretations!

290. ‘To pee or not to pee’ now lives with me every day and I can never make any sense of not peeing, however important I think what I am doing is. Thank you Coleen for bringing playfulness to a really important topic about self care and responsibility.

291. I never knew that holding on to urine and not drinking enough fluids puts your body under so much strain and stress. It makes complete and utter sense that it would be on heightened alert when the basic fundamentals that our body needs are not being meet. Definitely not going to be ignoring these signs again that’s for sure.

292. Overriding our natural responses has become our way, just like we override our 6th sense, it’s all there for our support but we often choose not to tune in and listen as we are too busy being busy.
     It’s at our own detriment we continue to not be present to the wisdom the body constantly is offering to support a vital, loving expression.

293. Recently I went shopping with my daughter when she told me that she needed to pee and because we were about to enter a supermarket we asked if we could go to the toilet. We were friendly guided to the loo and everything was fine. Nothing special as this happens quite often. I love it when she just honours herself and her needs. But this isn’t the end of the story, because when we were at the check-out, maybe only 10-15 minutes later, she shared that she needed to go again… This time for a poo. I could feel myself quite embarrassed at first and I asked her if she couldn’t hold it until home. As – of course – she insisted we chose to go again. This exposed to me how it’s okay for me to ask one time, but asking a second time ‘the same thing’, is something you can’t do. What would people think of me. I was taught a great lesson here. That we are to honour and listen to what we feel and not be curtiously and politely override what we feel. Even if it’s ‘the same request’ within a short amount of time. And how important is it to go to the toilet when we need to. Crucially so!

294. In the past I’ve numbed myself so much that I did not feel or acknowledged that I had to go to the loo, I was even proud that I could hold my pee for so long. It is work in progress to go the loo when I feel to and appreciate and honour my body throughout the day.

295. It may sound weird however until recently I did not fully appreciate how much stress is placed on my body when I ignore the messages it gives when it’s time to ‘pee’. The body is literally ‘holding on’ and it is put into a ‘holding pattern’ until the normal ‘flow’ is restored!

296. This is such a great question, as I have certainly been one of those people who would always hold on going t the toilet until the last minute. But after reading this, I have a very different view and perspective for myself, that it isn’t self caring or loving to hold on, so the answer for me is to definitely pee!

297. Love you title Coleen, it says everything. ‘To pee or not to pee – should that even be a question?’

298. Coleen I was reflecting on the fact that Animals in the wild listen to their bodies, when they are thirsty you don’t see them keep busy on ipads – they get water, or they find themselves something to eat that contains enough water for them. To me there is much we can learn from the reflection of nature. Take the discussion on to pee or not to pee and drinking water, when I listen to my body with both these things I find I am more vital, refreshed and have a fantastic day, then rest. By listening to my body I support myself. Then everyone else benefits, it shows that caring for oneself first is not selfish but essential and great medicine.

299. It is interesting to learn what such a simple thing of holding off having to pee can cause collateral, adverse effects on our blood pressure! What else do we hold in that causes major problems?

300. The difference drinking water regularly has made in my daily energy levels is incredible. I don’t need any pick me ups, I just need to stay hydrated!

301. What I have done to my body over the years is nothing like a ‘democracy’.
     Overriding was a game that I always played with my body.

302. ‘My body is now an equal player in my life, no more a 2nd class citizen: we are now a democracy.’ I need this as a sticker in my office. Too often I hold on to a pee just that little bit longer so I can finish an email or other small task. Often the phone will then ring or someone will come to the office requiring attention and then a crisis point is reached … and all could have been avoided by attending to my bodily needs in a timely manner!

303. A beautiful reminder that our every part of our body is interconnected, What happens at one end effects us all the way to the other end.

304. Our bodies just love when we truly honour and take care of the most basic of needs, and still I hold off sometimes when I need to go to the loo. Thank you for this reminder that it is not okay to ignore the messages from my body.

305. Every day I am appreciating the magnificence of my body, even when we are not fully honouring its messages it is supporting us. It deserves the utmost respect.

306. The ‘body’s exquisite sensitivity’ is an amazing barometer and shows us so very clearly what is needed. And not only with the rhythm of day-to-day needs, but also with the way we live, love and interact with others.

307. That our bodies go into all manner of changes to keep our equilibrium is wonderful.Your experience Coleen really goes to show the importance of regularly checking in with how we are feeling or staying aware of our body’s needs. Although our amazing bodies can cope with such stresses they still need the care and attention to support such natural flexibility.

308. It is very humbling to realise when the stubbornness of overriding our needs is exposed and how our patterns of behaviours are so entrenched, we sometimes don’t even feel them. The body often has to work very hard to attempt to maintain the most optimum balance it can for our health, and most of the time, we ignore how much it’s working. There is a deep appreciation I can feel for how hard my body has worked, looking after me, especially in the past when I used to abuse it with arrogance in my youth. It’s pay back time for me to increase my awareness now to pee when the body gives me the messages.

309. I was with someone recently who routinely pushes through bodily discomfort and pain rather than stop and rest. This total disregard to the physical body, when minute attention is given to maintaining, houses, gardens or cars shows how much loathing we have of our own bodies.

310. It is incredible how quickly our body can restore its natural balance once we provide the right conditions for this through listening to its feedback and responding lovingly with care.

311. This is brilliant. When I saw the title of this blog I knew immediately I had to honour my body and have a rest for that was what it was calling for although I wanted to finish just one more thing. Beautiful reminder, thank you Coleen.

312. Yesterday I had to drive half an hour for a regular medical check up – I chose not to pee before I left, thinking I can hang on for half an hour, but all through the journey I was remembering your blog and wondering why did I make my body wait half an hour and possibly make my driving less safe? Putting off what is a simple function and part of our body’s natural clearing system can never be excused. I’m glad to say that, after having been to the toilet as soon as I arrived, my blood pressure was measured at 110/75 which is pretty much normal for me, and my pulse was 67, but it made me look at what I was avoiding by delaying, or why I was choosing to keep my body in anxiousness.

313. A great demonstration of what we ask of our body when we neglect to attend to its needs, especially the simplest and everyday kind of needs like hydration and having a pee.

314. It is wonderful how the body communicates with us and we are left in no doubt of what we need to do. Sometimes it takes us a while to tune in after many years of determined ignorance. Like you said Colleen, it is a sign of maturity that we are taught to control our bladders for 2 hours or more. Looking after ourselves is the most important thing we can do. This body is our only body. Without it we are not here. It is a strange phenonomen that so many of us seem to be unaware of the importance of this.

315. To Pee or not to Pee this is something i ask myself many times in a day and the resulting choice really does make lot of difference. Taking the care and understanding to listen to my body feels so lovely and honouring when i do. “I could not but marvel at my body’s exquisite sensitivity – how ignoring my bladder and the need for water affected my whole body adversely. I felt a deep appreciation for how instantly my body responded and returned to equilibrium directly once its needs were met.” How beautiful we are.

316. The level to where Serge Benhayon presents self-care and self-love is one that is foreign to most people, it certainly was for me. Not until I started to attend Universal Medicine teachings and feeling the deep connection to Love and that this is where we come from and what we are made up of did I start to have a marker of truth in my body – then to live something opposite to that now did not make a lot of sense. Self-love and self-care are stepping stones to living the quality we are designed to be.

317. This article asks me to consider the stress I put on my body in other ways – eating foods that put pressure on my body to deal with, keeping going beyond a point of knowing to stop and rest/sleep, stressing over events. And I’m feeling as I do this I’m also appreciating what were once outside directives of what I should be doing are coming now from a loving listening to my body.

318. Considering not peeing when needed can cause such an upset in our homeostasis, I am left wondering what our lack of attention for more major things can do?

319. We seem to champion our ability to be able to push on through and use ‘mind over matter’, which lovely translates to ‘mind over body’ too. Having lived like this most of my life I find what is shared here invaluable regardless of how many times I hear it. There are so many ways I can ignore the messages of my body: some and some are very overt when I can hear my body’s request loud and clear like being tired or not ready for some activity I have decided I need to do, and some are much more subtle, like I don’t really want a little more of the food just because it was delicious, or that I feel unsettled and need a moment of pause to connect to my essence before I carry on with further action. Useful to get a graphic example of how when we ignore our body’s signals there are actual consequences.

320. I’m thirsty just reading this blog! Maybe I’ve been thirsty for a while and only just realised it though… Wow. How often does this happen? And I feel it’s very common thing throughout the way people are living, like there is always an excuse to hold on just that little bit more before going to the loo or having some water. Being on a path of self-love and care this is a fundamental and very simple step along the way, but one that can get over looked easily, so thank you for bring it to attention so gracefully Coleen.

321. ‘My body is now an equal player in my life, no more a 2nd class citizen: we are now a democracy.’
     Here here Coleen! The body won the vote by simply being honest.

322. Thank you for sharing this blog.. I had no idea of the strain it causes on our body when we delay going to the bathroom or don’t hydrate ourselves enough.

323. ’The diastolic reading was 85: it had dropped 40 points from a point of crisis to super normal after I went to the loo and then drank some water. This was a very humbling moment.’ – I am still blown away by what you are sharing here, actually it is a humbling moment for me too. A reminder that our true intelligence is found in our bodies, not in the mind, that so easily manipulates us to override the signals from our bodies. Our bodies are such fine, divine machinery, never ever to be taken for granted.

324. Coleen, it is really interesting to read your article, ‘the simple acts of not attending fully to my body’s needs to pee and to rehydrate completely had placed my body into a state of intense stress and me into a position of danger.’ Since reading this article a while ago I have become much more aware of my bodies messages and have noticed that If I need a pee I often hold out to a more convenient time, but am more aware now of how uncomfortable and unloving this feels and the same with hydrating, it has been surprising to feel how often I do not hydrate because of convenience, so its great to be noticing this more and changing this, thank you,

325. The simple yet complex integrated working of the body and the messages it communicates to us highlight the responsibility we have to choose to love and nurture our bodies in everything we do. I can feel the depth of care my body asks for is forever increasing as I become more sensitive.

326. This shows how great the effect of over-riding our bodies can be, when we could choose to follow the impulses of our bodies and live our natural rhythm.

327. This exposes how delicate our bodies actually are, and how sensitive they are to our every choice – it is very humbling indeed Coleen.

328. No this should not even be a question. Sometimes it cannot be avoided that you have to hold on at some point, but it is amazing the impact this can have on us, as can all the other little signals our bodies send us. If we ignore them we end up bringing our body into disharmony. If we ignore these signals for long enough then we can end up with disease.

329. Coleen I just need to say that your blog comes to me everytime I think about overriding what my body is telling me about responding to how it feels. If i go to ignore it up comes your blog as a loving reminder to re-consider!

330. There are so many little messages that we can over-ride on a daily basis. Being thirsty, feeling cold, needing to pee, being tired, bloated and run down. And instead of responding to them, we have a tendency to over-ride them, to hang on, have a ‘pick me up’ or reach for the a ‘cure all’ pill from the medicine cupboard. Yet taking a moment to truly respond, to go to the loo, drink water, put another layer on, get an early night, cook a nourishing meal, is not rocket science but does make an enormous difference in how we feel each day, and day after day restores to us a vitality and health that gets firmly squashed when we ignore ourselves.

331. I knew a young woman years ago that had a condition that I have never heard of that was an uncontrollable bladder. She had had numerous operations, counselling, lifestyle changes and nothing worked. Her life was ruled and planned by where the nearest toilet was. There must be others out there with this condition and it is just not talked about? Could this just be the extreme of what can happen to our bodies when we hold back the things that need to be expelled from our bodies?

332. I love how you refer to teachers as “the role models of bladder and thirst control.” It shows how very much we train ourselves to be a certain way instead of allowing us to live in the natural rhythm of our bodies.

333. I have found it easy to put the jobs I need to do before my own health, get the jobs done and think about me later. More recently, I am learning to honour myself much more, and feel a flow in my body, but still the rhythm has been quite superficial that I could easily delay peeing as you have done Coleen. When we are more connected with ourselves, we notice the messages naturally, and can be surprised how much information the body gives us that we had previously completely ignored.

334. When something so simple as keeping hydrated and having a pee when needed makes our bodies react when not listened to, I cringe at all the other stuff I unnecessarily put my body through with alcohol, drugs and excessive sugar and the poor old thing forgave me time and time again.. So much joy coming from the fact I don’t have to do that anymore.

335. It is shocking to read how delicately and accurately our body responds to how we treat it. I too have the experience that I tend to put my body on the second place and that other ‘important matters’ have to be looked after first. But how different it actually is, that it is actually our body that needs to be on the first place and that thereafter all that we do is based upon the love and care we have for ourselves and the grander natural rhythms we are part of.

336. There are many other body functions we continue to override and we slowly lose connection with the feeling and bury it so we do not even notice them and the need to respond. Then suddenly there is an urgency — to pee, to eat, to sleep, to walk, and so on. So much of our lives is not natural to the way bodies were formed to live any more, bound as we are in rigid systems and social rules that prevent us from answering “nature’s call”. I once heard an interview with an aid worker who had been standing in a queue in the Bush behind a woman who had a baby strapped to her back. She said suddenly the woman moved away from the line and unwrapped the baby and allowed her freedom to pee. When asked how this could be she replied in surprise that she could feel the baby’s need. There was no need for a nappy for the mother was so in tune with the baby’s feelings. How far we have come from this feeling sense. Becoming aware of our own bodily functions again can build a path of return to what we once could feel and know.

337. This is a great example Coleen of the detail it takes to take care of our bodies.

338. Water is something that all of our bodies require and indeed make up a large proportion of our cells and yet studies show that high percentages of national populations are existing in a state of dehydration clearly showing that something is very out of balance on a massive scale.

339. Every day is a new learning for me how sensitive my body is and how loving it is to listen to the signals and when I listen to them how powerful I feel.

340. Every day is a new learning for me how sensitive my body is and how loving it gives me the signals what to do to keep it healthy.

341. It is pretty startling to read about just how much we can affect our bodies by overriding their signals. In my experience it is always because I have run off in to my mind with something that I am not willing to let go of, and so my body becomes a lesser concern. The greater impact of this however can go unnoticed for years, as I have also seen how it is possible to jump from one thought to the next without taking a moment to stop and re-connect with my body that I am innately responsible for.

342. Your blog reminded me of a saying that my high school geography teacher used to tell us frequently – “Think globally, act locally”, and your blog gets me thinking of what the global impact would be if each of us were to listen to our bodies; drink when we needed to, pee when we needed to, sleep and rest when we needed to, exercise when we needed to and ate what our bodies needed us to eat. I just keep thinking that there would be an enormous global difference to the rising statistics indicating how ill we are if we did these simple things.

343. Incredible. Something so simple made such a difference. Imagine, (and I would say that it is a fact of life), the pressure we are putting on our bodies and therefore our health, when we ignore these seemingly “minor” needs of the body each and every single day of our lives. There is no wonder then that globally speaking, the world is very very sick. Imagine too, if each and every single one of us took the level of care and the time and refocused ourselves to listen to our bodies’ daily needs. Imagine the impact on illness and disease around the world.

344. Coleen your blog really highlights the fact that if we ignore the body’s signs for something as simple as a pee and the need to drink, we are affecting the body much more than we realise. If we do this continually these simple things that, with a little care and a few self loving choices can easily be rectified, can affect our health and general wellbeing and contribute to long term stress on the body.

345. I love this. What a message about how responsive the body is to neglect or to care. This is profound if we stop to look at it.

     I have been astounded at how loud my body’s messages are now that I have been listening more, in contrast to how very quiet the voice was after over riding\ignoring it for years.

     I never want to struggle along without my body’s wise honest guidance again.

346. So many times in my life I have ignored my body when I had to pee, because I was doing something more important. What is more important than getting rid of toxins in my body?

     Doing this just sets me up so I can override my body in other ways. Thank you Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine for supporting me in understanding that my body is the marker of all truth.

347. How incredible is our human body when we can abuse it, neglect it, ignore it and dismiss it and yet the moment we make choices which are caring, nurturing and loving our body has no judgement and naturally begins to restore its true state of harmony.

348. A great reminder indeed that it is not what we do but the quality we do what we do in that counts, that changes the world. In the case of “to pee or not to pee” it really does expose the way we put goals, targets and recognition in front of caring for ourselves which in turn limits the great intentions to care for another or our work.

349. What else in our body suffers when we ignore the small messages it sends us? The Titanic ignored messages about ice because it was in a hurry and we know the outcome of that choice!

350. This makes me realise how dismissive and blasé I am towards, and about, my body which is constantly adjusting, correcting, supporting and healing my choices; then how amazing it is when I work in collaboration with my body, responding to its signals and sign posts.

351. This is what true responsibility is all about Coleen, thank you for exposing our lack of deep care and communication with our bodies.
     “And I decided that, henceforth, any bodily need, no matter how insignificant or basic it may appear to be, will be addressed by me immediately… in line with my body’s communication of it.

352. That’s amazing Coleen that our blood pressure is affected by our hydration levels and stress of the bladder being held, but also makes perfect sense. Back to connecting and feeling our bodies and making choices that support the body to be in optimum condition. There must be so many stories out there of how many of us have lived holding on or even riding the bladder with nervous tension etc or a life sitting on the edge of our chairs.

353. Quite remarkable on-the-spot evidence how much our bodies compensate for our lack of regard yet how quickly the body responds when we become aware of and act upon the simple things we can do for ourselves. It illustrates how basic care and nurturing has a huge impact on our overall health and wellbeing – and how revitalising these choices will be both instantly and over a period of time.

354. I was considering since reading this blog over a week ago how every time I need to go to the toilet now, I admittedly go, sounds small but from someone that always held on, even when I had no reason to, it is actually quite a big thing, so thank you.

355. Just wanted to share that your article does inspire me to listen to my body more carefully and …go to pee if I have to.
     This sounds so simple and maybe trivial, but I found it one of the little things how I can – or can’t – honor myself and which will leave the foundation for my next choice.

356. If a thing like not peeing can create such disharmony in our bodies, what else are we missing that can create greater disharmony?

357. Since reading your blog, I’ve noticed how much more aware I am of my bladder’s signals to be emptied and respond much more quickly. I’m more connected with how my body communicates with me in all sorts of different ways. Yesterday, I choose taste above nourishment and ate an after meal indian mouth cleanser, with sweet bits.( an obvious contradiction) I drank water to clear away the sweetness and each time I swallowed, felt a sharp pain in my chest I’ve never felt before. There was a direct connection between the choice of food and my body’s reaction. I knew as I picked up the packet the sweet bits would unbalance my body in a week where I had avoided eating foods that served a need not nourishment, but still went ahead. The impact on my body was immediate.

     1. This is interesting, Kehinde, I am still eating foods for taste but beginning to be more discerning. If I wake with a stomach ache from eating garlic, then it’s obvious: don’t eat garlic. If eating another food makes me windy then don’t eat that. I noticed that eating nuts made my nose sniffy. I stopped eating beef a couple of years ago because whenever I did, I couldn’t get to sleep at night. I haven’t noticed any immediate effects like yours but your comment reminds me to check – we are very good at ignoring our body’s signals when it tells us to stop doing something we ‘like’ doing, and with regards to eating, if we eat to numb ourselves then it follows that we can’t feel the immediate effects.

358. When the topic would not be so serious, revealing to us our disregards we allow in life, often because we are so much under stress, the headline seems to be funny. It shows to us how head-orientated and analytic we are used to approaching even the most natural things in us.

359. ‘I felt a deep appreciation for how instantly my body responded and returned to equilibrium directly once its needs were met’ – It is absolutely incredible how our body supports us to be stable and bounce back to equilibrium super quickly, and it is really important to appreciate and learn from this and not take it for granted.

360. Other species on this planet are capable of feeling planetary events such as tsunamis and earthquakes etc. in their bodies and respond to these, which goes to show how far as humans we have moved away from our own ability to feel the communication in our bodies, when we override even the most obvious and basic messages from it. It is amazing that groups of people are to be re-inspired to connect and honour what can be felt in their bodies and rediscover true wisdom.

361. I had never felt what the body has to do when we override something so simple as the need to have a pee. Years ago before mobile electronic entertainment that is available everywhere, 24/7 people did things together for entertainment. My mates and I would have a friendly poker game on a Friday night after payday. The limit was tenner to buy-in so that no one could lose a lot and to drink a few beers. Rather than miss a hand by having a pee we would see who could last the longest, we just called it poker kidneys. Young and dumb comes to mind. It was like the little boy and his finger in the dyke; you could hold back forever… but once you took your finger out that was it. After reading your blog Coleen, I am listening to simple little messages the body is requesting of me to have a pee. What else have I been ignoring?

362. These days I do respond to my bladder’s calls. But I know I have dismissed and ignored myself to such a degree in the past that I have brought on bouts of illness and in some cases long term conditions. I am coming to appreciate more and more the insight and wisdom my body shares with me… all I have to do is listen.

363. Since first reading this blog I have been more aware of my body and listening to the signals it sends me every moment and have been listening to it and respecting and honouring it far more. This story highlights the responsibility for our own health we all have and the choice to love and nurture our bodies is a great start to humanity turning the health statistics around and reclaiming true connection with our essence.

364. This shows the beauty and harmony of our bodies – or lack of harmony when we don’t listen to what our body is telling us. I can see from this blog how, over time, not listening to the little impulses of our bodies, like when to go to the toilet, can actually lead to long term medical conditions.

365. This is an awesome blog, thank you for sharing, working in the same profession I notice my days are often busy and I don’t often go to the toilet until after the school bell in the afternoon. I also know that incontinence is often a big issue for teachers and so the stress they put their bodies under during the day would have a big influence in their energy levels, how they feel and how they can respond to situations.

366. Reading this has prompted me to consider more deeply why am I putting a health situation that I have temporarily put on hold. I’m justifying it with thoughts of: it can wait, it’s probably been like this for a while, a few more weeks won’t matter, I’m too busy right now. But in truth I’m sure these are just excuses and the real reason might be because I don’t want to be responsible for the cause of the health situation. And I don’t have any idea how carrying this is affecting my overall well-being, but it has to be in some way, however subtle.

367. Our body could be used as a magnificent, delicate and precise instrument and indicator of how we truly are. And what if we even would replace could for would. Our body as the marker of truth would revolutionise the way we are with ourselves and would make such a grand difference when it comes to illness and disease or even joy and no joy.

368. This is awesome to read to notice what my daily habits are: where I override my need to pause when I’ve let the task I’m doing consume me, to rest, to eat, to pee to go to bed when my body says so, to wear my reading glasses, to let go when I realise I’m wanting to get my point across etc.

369. This blog is gold, simple yet profound in how we are caring for this body we are living in.

370. Coleen your example has shown the delicate connection between our body and how we connect to it and our responsiveness to our body messages and needs. If we don’t respond to it as needed, it will need to compensate and i can see how imbalances are created for the body to compensate, like high blood pressure for instance. If keep running on these imbalances, and often we not even aware of, i can see now how illness & disease can begin.

371. I know for example in the workplace, a very demanding and high stressful job, where many of us, me included, mention how we don’t pee when we need to but hold on until we get there…this is an example where we prioritise over our body functional needs, and it’s our bodies that allow us to be at work in the first place, so very simply if we don’t take care of our bodies, then everything else will be affected.

372. Wow what a wake up call Coleen for me personally. Such a significant ‘alert’ and paying attention to the detail of caring for our bodies to maintain a true sense of wellbeing. I can see from this sharing how we can make ourselves ‘sick’ by neglecting our bodies simple communications – such as ‘I’m thirsty’ says the body, ‘i need to pee’ says the body, ‘I’m cold’ says the body and on it goes.

373. More than ever before there is a certain interest in ‘health’. So many people have wearables and digital devices to monitor their every move. Yet this technology it seems is no match for the amazing sensitivity of a human being. With what you share Colleen, there is so much power that lives in just the smallest timing or choice that we make. Imagine if we could truly see the after effects of that food we ate or the conversation we had on our bodies rates? Actually the fact is we already can sense and access all this information (without an app!) if we just choose to tune in, to how our body feels, instead of pushing on with the belief that our body is hard to read.

374. This great blog shows how amazing our bodies are by constantly communicating to us signals of what it needs to support it and when we are not doing so. It’s very patient too, in starting out with very subtle signs (like having to pee and maybe a slight tummy ache or sore muscle) and gradually increasing them to things like major illness and diseases. It’s just a matter of us listening and responding to them with deep self care.

375. Our body really is our best friend because it tells me precisely the effect of every choice that we make. What an awesome friend to have in life.

376. This is blog is a great example of how we can abuse and take for granted our bodies by ignoring the clear and simple messages they give us. We don’t tend to run our cars and other items in the same manner. This itself is a curious observation.

377. Says an enormous amount for those who override their bodies impulses. Shows we are in truth the creators of our own diseases and not the victims.

378. Since reading this blog for the first time I’ve been bringing attention to all these feelings (such as feeling thirsty) and making sure that I act on them – it really does make a difference, and I’ve been surprised at the number of times I would normally and instinctively choose to ignore them! It’s a great experiment.

379. This shows the harmony that our bodies can live in when we pay attention to all aspects of our health and well being and how quickly this harmony can be derailed when we do not.

380. Coleen I had an experience yesterday when I was being asked lots of questions, I needed to go to the bathroom at the same time. I remembered your blog. After a moment I stopped and advised the person that I would be back, that we could sit down and go through everything but I needed to pop to the bathroom. When I came back I could be focused and attentive, it was very empowering as previously I would push through to get the conversation over with and move on. The difference in “to pee or not to pee” was not only for myself but also the other person.

381. Overriding the need to attend to any of our bodily needs has an impact we choose to remain uncomfortably ignorant about. I say uncomfortably because it is a significant contributing factor to so much of our de-vitalisation, but is a link we still choose to remain ignorant about. Thanks for this very insightful article Coleen, we need to take note.

382. Coleen your sharing has had a very practical effect on my days, I am far less likely to hold on to use the bathroom now, so thanks for your sharing.

383. Natalie Benhayon’s ‘My Cycle’ Apps is a simple tool that supports us to stay connected to our bodies by reflecting and recording moods and feelings and symptoms each day. It is easy, when caught up with work, family, and other responsibilities to rush headlong into each day forgetting ourselves The app only takes a few minutes to complete and gives us a moment to pause and reflect. I’m still in practice using the app, but find it helps me pay closer attention to my body, reactions and responses to the world around me.

384. Coleen, I love how you wanted to visit the Chemist to check your blood pressure as confirmation of how lovely you were feeling. Most people only consider getting a check-up when they are feeling ill, not full of the joys of Spring. Even though what you encountered shocked you a bit, it was a powerful lesson to learn and one that has supported many more people to deepen how they care for themselves.

385. During the day I’ve had more calls to empty my bladder than usual and wondered why, until I related it to drinking more water. This also showed that previously I was not giving my body the hydration it needed and used snacks as a filler. Now I drink water or herbal teas and this makes my body feel clearer and lighter.

386. Last night, because I was warm and cosy in bed, I delayed the call to empty my bladder until convenient for me. Small this may seem, but an example of how easily we ignore the body’s signals that can lead to illness and disease.

387. To truly appreciate the messages my body is sending and being aware of the space I have within me to respond to them, and not get caught and imprisoned by time is happening when I am connected. When I am out time and stress is ruling me.

388. As a kid I never wanted to go to the loo, because I didn’t want to interrupt my play. I can sense that I had already learned from the role models around me to suppress my bodily needs. Probably it was also a pattern that I had used in my previous life.

389. It’s fascinating how there can be a contradiction occurring, such that we may ‘feel’ good, yet our body markers, when measured, display a completely different story. This is a great example of how our overriding is being dismissive of ourselves in a big way. Taking notice of our body is a great way of developing an honest relationship with ourselves and this initiates the same honest approach in relationships with others.

     1. Yes, overriding the body is usually a very bad idea but sometimes it is understandable – if you sit on a cold bench with your very first girlfriend/boyfriend and you are so involved with each other that you don’t notice the pain in your behind – then it is understandable. Deliberately numbing ourselves is quite different.

390. Your comment Coleen about how it is often seen as a sign of maturity how long a child can control their bladder just stood out to me. I understand that we do need to learn to control our bladder to a certain extent but what if we are being rewarded for taking this a step too far and actually then learning to override our body and not truly care for ourselves… Thanks for highlighting this.

391. Tiredness feels like another common area that we override or mask with stimulants. Last weekend I realised that my body was telling me it was tired and not to keep pushing on with work and I took some time out to rest on our bed. I slept deeply for just under two hours. When I got up I felt amazing and even looked so much better than before. The power of honoring what we feel in our bodies is not to be underestimated.

392. We think that we are role models in certain professions or roles (like teachers, Mums or Dads etc.) – and dismiss the energetic fact: We are all role models all of the time. Even living secluded in the forest doesn’t change the fact that what I do, say or think propels all of us in that certain direction.

393. I just think that everyone should read this blog it’s incredible how much your body was in stress and how easily that was rectified! I often – most days do not drink enough water, time to make that change!

394. A timely reminder Coleen, as I am one who gets ‘ too busy ‘ at times and over rides the messages my body is sending. Great blog Coleen.

395. It is very revealing that we see over-riding our bodily needs as a mark of maturity, that ‘controlling’ or in reality, ignoring our thirst and pee signals is regarded as a positive achievement. Roll on the day when we teach children and adults alike that honouring and responding to these signals is true maturity, as we learn just how important they are and how much they support our bodies to feel well and stay healthy.

396. It’s amazing what you share and how sensitive the body really is. When we stop and look at your example where teachers and pupils will always focus on getting through the lessons and hold on until you have finished, that does really make you stop and consider how much are we really taking on and learning when our bodies are at that level of stress. It makes a lot more sense to honour your body and not to put it into this stress so you are able to really concentrate and understand what is being presented.

397. This blog keeps coming back to me as I live each day and discover how many times I ignore my body’s signals, so today I give myself permission to feel everything, and to honour everything, no matter how small or how fleeting, everything matters.

398. I am an expert on ignoring the signals being sent from the body, large and small, for most of my life. It was not until I slowly stopped numbing myself that I could begin to feel the messages being sent to me from my body. This blog has shown light on something I had never considered the consequences of holding off, needing to pee.

399. It is so humbling for us when we get exposed for following a picture of what is the perfect way to do or achieve something, when in fact the body and our innermost is a more accurate and self caring compass.

400. There can be an anxiousness in the body which seems to affect my bladder when I do not attend or be fully present in the moment. It is as if the harmony in my body is affected and different systems go out of balance as a result.

401. The devil is in the detail of life is it not. We are so supported in life if only we were to listen to the constant messages that our body and life show us.

402. Bladder control is a big one and I used to celebrate when I was younger that I only needed to go once a day but the truth is I chose not to hydrate my body. The impact you have shared here Coleen is very powerful in the simplest of ways – our body is truly precious, delicate and fragile and to be honoured. This has been a true reflection of how the simplest of choices hold an outcome that affects the whole of our being.

403. There is actually a scientific report (Fagius 1989) that advises that the bladder should be emptied before blood pressure measurements in order to avoid an erroneous diagnosis of hypertension.

     1. Interesting here science confirms what is observed in the body and acknowledged when we appreciate we are a living science.

404. We really are in the driving seat when it comes to our bodies. Learning to listen to the signals they are sending us every moment of every day, and making loving choices from there is how we can change what happens to us with reagrd to any illness or disease.

405. I know I use to hold my bladder so much just to finish that last task off and I could go for quite awhile, not realising the impact to my body. Now with all my understanding of the body and how damaging it is, I am so more conscious and on the ball to respond to my body.

406. “I felt a deep appreciation for how instantly my body responded and returned to equilibrium directly once its needs were met.” How beautifully our body can rebalance as soon as its needs are met, the key thing is to make sure we response to our bodies needs and not ignore them, thats where we start to create illness and disease.

407. I have been one of those people who over-rode their bladder signals throughout life. I recently spent a few days in hospital and at one stage my body reacted with urine retention and let me tell you this resulted in me not being well at all. I had not appreciated the severe toxicity generated when urine is not evacuated when it is supposed to, as well as the stress on my whole body because of tensing an organ for a long time.

408. If I truly appreciated how much my body marks my every thought and action I would work more closely with it to ensure my health and wellbeing. That is my program this week. Brilliant and inspiring sharing Colleen. I love, love, love this blog.

409. I spoke to a client last week about making space in their day to connect with themselves and she shared how not making time to ‘pee’ was stressful and how at the end of the day when she stopped just the thought of being so disregarding added to the stress. The invitation for her to make a commitment to ‘pee on time’ felt like a gift she could give herself. I could feel how this small change was very important.

410. “My body is now an equal player in my life, no more a 2nd class citizen: we are now a democracy” – ha ha brilliant (brilliantly true) Coleen, a democratic state of the body, with equal rights for the purpose of harmony. Having read your post that’s got my very and even more now deeper considered vote.

411. Coleen what an amazing bodily experience and confirmation for you, how brilliant it is to see how the body responds on a cellular level to the act of simple care, those results were remarkable. It’s really made me think about putting one’s (my) body on hold and all the things that may not be seen or necessarily confirmed medically, but nonetheless are going on regardless contributing to ill health and dis-order. It’s really made me appreciate the really basic signals my body does give me, each time prioritising its harmonic state.

412. This highlights how sensitive our body really is and how much it can share with us. Thank you Coleen for taking the time to share this with us all.

413. I have shared this with my work colleagues and family, before this blog I was just holding on for convenience, or because I felt it a chore or because I didn’t want others to have to wait for me; I am now realising the true disregard of my past choices. I love this blog and all the things I am now learning about caring for every aspect of me and my body.

414. I can really see how humble Coleen is. So humble in fact that she is still in awe of her body and how it speaks to her with the simplest of messages. This reminds me of how much there is to learn about my body.

415. “I could not but marvel at my body’s exquisite sensitivity” – I absolutely love the deep and joyful appreciation you share with us about your body. Our body is indeed magnificent. To surrender to our body is the greatest gift we can give ourselves and in doing so, the greatest gift to the world.

416. That is so true, what could be more important than tending to the needs of our body? yet we trivialise our bodies needs, we punish our bodies and we seek to delay or distract meeting our bodies needs.

417. yes indeed we can learn from each other, it’s great that Colleen has decided to write this article, so we all can consider that all our choices do matter.

418. it’s incredible how the smallest things can make a big difference. I can see what a learning and insight it has been for you, Thank you for sharing.

419. This is quite an astounding wake up call to the amount of detailed attention our body asks us to pay for it to work harmoniously. It shows me there’s a constant communication there to be enjoyed.

420. The basic daily needs of drinking enough water and going to the toilet when it’s needed rather than holding on to complete a task are so often ignored. Surprising isn’t it? It’s a great self care evaluation to check in with these points within your day and see if these aspects are being overlooked.

421. Feelings like thirst are so easy to ride off and ignore, but it’s amazing that the choice to do this can have such a large impact on our body. Perhaps the relationship we have to these ‘mundane’ and simple feelings could make a huge difference to our overall lives – all the ‘in-between bits’ that we never give much thought could be more important than we realise.

422. It must have been quite a shock when you had popped into the pharmacy to confirm how good you were feeling to then be told that your body was reflecting the complete opposite! What a great experiment and a great reflection.

423. Such a simple act as going to the loo has such an impact on life and health. So concerning all the other needs which wants to be addressed this example shows to truly listen to our bodies supports our health tremendously.

424. A great example that every detail counts and how if we dismiss the small, seemingly insignificant things, this can have a great impact on our body, our health and our wellbeing.

425. Rereading this blog this morning I could feel the effect of delaying what we feel to do in any situation. As we begin to feel ‘behind’ time we develop stress in our bodies and this too is deeply harmful.

426. Thank you for bringing our focus to the every detail of our body to nurture and attend to.

427. A simple and strong message to heed the wisdom and knowing of our own body.

428. ‘Moreover, I also work in a profession where, oftentimes, it is seen as a mark of a child’s maturity that they can control their bladder for the duration of a teaching/learning session of up to two hours.’ We have become so disconnected ourselves that we actively encourage and regard our children in joining us.

429. Could life be much more joyful when we would take our body as our navigator through life. If I allow myself to surrender in the moment, I experience everytime that there’s a wisdom inside me that can’t be explained. It’s in fact a simple connection. But this can only occur due to choices of taking care of my body. And the more I’ve taken care of my body, the clearer the messages that my body’s communications have become.

430. Actually this is amazing – how much more is to discover what our body already does communicate to us, but we did unlearn to listen and understand. Listening & Understanding – two verbs which are worth to bring alive and into our daily living. With our body and with ‘other bodies’ (humans).

431. What I get from this blog is a very simple message and that is, when the body sends us a signal, that’s exactly what it is – a warning that something needs attention, like the red light on our car dashboard. If we ignore it, then we are being irresponsible.

     1. You’re right Carmel, it’s no different, yet I’m sure if we had a flashy red light come up before our very eyes we may pay attention just a little bit more than we do now, if only temporarily before we learn to ignore that too.

432. Awesome reminder Coleen, of just how important our bodies signals are – always! Our body consistently communicates to us but are we listening? What a great topic that relates to everyone, throughout my career in nursing, taking a long drive or even during pregnancy I have experienced the overriding of my own bodies needs until a ‘time that I deem more convenient!’ Perhaps we can easily override because we’re not seeing the repercussions but what you have shown is that there is something clearly going on that we have a choice to not ignore.

433. Absolutely amazing, to have this living experiment Coleen, what a reminder that our bodies need attentiveness in every moment, and how the simplest of things can never be overlooked as being crucial to our harmony and overall wellbeing.

434. A great reminder Coleen of the importance of looking after our bodies and giving it the time and attention to listen to all it is telling us . Ignoring basic body functions is so simple to do and yet so harmful in many ways not even noticed until something happens . Even then as we can go back into our old ways ,all is ignored and a fix to the situation is then seeked. An amazing blog offering so much so simply.

435. Amazing experience that has been related here, so precious and supportive to honour what occurred. And also to be clear about how we think we can feel ‘great’ and yet still not honour what our bodies are sharing. Something I can relate to and then I find myself in a place where I do not feel too great. Which is why it is so valuable to honour what we feel in each moment.

436. I am familiar with not honouring that it is time to pee, drink water etc, I am aware of it and I have been working on committing to living what is required in the moment, rather than trying to push through to get things done. It is amazing how often we can sabotage ourselves with denying the simple ways we can care and nurture ourselves. I have noticed in it in the way I clean my teeth, often it has been in a rush or in the last minute. It is now a marker for me, to be aware of where I am at, am I willing to give all of myself to the activity, allow space for me to do it, complete and then move on, or do I rush, great to observe this make loving choices.

437. I have observed Serge Benhayon for over 12 years and the level of integrity and attention to detail that he has for himself with Self-Love and Self-Care is extraordinary. Not a second is missed in listening and honouring what he feels and this is a rarity in the world today. I have found this so deeply inspiring and I continue to every time I am with him. That level of Self-Worth and importance is key.

438. I have been notoriously bad at honouring myself when I need to pee, particularly during the day. As I would always have an excuse, I am on my way to a meeting, I’m in the middle of something at my desk so not wanting to interrupt my flow of what i am doing, just getting busy. So I’d hold on and hold on. Well not anymore! Thanks Colleen for the enlightening blog.

439. Yes, the body is equal and we can learn enormously from it.

440. yes indeed… Starting to really listen and attend to our bodies and what they need is a sign of true maturity… In fact of evolved maturity and indeed the chrysalis of true wisdom

441. Dehydration and putting off going to loo is a big one for me also. Thank for this very insightful blog Colleen. I will now go to the loo and stop holding on to complete this comment. Hahaha I wish I was kidding.

442. I work in an industry (hospitality) that champions its staff’s ability to hold on, be in control, just finish serving breakfast, lunch or dinner, just take one more persons order, make that last coffee and then go. In very busy environments like this at times my body would just shut down. I really wasn’t aware that this choice was affecting blood pressure in the way you described. Not to mention the disregard of a basic bodily function, to listen to the body when it needs to go to the toilet should be a foundational self care tool, refusing to listen is the arrogance and control of the mind that at times treats the body as though it is second class citizen.

443. I find myself at the end of an amazing night feeling dehydrated and I can feel the pressure it has put on my body. I could have stopped at least 3 times for a bottle of water but I wanted to get home. Interesting choices to then find myself on your blog getting a deeper understanding of the consequences of my choices on my body.

444. ‘The diastolic reading was 85: it had dropped 40 points from a point of crisis to super normal after I went to the loo and then drank some water.’ – I am blown away by this fact and can’t even begin to fathom what the body is going through during the time of crisis, while we keep going and pushing through the next task – what a wake up call.

445. Amazing Coleen – this is crucial information, I had no idea to what extent this would impact on our health and wellbeing. We all know that hydration is important and that it is not good to hold on when we need to pee, but this sure takes our self responsibility and the way we look after ourselves to another level.

446. “ . . . the simple acts of not attending fully to my body’s needs to pee and to rehydrate completely had placed my body into a state of intense stress and me into a position of danger.” Wow Coleen, this really brings home how responsive the body is and how it is our responsibility to respond immediately to our body’s needs.

447. Coleen, your blog is a great demonstration of just how much any disregard affects the body and indeed, how quickly it can respond once it is given what it needs. But if we keep overriding these signals for too long we are likely to end up with more severe symptoms which we cannot alleviate so easily.

     1. Yes, it is very surprising how much our body is affected by disregard that seems very small, even trivial.

448. A simple reminder of the arrogance we have developed that we decide with our minds to override the natural impulses that we can feel, aptly in this case to ‘respond to the call of nature’.

449. “…‘too busy’ to attend to these basic bodily needs because I am engaged in ‘more important’ stuff…” Interesting now how reading your blog makes you realise how it is actually your body that is the most important of all…

     1. So true, ‘the’ foundational aspect of our lives, is to honour our bodies. It is gorgeous to expose how we choose otherwise and great to appreciate that we have exposed it. Our bodies share so much I continue to be staggered by the wisdom I gain through feeling and honouring my body.

450. This is a real eye opener, the amount of times I have held on when I need to go is very exposing. I was not aware that it was so damaging on the body.

451. I have cared for people in their twilight years having been active and prominent in public service and seen how sacrificing their bodies has caused great suffering to their health and wellbeing. I have noticed a commonly held perception that such sacrifice is necessary to be seen to be highly dedicated to the ‘public good’. This has led to pondering if such disregard was really necessary and also that through not giving our bodies equal say, would the quality of service we can offer also suffer?

452. “My body is now an equal player in my life…” It so often takes a crises, big or small to wake us up to what our bodies truly represent and how important they are, as we can’t always know when a pressure situation may occur.

453. Thank you Coleen, your blog has been and will continue to be very instrumental in supporting me to attend to my bodily needs much more readily, as it has revealed a new level of sensitivity and delicacy that I had not really appreciated about my body before.

454. What a fantastic example of how, by not listening, acting and supporting the body when it is asking for this, it can create a situation whereby you are putting yourself in unnecessary strain, stress and dis-harmony. A clear choice either supports us or it does not.

455. How precious to learn from daily life with so much lightness and no blame, but responsibility.

456. It is amazing how ignorant we can be of and towards our bodies at times, including myself here. Great sharing Coleen, I am not likely to forget it.

457. I love this question that you pose and you would be surprised about how many people it actually applied to. There are so many people who do not listen to their need to go to the toilet and instead hold it all in until they can get “time” to void. There is such a deep disregard in this.

458. “I could not but marvel at my body’s exquisite sensitivity – how ignoring my bladder and the need for water affected my whole body adversely. I felt a deep appreciation for how instantly my body responded and returned to equilibrium directly once its needs were met. ” I’ve felt the same, when I listen to what my body is asking and support myself with this, be it drinking enough water or going to the bathroom it affects everything else including my mood and how I communicate and relate to people, listening to myself means I have a far deeper way of listening to others.

459. It’s amazing how there was such an obvious change in your body simply from not adhering to simple needs. It would be interesting to monitor our bodies more closely in this way when we make other choices. After all, we make choices in every moment, and our bodies respond in line with these. An opportunity for more research!

460. Recently I have become very busy at work and have been working seven days a week and as I do a physical job I have been feeling the effects this is having on my body so it was great to read this to make sure I don’t override any warning signs my body my be giving me no matter how small, even if I am feeling fine.

461. The answer to the question ‘to pee or not to pee’ would seem to be a resounding ‘yes’. Leaving the body in a state of ‘not to pee’ is not only creating a tension but a physical crisis that is the antithesis of homeostasis. We need ‘to pee’ if we are ‘to be’ in any meaningfully harmonious way, physically and energetically.

462. It is interesting that you thought you were “feeling lovely”, but this did not coincide at all with the truth of your body, that was thirsty and needing to pee.

463. What is the message we deliver to ourselves when we neglect to satisfy the body needs? Sorry but, who told you that you are my temple?

464. “we are the role models of bladder and thirst control.” The thing is that we are not educated that becoming too successful at those may put your well being at risk.

465. One big advantage of eating very little salt is that you are much less likely to have high blood pressure. If you don’t do it because you are forced to, you become much more sensitive to salt and then don’t miss it.

466. When we are aware of how diligently our body works to maintain balance and wellbeing through communicating imbalances and or it’s needs, it seems only befitting that we listen to, and lovingly with appreciation tend to what is being communicated.

467. This is a blog that keeps on giving – it has been at the center of a few discussions at work at how often we override ourselves and even the myth that some of us grew up with it was better to hold on as long as you can to strengthen your bladder was one that I was reminded of.

468. I love this Coleen – what a difference listening to our body can make! Even something as simple as going to the toilet when we need to go to the toilet (which sounds pretty straightforward) can completely change the way our body is functioning and running on the inside.

469. ‘to pee or not to pee…should that even be a question’ : how telling is it of our choices and the way we are with our bodies that it in fact is a question. We are imposing our wants and thoughts onto the natural rhythms of our bodies with far bigger consequences then we are yet willing to see.

470. This is such a great lesson in the importance of listening to our body’s signals of its most basic needs and the consequences if we do not. From these ‘little’ things major consequences arise that we do take notice of but rarely do we discover and change the initial cause, which could be as simple as drinking water and going to the toilet when the body indicates the need. Then the question arises, why are we not responding to our body’s signals in the first place?

471. Thanks, Coleen, I can relate to treating the body as a 2nd class citizen, which is incredible considering it is our one and only ‘vehicle’ throughout our whole lifetime. Where have we picked up the idea that it is ok to not look after it, to not attend to its needs and fill it with things that don’t agree with it?

472. Coleen your blog highlights how over riding the most simplest of messages that our body is communicating to us, such as having a pee or drinking a glass of water, can have such a profound affect on our homeostasis, and is in the long term detrimental to our health and wellbeing. We can never underestimate the power of communication the body has in saying what is needed for us to stay healthy.

473. It feels to me that there is such an arrogance in our overriding what the body requires with decisions in our mind to the point that we are not allowing the awareness of what it is communicating to us.

474. We should have all experienced being in the sun without hydrating ourselves and the pain from headaches to muscle cramps that the body are amongst the signals the body sends us. By holding in the used fluids, the body has its playbook of messages. The ‘more important stuff’ that should be the top of the list is listening to our body!

475. You’ve asked us to feel our bodies all the more deeply, all of the time Coleen – something I deeply appreciate. For we may well feel ‘lovely’ even, and in so many ways, but have we really checked in? Is there something we are negating – that perhaps we are so used to negating that we don’t even consider it until it’s brought to our attention in such a way as you’ve described?

476. What you’ve delivered to us here Coleen, is that we have become endemically accustomed to levels of stress – with clear physiological response and pressure – in our bodies that we needn’t have.
     Boy, how we have been basically groomed (the education session ‘tolerance’ being a great example) to over-ride fundamental, self-attentive and caring needs.
     What if we all treated ourselves with such care? I wonder how then, our national and international health statistics would read…

477. Wow this story really highlights to me just how sensitive our bodies really are. How often do we delay peeing and consider it such a little thing to hold on for a while. When in truth it is right up there in terms of disregard and has a huge impact our health and wellbeing. Thank you for reminding us just how important it is to listen to our body and keep hydrated.

478. We marvel at all the choices we make, seemingly from free will, not considering what they do to our bodies and the impact it might have. If we all would have a common acceptance of the fact that our bodies in fact lead us, then the ‘might have’ could be changed into ‘has’ in this instance. Because every choice that’s not supporting towards our body is in fact more harmful then we for now dare to open up to. It’s not a negative, but as this blog is clearly showing that even a simple choice of not peeing has enormous influence on our body. And this in just one example!

479. Water plays a big part in our health and how we feel – we could probably survive for days without food but not without water. When I’ve had to have blood tests, if I haven’t had plenty of water, the nurse has great trouble getting any blood from me and I have felt faint and nauseous. On other occassions when I’ve had plenty of water, my blood flows freely and I feel fine.

480. Coleen it’s got to be pee!!! Nobody has ever minded when I have said I just have to go to the loo, it has only been me in my head thinking is it an acceptable thing to do. With my job I can often have back to back appointments without time in between and it is often the customers saying do I need a break! If I need one, I take a loo break, otherwise carry on. Simply taking the time to ask myself the question feels very honouring.

481. Reading this blog makes me consider how simple life can be – our body gives us a message and all we have to do is listen and then take action. It is in the listening that we need to be honest with ourselves as to what the message is – I know I can mistake thirst for hunger so will eat something rather than having a glass of water.

482. Such a essential reminder thanks Coleen. The amount of times which I would say has become my common practice to push on through because there is a lot to do and supposedly forget to drink water is scary when I read how much it exhausts the body and puts it into unnecessary stress. I am going to make a discerning effort to keep my fluids up – to listen and honour my body immediately when I hear her call.

483. This is a lovely reflection of the harmony that our bodies are. When one aspect is neglected or not in line, it affects the whole body. This highlights that everything we do needs to be in harmony with the whole and not at the expense of one aspect of our wellbeing.

484. So often we misread the body’s communications. If we have fallen out of the habit of drinking by ignoring the call to drink water, then we can misinterpret a feeling of hunger as needing food. Once we eat it covers up the signals that are telling us to drink. It is always wise when we feel like eating to ask ourselves first, “Is this because I am thirsty?”

485. Coming back to this blog really highlights the fact that these messages are never to be ignored. For the past couple of years I started to go bathroom when needed, having thought I’d reached a point in my relationship with my body where that is a given but it’s not. Even today I found myself confused as to why I was apologetic about needing the bathroom. I put my job before my body and this doesn’t feel right because if my body is ignored then any work I do is going to be of a lesser quality. This blog reconfirms that the body needs to be my priority as it is from the body that everything else in life occurs.

486. Awesome sharing, yep it is humbling when we allow ourselves to be more connected to our bodies. So much goes on within them every second in supporting our well-being that we simply are not aware of. Reading this made me aware that I do not drink enough water and that they are many times I need to go to the loo but wait that little bit longer to finish a task.

487. Thirst and peeing….two very necessary indications from the body that it is in need…..yet these two very simple actions are actions that we very often disregard and put off until we can no longer ignore them.

488. When the body communicates, clearly we need to listen.

489. What this highlights for me is how we so often see our body as being somehow lesser to our mind, that its needs and communication are to be dismissed or brushed to one side as they aren’t so important!

490. Many of us can take great care to make sure our car is full of ample oil and water. We may have it regularly serviced and valet cleaned so it performs at its peak and avoids break down. But we don’t always see our body is equally an amazing piece of engineering which requires subtle monitoring for the most minute details. It seems to me we all have effectively been given Ferraris and have been treating them more like dodgem cars. No wonder we see the health issues that we do. Thanks Coleen for your words.

491. Knowing how sensitive the body is to the slightest changes as described in this blog really brings it home as to how vital it is to know our bodies enough to feel when we are getting dehydrated and how that effects our well-being.

492. That is just about incredible – how deeply our body gets affected by even a so-called ‘minor’ negligence; makes me wonder what happens when we drink alcohol, coffee, do drugs or ingest sugar. Maybe someone will test this one day.

493. We should always respond to what our body is saying. Otherwise our blindness becomes our greatest vice.

494. This blog has had a profound impact on me. Since I first read it I have been more conscious about how much I actually drink in a day and how I feel when it has not been enough. It is fascinating how this one simple choice can have such a huge impact on my wellbeing, both physical and emotional, my vitality and my health.

495. Wow Coleen, I did have an understanding that delaying wee-ing was right up there in terms of the disregard we can show for ourselves and our bodies, but NO idea it could have such potentially devastating affect. I will never again dismiss thirst nor urgency to pee with the same cavalier attitude.

496. It is really crazy how most of us put their bodies under such a pressure or being so dismissive with ourselves. Often it is easier to see and feel the big things but to see and feel the little things is another thing to be aware of.

497. Reading this blog this morning is a beautiful confirmation of something which I have recently put into practice. More often that not I was not listening to my bladder to have a pee until it got to the point where I had to go. I could feel the disregard in my body so I decided to listen to the first initial feeling to go. It felt good. It felt so good to honour myself in this way that I have kept the consistency of going for a pee straightaway going. It is showing me that listening to what may seem small messages or messages from the body that I may take for granted as no less or insignificant to any other communication from my body.

498. Thank you, Coleen. This is a great lesson in what can happen when we override the messages of our body. I can so relate to the hanging on until the last minute, just finishing one last thing, and then rushing tensely to the bathroom. This blog is a reminder for us all to be gentle and honouring of our body at all times.

499. I never can read this blog without getting a glass of water at the end! It is interesting how easily I feel like it is too much work to get a glass of water even though it makes me feel so much better and as you say there is much more going on in my body when I delay the hydration of my body.

500. The title says it all really should it even be a question? The fact that we have got ourselves into a state that means this is the norm is pretty alarming.

501. The times I least attend to my body’s needs is when I’m at my desk writing, this is when I am least likely to ignore my body’s call for a pee. Driving myself to finish something at all costs before I’ll stop for a break or to relieve my bladder is a pattern I am well on the way to releasing.

502. There is an innate wisdom of our body. We have the choice to connect, feel what it is sharing and honour this wisdom or over ride what we feel with our thoughts. When we choose the honouring of our connection then we are living in the divine order of the universe.

503. It is amazing that your body was so quick to show that something was wrong with what for many people is a normal part of their lives. I have had times where I have not drank enough and didn’t go to the toilet because I ‘just needed to get this one thing done’. I learned to not do that anymore when I once ended up with cramps in my kidney area from it, and that was enough to make me listen to my body whenever I needed to go.

504. ‘I could not but marvel at my body’s exquisite sensitivity ‘ – there is indeed much to marvel at when we make the space to really feel the detail and intricate workings of our body

505. This is brilliant Coleen. I love how such a simple thing can be so revealing and exposing of how our body is affected by every single choice we make, to either honour or not honour it…the detail of which I am taking into my day:)

506. This article has had a profound effect on me. I’m so used to putting my body under strain but now I’m taking note – so going to pee when I need to, not walking too far when I’m tired, taking rests and not resting when x has been done. I’m realising I’ve been deaf to my body and now have my ear to the floor to hear more deeply its constant communication.

507. Returning to this blog and reading the title I am left wondering that is actually strange that we have got to a stage in life where this has become a question and it is alarming to read how so many people (myself included) override a simple all day every day request of the body. I feel it is a combination of how we are living as well as the way we try to get away with so many small yet necessary details throughout the day. This means we need to consider what other areas we try to overlook or dismiss – not just our bodies.

508. …’the simple acts of not attending fully to my body’s needs to pee and to rehydrate completely had placed my body into a state of intense stress and me into a position of danger.’ This is an amazing, if what startling realisation to have on something that we often don’t attend to regularly.

509. I love this blog – it shows so clearly how we see parts of our body as independent of each other when in actual fact this is simply not possible – everything has an effect on everything else – just as in all life itself.

510. At a local wellbeing group, several members of the group have been expressing that they remain at their desks for hours after the ‘call of nature’ to visit the staff toilets and are now realising how detrimental this is to their health. Amazing the ways in which we can put everything else before our own self care.

511. I keep coming back to this blog as its message is so clear and so simple, and is something that we all do! The title, “To pee or not to pee – should that even be a question?” literally made me stop in my tracks and consider how much attention and care do I give to this basic bodily function.

512. I love this blog, it gives a very practical example of why we need to listen to our body and adhere to what it is telling us.
     Every time I am thirsty I remember this blog and have a drink. Thanks Coleen.

513. I seem to have an industrial sized bladder and can go an extraordinarily long time without needing a pee. However your blog Coleen emphasises that even though I can do this, it is not a healthy thing to do and taking a few more pee breaks through the day stops me pushing my body to its limits.

514. A very simple and basic act of going to the toilet, yet we delay that act, and hang on because we are busy…. begs the question, what else do we ‘hang’ onto in our lives, instead of letting it go?

515. This is a great example of one of the supposedly little things we see as being unimportant but underneath there is so much more going on with us. I never realised how not going to the toilet and being dehydrated could affect our blood pressure, and now makes me wonder what other little unimportant things do I override.

516. I love how this blog highlights the finer details of self-care showing how we ourselves harm our bodies by not drinking enough or going to the toilet when the body gaves us clear signals that it needs to release.

517. Super blog to read this morning Coleen, how many times have I put off going to the toilet when I am on the laptop, not wishing to be disturbed in what I am doing…. after reading this blog, I will no longer put my body second or delay going to the toilet.

518. I was convinced that I would always go to the toilet instantly if I felt to go. Reading this blog and taking it with me in my day, made me aware of the fact that there are quite some moments that I just wait just that little longer. As I write this I’m aware that my daughter wanted to go to the toilet in the midst of something we were doing. I became a little irritated, but when she went I could feel that I also needed to pee. Writing this moment I can feel how she offered me a moment of reflection and reconnect back to what I felt.

     I realise now that when I was a child and said that I wanted to pee – most clear is the memory in the car on long distances – when I was asked to ‘just’ hold it for half an hour or so. Seems innocent, but is quite unloving I’m realising now. So we learn as kids to stop expressing…

519. Since reading your blog – my wake up call – Coleen, what you have written has been accompanying me during my day, whispering to me when I am anywhere near close to ignoring my body’s needs. I can see now that I had allowed myself to develop a very body disregarding pattern of putting off certain needs until they were close to urgent. No more – my body speaks and I listen, immediately! My deepest appreciation for sharing this.

520. I’m actually blown away by how much we take our bodies for granted. How many times have we thought we were doing really well, meanwhile there was underlying anxiousness going on inside us that we have completely chosen to ignore. We just think that holding off going to the toilet is normal because everyone does it…but it’s crazy, it’s absolutely crazy. Time we turn these ways of being around.

521. Since reading this article over a week ago I have been far more aware of needing to go to the toilet and have really worked on actually going the moment I feel the need. My body is currently under a lot of stress, and the thought of putting it under even more just seemed pointless and so detrimental to my current state of health. How easy it has been to be so complacent all this time. The responsibility I have to my body is mine and mine alone and this article has really helped enforce that. So thank you!

522. It is so clear that our body is a ‘marker of truth’ and that we as human beings need to be aware of the science of energy in how we live – such a brilliant example here Coleen of how a seemingly lovely walk in the rainforest didn’t take into account the ‘whole’ – what was happening for the body. I could say I lived my life up until now in a disregard of the ‘whole’ in that way and I am still learning. We can be easily fooled by ‘loveliness’ and be disregarding true love.

523. Such a simple act of self care, that no doubt many of us have ignored over time, but at what cost? This blog has certainly woken me up to something that I was not fully aware of, and how much more attention I could pay to all the other signals that my body is telling me. Thankyou Coleen.

524. It is amazing how well we think we are doing until someone writes a simple blog like this one and we pay just that little bit more attention to what is truly going on in our bodies. It is so easy to say ‘I’ll just do this before I…” not realising the raciness it has put us into while we finish what we are doing first.

525. The relationships we build with our health professionals and people generally in our communities are pivotal to leading well-supported lives. I love that you had a pre-existing relationship to your pharmacist Coleen and this lovely lady was able to assist you in an hour of need. A gorgeous template for connected living.

526. There is something about the timing of this lesson that struck me as I read your blog. You were feeling amazing, very connected, it sounded almost blissful in its picture, and that I now see is a key ingredient to my next point. How often do we go into a picture of what a situation looks and feels like and almost detach from our simple communication from our body? I ask because I have had many moments where I have bought into that picture of ‘wow how amazing is this’ only to find myself being bitten by something or getting another equally grounding moment. I have started to see that bliss and the picture of what I think ‘amazing’ should look like are a bit of a danger point for me. Not as a ‘don’t enjoy amazing moments’ directive, but be aware always where you could be checking out of what is really being felt and communicated just because you are enjoying the picture more than the reality.

     1. Love the points you are raising here Lucy, bringing much awareness around the possibility of: ‘ could be checking out of what is really being felt and communicated just because you are enjoying the picture more than the reality’. Yes, I recognize this!

527. Wow, I had no idea not going to the bathroom when the call is there could result in high blood pressure. Also that being dehydrated had such a profound effect. When I stop to truly consider it though, and I remember back to times where I have over-ridden the need to go to the bathroom, I can feel the crisis and anxiety in my body. I will be much more aware now of this simple yet vital piece of communication from my amazing body.

528. It never fails to amaze me the wonders of our bodies and how sensitive they are, if only we could all love and honour and be so in tune with what our bodies are saying, we would see a dramatic fall in illness and disease.

529. Thanks Coleen for bringing to our attention the affect overriding these natural impulses has on the body.

530. Since reading your article Coleen I have definitely paid more attention to the detail of what my body is showing me. The evidence of what you shared blew me away.

531. Any act of overriding what our body is telling us is disregard and so it’s a great reminder for me to pay attention to the smallest of signs that my body gives me.

532. Thanks Coleen, gosh I wonder how many peope are walking around with high blood pressure just from not drinking enough water and needing to pee.

533. How simple are the things we can do to self-care… going for a pee when we need to, and having a drink of water when our body needs it – and yet we avoid/delay these basic needs, even though we function much better when we take these steps to care for ourselves, and the quality and productivity of our work is much improved as well!

534. Your blog is a great expose of how our every choice affects our body – we may or may not be aware of the effect at the time, or for some time… but eventually our body makes us aware.

535. How amazing are our bodies that they can constantly re-balance to maintain a harmonious environment – but only for so long before they very clearly show us that we can’t continue in this way when dis-ease and illness manifests.

536. It really is remarkable the efficiency with which our bodies return to homeostasis with a little care, and that should be a greater reason to care for ourselves, not lesser. When we live with responsibility for our health we actually build a greater appreciation of the marvel that is our bodies, and why wouldn’t we want to take ownership of this. We wouldn’t after all lend our Ferrari to our healthcare practitioner would we?

537. Your beautiful blog is highlighting how much we ignore the needs of our body. Only this morning I stubbornly decided to finish my last mouthful of breakfast before attending to my body who was telling me that my bladder was full – and in the moment someone else went into the loo and I then had to hang on! Your words highlight how much pressure and tension we are personally responsible for – not only in our own body but in the world at large. How magnanimous and loving is the Universe as it waits for us to change.

538. “I began to reflect on how many times in my life I had overridden the needs to drink water and go to the toilet, as well as many other bodily needs, deferring all these needs to a time that was ‘more convenient’ – a time when I wasn’t busy or engaged in other activities.” now that number would be in the tens of thousands for me, the idea of what is “important” – getting things done, over the care of my body is something that I avoided in the past, today it’s significantly better but I still override the feeling to have a glass or water or pee from time to time.

539. Coleen, this is article is so interesting, I can feel how it is ‘normal’ for adults to hold off going to the loo and that children really can’t or don’t like to do this and that we see this as immature, whereas in fact they are simply listening to the signals from their bodies and wanting to honour these rather than wait. I have noticed this with drinking water too, if children are thirsty they don’t wait they need water straight away or they get upset. It feels as though as adults we are much more controlling and less honouring of our bodies in this way.

540. Beautiful how such a simple remedy, having a pee and drinking some water made such a significant difference to your blood pressure. Our bodies respond so beautifully when we treat them with the tender respect they deserve.

541. We receive instructions on how to care for most of our appliances and virtually anything we own these days; and most, tend to these guidelines earnestly. However, our body, the vehicle we live in for life, is so often disregarded and treated as less important than other people, our jobs, children, pets, beliefs, ideals, belongings, objects, nature etc…
     If our bodies had real life ‘service’ alarms, perhaps we would pay more attention, but then again, sometimes it is seemingly more convenient to ignore these to ‘get more done’ or get through, until a break down reminds us of the exquisite care and love needed to live and not simply exist.

542. My body as an equal member in this democracy – what a brilliant, playful and accessible way to approach this super important relationship – thank you, Coleen.

     1. Actually, the body is equal but it also knows the truth…

543. What a great question Coleen, to pee or not to pee? I agree with you, how many times have we overridden the urge to pee or have a drink of water? Time for us now to step up and deeply self-care, peeing and drinking when needed and felt.

544. The title of your blog Coleen is a real stopper…and you are so right to ask it. It is so ironic that we will take care, to the nth degree of another person, or of something that we possess such as a car, a camera, a computer etc etc before we will take care of ourselves. And when we do, do we actually take the same level of care, pay the same amount of attention or even be prepared to spend the money on supporting our bodies to be able to work as smoothly and as efficiently as they possibly can in order to support us? The general answer I would say is no, we don’t…. And why not? Could it be that we put more importance on all those things outside of us, than we do on our own bodies? This is a great blog, and I will definitely be paying more attention to how much I drink in a day and will definitely make sure I pee when I need to pee!

545. Our bodies sure do put up with so much abuse which just shows how amazing our bodies will keep going even when put to extremes, imagine what is possible when we work with our bodies and provide nurture and love!

546. Ever since reading your blog Coleen, I keep thinking of you each time I need to pee and don’t honour myself straight away. Thanking you again for sharing. We all learn so much when we are open and share with everyone.

     1. Use it or lose it! This old saying relates to bladder control and continence.

     2. Indeed, Rosie. A simple, life lesson learned in only a few minutes’ reading.

547. Thank you Coleen and what an immensely important lesson and a fabulous example of just how sensitive and finely tuned our bodies are. I am constantly amazed at how well my body has coped with all the abuse I have put it through and completely understand why I felt so ill all the time. If that is what happens to us just because we haven’t drunk enough water and gone to the toilet at the right time, what an earth does coffee, sugar and alcohol do all our finely balanced systems? This highlights to me not only the immense importance of taking care of the minute details, but the absolute need to examine the effects of all these socially accepted commodities we so readily consume to fully appreciate what truly supports our bodies and what is doing untold damage. Your blog most definitely confirms that quality of our health is entirely in our hands.

548. How great it is when doctors and patients work together! This simple ‘test’ showed how much we can learn about our arrogance or one could say, lack of loving ourselves. If both patient and doctor would take the all in meeting each other, there’s a lot to be learnt from both sides, which benefits the whole. Thank you for sharing your willingness to go and listen to the doctor and learn from it.

549. Self-love comes in all forms not just the obvious ones. Often the simplest of things can be overlooked such as honouring going to the toilet when we need to. Thank you for bringing to light a deeper level of awareness on how much every little act counts – is it loving or not.

550. To pee or not to pee? No, that should not even be a question. It is very revealing that we often push our bodies in little ways that are so disregarding to what it is that our bodies truly need to support us. I know that I am guilty of not always listening to what my body is telling me and I know that when I do actually listen and support my body as it needs to be supported, I feel so much better on all levels.

551. What I am struck by is that if we treated any other machine (our cars being the most obvious example) as ‘badly’ as this – robbing it of it’s most essential fuel – that machine would collapse, explode, malfunction, pack-up..whatever. Yet our bodies put up with so much, have so much grace and patience even when we abuse or disregard them. Imagine what would happen if we treated them properly. We are all uber-Ferraris, yet so many of us are operating as 30-year-old bangers. Simply through lack of basic self-care and nurturing. An uber-Ferrari costs hundreds of thousands. Self-care is free.

     1. Love it Otto! Self care is free yet we don’t value it for what it actually can and does do to our bodies. Perhaps that is also partly because we value the uber Ferrari but not our own amazing bodies.

552. Great Blog Colleen. Your blog highlights how there is always more to refine in the way we self care, love and have awareness about our body. It is an on going and forever deepening relationship with the body, as its always prepared to reveal more insights if and when we pay attention to it.

553. Thank you Coleen for giving us yet another example of how intelligent our bodies are and the perils that await for those of us who don’t want to, can’t be bothered to or those that are so out of touch, with what their bodies are saying, and, in a lot of cases, shouting. Even a simple thing like going to the toilet or having a drink of water can make such a difference but we tend to override what we feel because it’s inconvenient, I’m too busy or I might miss something. As Serge Benhayon says, our body is the marker of all truth and will show us all of our choices, good and bad. I feel that all illness and disease comes from us rather than coming to us, so if we are open to that, then we can feel that it is our choices and our choices alone that will create illness and disease in our bodies. And then if we are open to that fact and we can feel that it is our choices, we can then start to live a life with choices that honour and respect the body’s natural rhythms and reduce the possibility of illness and disease.

554. This is a true reflection of where we are at, when our bodies need to remind us in such a way as (raised blood pressure) your body did on this day even though you were feeling so great at the time. You bring home the need for us to truly take note of our hydration and the discomfort we allow our body to reside in at times, by dismissing these warnings .I’ll do it later, it will be OK till then. Thank you Coleen.

555. Our body sure is a marker of truth. It tells us exactly what is going on and invites us constantly to listen to it. The choice is always our as to whether we do or not. The wise choice, however, is obviously the one to pay attention to what it is trying to tell us.

556. Someone once mentioned to me that in a workplace she instigated ‘permission to pee cards’ – so that when someone felt the need to go to the bathroom – they honoured it. I laughed but then had to face the reality that I was an employee who needed a permission to pee card. Wow how crazy is it that we put other things and people first before a basic bodily function. I’ve just had a baby, and so the mornings are a little busy, but I’ve put in place a rhythm where my partner knows to take her so I can go to the bathroom. Simple I know, but it feels very honouring of my body at a time where I could just hold on and go after I’ve put her first. It is these basic actions that really mark the level of self love we allow in our bodies.

557. A wise doctor indeed who looks at the whole body before jumping to any other conclusions.

558. How important is it to take great care of our body and listen to its messages as it is constantly communicating to us? From what you’ve shared Coleen, we cannot delay even for a minute to what our body is telling us.

559. It seems crazy that we should even question or resist when our body tells us what it needs. Even something as simple as going to the loo. If we don’t go now we will have to go later, so why wait?! This is a great example of how our bodies are hugely affected if we do not listen and act when we need to.

560. I agree that so often I can over-ride those little messages from my body and make a choice to only attend to them when I have completed a task that my mind is demanding me to complete in a certain time frame.

561. Love that Coleen – ‘my body is no longer a second class citizen, we are now a democracy’! This one will stick with me today as an inspiration to listen to my body even more attentively.

562. Our body is very sensitive and is responding to everything that we are surrounded by, as well as our thoughts, emotions and feelings. I continually find it humbling how willing our body is to show us truth, as the mind can think it is okay even when the body is showing otherwise.

563. Coleen I love the ripple effect that not ignoring to pee has, it allows us to drink more water provides a moment to stop and connect as we have space to go to the bathroom and who knows who we “bump” into along the way and connect with. But more importantly it starts to build a care for ourselves that allows us to start truly caring for others in our lives. For how can we support our children to care for themselves if we don’t stop to care for ourselves?

564. You have to marvel at the body that is able to return to its normal and healthy state with a few moments of love and care and tending to it’s needs. I love the way the pharmacist knew a possible reason for your high blood pressure Coleen, what a beautiful healing they offered to you, and now with your sharing, to all of us.

     1. Yes, brilliant Alison to acknowledge the part played by the pharmacist, who took the care to ask Coleen questions and get to the bottom of the good pressure result – great expertise and care taken here.

565. The importance of paying attention to the small items in our body that is part of the basic functions of our foundation. By ignoring the need to pee or hydrate is like running your car with the oil light flashing, little things don’t stay that way for long.

566. Already the headline says it all. I observed myself how I am often overriding and even forgetting what my body is telling me because something else seems to be more important. My experience is the moments I do listen and follow the signs and signals of my body, my body feels light and I feel connected whereas when I am overriding I often feel racy and disturbed. It makes a huge difference how I feel if I choose to listen or not.

567. I certainly wouldn’t have thought ignoring the bladder and the need for water would have affected the whole body so adversely. I work outside in quite large areas and sometimes I’m quite a way from water and toilets so I tend to hold on until its more convenient, but because of this blog I will make sure I prioritise it, so thanks Colleen.

568. Exploring through Universal Medicine studies that our bodies are vehicles of expression and thus how we treat them determines the quality of our expression, it seems there are many reasons to honour our bodies with more sensitivity, care and attention to detail which of course branch out from physical health and wellbeing.

569. A salutary lesson on the true impact of neglecting the body’s basic needs and an inspiring wake-up call to take heed.

570. Coleen what you have shared here is super-important – how a seemingly innocent by-passing of a simple drink and pee put your body into crisis. Our bodies truly are sensitive and in need of deep honouring. Figuring out how to live this in a world driven by desire for recognition and pleasure is the difficulty. Or, as was put to me, allowing ourselves to naturally return to what most of us all knew as children – how to play and rest and respond with ease – is the key to cracking this particular, often very hard nut.

571. Our bodies are so intricate and delicate. We often hold the body in less regard but it is always there to serve us.

572. Love the democracy you have with your body Coleen. Wow it is a really great illustration you share how every choice counts and affects the body in one way or another. I am going to rehydrate now 🙂

     1. Yes, I have noticed not drinking enough in the afternoon. It seems to be quite a stimulant.

573. This is a great ‘shock’ Coleen and I love how the pharmacist took a very pragmatic and simple approach to the first blood pressure reading. It reflects to me that the relationship you had built offered space in this situation for a true response.

574. There is something very powerful about the subtleness of the call from the body for a response and how habitually we have internally set up a barometer of what is to be listened to and what can wait. This shows that everything is equal and listening to all communication from our body is imperative because at the end of the day it is about loving all that we are.

575. So very often I hear comments about how awesome or amazing something feels even though the act leading towards these feelings is obviously compromising to the body, e.g. working the body very hard and exhausted but because the results have been recognized, there are feelings of elation and it is felt then that all is worthwhile. But that is not truly true. What these situations reveal is more honesty is being called for. The body works as a whole, if there is one part that is not in harmony, the whole body will be in disharmony. We have to ask ourselves what is it that we are willing to compromise, (in the one or more than one part) to choose to not be aware that what we are doing is in fact putting strain on ourselves, because then not only does this affect our overall health, it affects every aspect of our lives. The question then is, do we look at life as one complete whole or as individualized and separate episodes?

576. The ingrained focus of a human being is outward—what is outside of us deserves our attention and focus more than what is inside of us, such as the care for another person, an important matter, work deadlines. But what we have missed is everything that we do on the outside comes from what is inside of us, and therefore when we take care of what is within, by virtue of this fact, what is outside will be guaranteed. This is a much more simple and a results guaranteed, dare I also say a truly successful way, to live.

577. What a warning how our bodies react when we do not honour the basic signs. I am so guilty of this too, holding on to releasing my bladder and not putting myself first. What you have shared is great as now I can truly see how something as simple as releasing the bladder on time is so important for ones body to avoid the stress the body and organs go through.

578. Wow Coleen, your blog has heightened my awareness to how sensitive our bodies truly are. Many times I have not attended to my body on such a basic level, and have avoided going deeper within myself to check how this has effected my body. This was a great example of the level of care that is needed for the body and how daily most of us have not reach that level of care.

579. Coleen, I love what you have shared with us. Thank you for taking the time to write this. Your experience shows us the incredible sensitive nature of our bodies and how it responds when we meet its needs. I too felt a deep appreciation for how our body works and loved what you wrote about you and your body being a democracy and no longer a 2nd class citizen. There is something quite profound about that sharing.

580. What a great learning for you Coleen and a great reminder for us all, how important it is to attend to our bodies needs, however small they may seem. To ignore them is simply not an option when we truly care for ourselves.

581. I love how you’ve chosen to share this intimate part of your life. It has certainly supported me in also sharing light-hearted about peeing. Yesterday me and a friend shared how much we actually love to go to the toilet. How the intimacy is actually very joyful during the processes that take place at the toilet. Hilarious:-). And so funny, yet often we tend to be very serious about this…

582. There is no limit for appreciating the body and its signs. And it always leads us to God. What a blessing this temple, our body, is.

583. It is an eye opener to understand that the mind can have extraordinary control over how we care for our bodies – or not. With the consequences being quite hidden – until they literally burst out of our bodies to be heard and felt.

584. I was wondering like what would happen if we respond always to our bodies basic needs like going to the toilet, drinking water and resting. I have a sense that by simply doing this we will feel so much better in ourselves as I can feel how tense and grumpy I can get when I don’t. We often might wonder why we feel down or grumpy… well this may be an answer to that.

585. Coleen thank you for sharing and claiming this. I am observing this, too that I often postpone to pee, I am so used to that and it is truly inspiring your sharing how much we can put ourselves in danger for not Meeting our bodies simplest Need. I also love the fact about the School and yes we are taught since little to hold on and not meet our bodies needs immediately. I had to turn 30 to be aware that I treat my body very often as a second class citizen and that’s where now my focus is on, too. Thanks again for sharing this experience with us.

586. This is such evidence of how the body is impacted by all our actions all the time and that we can choose to kill ourselves slowly or we can choose to take care of ourselves. When the body breaks down there is no to do list that can resurrect it, just a surrendering to truth.

587. “My body is now an equal player in my life, no more a 2nd class citizen: we are now a democracy.” I am still learning each day how I have chosen to neglect my body and am finding ways to heal and choose something different.

588. Our health and the state of our body is such a good indication of how we’ve run our lives in relation to what we truly need. ” I was feeling lovely – connected with nature and purposeful in having started to attend to these matters of personal health.” I always feel a sense of relief, care and thankfulness when I attend my health matters too 🙂

589. Wow! It’s so interesting to hear about how being a little bit dehydrated and needing to go to the toilet raised blood pressure so much! Imagine how many times in the day we are doing this sort of thing and so our body is constantly under more pressure then it should be. Imagine the quality of life we would love if this wasn’t the case

590. It’s amazing to appreciate just how fast our body responds and restores itself.. thinking of all the choices we make which aren’t naturally harmonious for the body, it is forever rebalancing everything we impose upon it.

591. what a great blog Coleen! It’s amazing how much our body can handle.. we can be running in over drive and ‘thinking’ we are okay but meanwhile the body is working really hard to keep us afloat!

592. These situations put everything into perspective – suddenly the to do lists are not so important, because at the end of the day, if we have not listened to our bodies and end up sick, we wouldn’t be able to do our to do lists anyway.

593. This was one of the rare occasions where we get incontrovertible evidence that something is not right and we can fix it immediately. At other times, it is not so simple, so we need to be more aware.

594. Coming back to this blog again because it is absolutely gorgeous and equally as powerfull. We are all so used to pushing our bodies, pushing ourselves that we often do not realise the true extent of the the damage we may be causing is. Very humbling.

595. It never ceases to amaze me how my body so clearly shows me where and how I can care more deeply for myself. This blog is a great example of this. Thank you.

596. This blog is a great reminder Coleen. I do not stop and drink at times when I am thirsty, I will endeavour to listen to my body in future, it is not that I do not know the importance of what you are saying, as Serge Benhayon has been presenting this for years, it is that I am not fully committed to loving me before anything else. Time for this to change.

597. A real honouring of our body and the importance of this comes from reading this thank you. “I reflected how a true rhythm excludes nothing – it is in the flow of all life. So I will never again be ‘too busy’ to attend to these basic bodily needs because I am engaged in ‘more important’ stuff…” A very revealing blog how our body responds to being looked after so qulckly and the messages it gives us so lovingly.

598. This is a great example of how intricate the body’s systems are and how vital it is that we understand the basic functions of the body. What a gift this pharmacist gave to you Coleen and ultimately everyone who reads this blog.

599. Wow this is so good to read and how awesome for you to experience and witness how when we do honour our bodies then it naturally responds this. I too will be much more respectful and listen to the tiniest noise that my body is telling me.

600. Coleen “To pee or not to pee – should that even be a question?” – well it’s a question that so many of us don’t ask, not because we listen to our body and pee, but because we often ignore the need to pee in favour of keeping on going. What I was appreciating recently is that’s not about leaving a meeting 20min in to pee, but about being lovingly prepared, so that before the meeting you naturally have the space to pee if needed. Thanks for bringing awareness to a topic that so many of us brush under the carpet.

601. Coleen, what a great example of how important it is that we listen to what our body is telling us and what happens when we ignore or override it.

602. You have exposed how ignoring something so minor can have compound effects on our bodies. We push ourselves for various reasons that we justify in our head. Have you ever seen while driving a water bottle on the side of the road with a golden coloured liquid contained within? Time is money.

603. What you share is great, Coleen. I do understand more deeply how crucial it is to listen to the body.

604. I love the style of your writing Coleen. No more self-imposed second class citizens here!

605. Your sharing Coleen is a testament to the relationships you have built in your community to support yourself. Connecting with people is such a delightful experience and confirms for me that we all want to do it! We love feeling the warmth and support of each other. It is natural.

606. I like what you say Coleen: “My body is now an equal player in my life, no more a 2nd class citizen: we are now a democracy.” And that to me is so important, to live in democracy with my body and not with a dictator reigning my body to its madness.

607. A great blog here highlighting how there can be a distortion between ‘feeling good’, and what is actually going on with our physiology.

608. There is nothing too small when we consider self-care and the different ways we can support our bodies and state of wellbeing, connecting and honouring what our bodies are constantly communicating is the way forth for us in taking charge of the level harmony and health we choose to live with.

609. Recently there has been lots of interest and teachings on self-care, which sound like a lovely thing to pursue if we had the time to. I love that you received tangible comparable measurements of disregard versus regard for your body. Self-care is not an optional extra; it is a fundamental way to live.

610. Very beautiful example of how pushing our bodies needs to a limit is actually causing damage (short or long term) and that this is even measurable by our blood pressure in this instance. It is so beautiful that this has brought you to a stop and made you realize that you can never push yourself without having consequences for your body. Thank you.

611. “it is seen as a mark of a child’s maturity that they can control their bladder for the duration of a teaching/learning session of up to two hours.” I have never thought about this before but its so true and absolutely crazy! I don’t remember drinking anything at school, and yet it is well known that dehydration causes lack of concentration, lethargy, fatigue, low mood…. Surely children should be encouraged to drink water during lessons and if they need to pee, then they go pee!

612. Tonight at the dinner table together with friends, we’ve been discussing this blog and the wisdom of it. What became clear is that everybody has a different relationship around drinking enough and going for a pee when the body’s communicating. Around drinking and going for a pee has always been quite natural to me, but I’ve actually never appreciated this. I wrote it off as ‘normal’, yet as I’m writing this, I can feel the joy in going for a pee or have a sip of water (or another drink). This is highlighting that I do have a relationship with everything that I do, only I am the one that chooses connection or disconnection. Joy or no joy… “To pee or not the pee” shouldn’t be a question, should it?

613. ‘My body is now an equal player in my life, no more a 2nd class citizen: we are now a democracy.’ Bring on the democratic union! Yes, our bodies should have equal, if not top, billing in our lives. No more hyper-driven minds dragging our bodies around without consideration, merely to get done the things we’ve made so important, or whatever we have idealised as so.

614. ‘…a true rhythm excludes nothing – it is in the flow of all life.’ What a gorgeous expression of a basic truth. And yes, we think as modern, sophisticated adults we can eschew or downgrade our bodily functions and needs but as this story illustrates quite clearly, this is pure folly. Amazing to think we can spend a great chunk of our lives putting our body into crisis through repeated acts of over-riding. Is this another form of lifestyle-related disease?

615. ‘I decided that, henceforth, any bodily need, no matter how insignificant or basic it may appear to be, will be addressed by me immediately… in line with my body’s communication of it.’ Brilliant and very necessary plan! And what a brilliant role modelling you will now offer the children in your classes. Presumably, they too will have the freedom to be excused when needed.

616. ‘I began to reflect on how many times in my life I had overridden the needs to drink water and go to the toilet, as well as many other bodily needs, deferring all these needs to a time that was ‘more convenient’ – a time when I wasn’t busy or engaged in other activities.’ The ‘when it suits me’ bug – I’ve had, and continue to have and work with that one too. The problem is the ‘me’ that it’s not suiting is not the me of the body but the me of the mind. And the mind prefers to do its own thing at the expense of the body, as Coleen reveals so well here.

617. Wow Coleen, this is a great reminder for us all to take deep care of our body and listen to its messages. From what you’ve shared it really highlights how much stress we can put our body under when we ignore its messages and how fast it responds and returns to its natural rhythm once we take the steps to listen, care and nurture it. Over time, repeatedly ignoring these vital messages from our body can certainly do a lot of damage. Illness and disease doesn’t happen overnight, I feel it is accumulated stress on our body and repeated times of ignoring our body that runs it down. Also, when illness and disease appears, it is like our body saying ‘enough is enough, you have to stop abusing me’, calling for us to listen and allow healing to take place. Our bodies are very intelligent and sacred, appreciating it, caring and loving it is our responsibility.

618. Well said Coleen, when we do listen to our body it is completely life-changing. – ‘ So I will never again be ‘too busy’ to attend to these basic bodily needs because I am engaged in ‘more important’ stuff… not even for a minute! My body is now an equal player in my life, no more a 2nd class citizen: ‘

619. Wow, that’s a real stand-out example to me of just how important it is to listen to my body and what it’s communicating to me!

620. Wow… thank you for sharing. How many times have I ignored a simple need to ‘pee or not to pee’ moment not realising the strain I am putting on my body when I do this. It highlights how many times a day I must do this in all sorts of other scenarios. Your blog Coleen is one I will remember!

621. Hello Coleen and I am always amazed that some blogs stay with you during the day. I read this blog yesterday morning and during work I was reminded of it. It wasn’t about blog pressure specifically but more about listening to your body. So when I needed to go to the toilet or have a drink yesterday I stopped and did that. I didn’t wait to finish a job or create a ‘to do’ list before it happened. I just asked myself the question of what was truly important and that was inspired from you and your blog, so thank you for changing my day and now it’s up to me to live that ‘change’.

622. Thank you Coleen this is a great reminder to pay attention to what the body is saying and act on it not only to prevent more serious and longer term health issues but also as a commitment to the necessary care we give ourselves and is completely natural.

623. Oh my goodness Coleen. I have heard that ignoring our body need signals is stressful to our system, yet the pharmacists’ shock about your blood pressure and the dramatic shift when you were encouraged to listen to your body’s calling for rehydrating and peeing is classic. It is a great example of the harm inflicted in those moments. This is a story I will be referring to again and again.

624. ‘To pee or not to pee – should that even be a question?’ No it should not and after reading your blog and having my own wake up call I am back with going to the loo in time, whether it be on my work or at home. As you are showing us we put such an enormous pressure on our body and it reveals at the same time we even raise the level of anxiety we go into when we are not listening to our body signals, for me really something to feel and acknowledge and not forget act on.

625. Wow, how our body react or respond immediately is truly amazing, it sure is the marker of truth. A very accurate and super sensitive vehicle and we need to pay attention to every detail. And going to the toilet on time you could not call a detail, so how much more is there for us to feel and not override.

626. What an inspiration to read and also what a big hurrah for our bodies that are so wise and constantly telling us what it needs. Gosh, after reading this, I will go to the loo straight away the moment I need to…or at least, be inspired to do so!

627. Colleen I could read a book of your words. I love the way you describe the intimate workings of the human body and relate that to practical everyday experiences. While these may be your personal experiences they are so relatable and important for us all to take stock of.

628. We call them little details of self-care whereas they are the foundation for our health! What has happened to our language and to our awareness?

629. Wow! What a powerfully simple insight into the effects lack of self love and self care can have for us. Not peeing is but one simple case of neglect among so many far more serious forms of self abuse that are all too common today.

630. Our bodies are absolute miracles in the way they function, the delicate balance and the way all systems are working together and dependent on each other. It is up to us to feel what our body needs as it will clearly communicate this with us and it needs us to work together with it to keep it’s balance. Yet we are thought from young how to make the body adapt to our mentally chosen rhythm and needs without realizing the enormous stress we are putting on it in this way.

631. Coleen your blog should be shared widely as it shows very clearly the immediate effect of not taking care of our bodily needs. In a society where what we want, need to do or think is more important is always prevailing, the need to look after our body can not be stressed enough!

632. It seems that the more we pay attention to what we see as abusive to ourselves the marker of what is abuse changes. To pee or to hang on to it is yet another level of abuse being uncovered and called out.

633. Yesterday, I was on my way home in the car in need of the loo, when I stopped at my clients house with some samples, ordinarily I would have felt it wrong to ask to use their loo when I am just passing and would have said to myself ‘home is only 5 minutes away’ I instead I asked to use their cloakroom and it felt amazing to support my body and let go of the feeling the angst from holding on. We need little reminders and this blog will be a great one for me.

634. Since attending Universal Medicine I have undoubtedly become more aware of my body. Taking deep care of it in the minute detail Colleen is suggesting is more and more vitally important to me, and an ongoing learning development depending on how much I actually want to feel that which is true.

     1. Reading your comment, Rik, it struck me that the more we listen to our bodies and respond accordingly, the more the ‘minute detail’ may actually become bigger as our sensitivity and awareness expands.

635. Coleen, what your sharing is amazing, it is so simple and incredible how over riding the signals from our body greatly affects it, I did not know about the link between being dehydrated and needing to go to the loo and high blood pressure – this is really important. I can feel how in society we get trained and train ourselves to attend to these basic needs when it is a more convenient time for us and everyone else, with work I would hold on until it was convenient and we expect children to be able to do the same – I have noticed that this can cause a lot of stress and upset in children when asked to wait.

636. The other day I was driving back from London, and there was a tail back of 13 miles on the other side of the road due to an accident. My first thought was – what if they need the toilet? Driving while needing the toilet can create stress and following on from your account, Coleen, it can make us unsafe to drive. When heading off for a journey, I make sure to factor in regular breaks so that my body does not need to be put into this heightened state.

637. Fascinating how such a simple thing can have such an enormous effect. There are innumerable times when I have become involved in something and shut out the signals from my body… to pee, some discomfort, thirst, etc. But the task at hand seems so important, yet this poses the question of what kind of damage are we doing to ourselves if we ignore our most sensitive instrument – the body?

638. The body is a complex vehicle that has always had little pre or in this case, pee warning lights for us to heed or ignore at our peril.

639. Coleen you have got me – I will never hold my pee anymore . . . your sharing is such a reminder to be more aware of my body.

     1. Haha, I was holding in my pee when I read this – I’m with you, Ester, no more holding on!!

640. Coleen I feel to add that you are a wonderful story teller. Whatever you share has a depth of detail that adds the most delicious intimacy to your shared experiences.

641. Going to the washroom is a good indicator of if we are listening to our bodies or not… lots of other things are as well but especially if we allow our bodies to let go. Now this is quite detailed but it’s very clear how a woman (or man) has been holding on and resisting emptying their bladders by how much force and pressure they expel when they finally allow themselves to go. It’s almost like our bodies are such inconveniences at times. I can remember this vividly as a child playing at school and only rushing to the toilet at the last minute and then peeing as fast as I could so that I could get back out and play. This has got to take its toll on our bladders and other parts of our bodies.

642. Our body is a masterpiece made by God, and no matter how hard our mind tries to control/ignore/interfere what this genius keeps offering to us non-stop, eventually there will always be a day when it has to come down on its knee and succumb to the sheer magnificence.

643. It really becomes clear how important it is to keep hydrated by drinking water. A great reminder for that, thank you Coleen. I have encountered in my life, as well, people who are so committed to drinking so much water that they subject their body to ‘water torture’. The whole key is to listen to the body and heed its message that now it would like a drink, and not over-rise it.

644. This is a great point to bring up Coleen – about working in a profession where it can be seen as a mark of a child’s maturity that they can endure long times of bladder control! And brilliant that you point out that teacher’s ‘have to be’ role models for this.
     Just on this one thing teachers who are aware and are loving will certainly take a different approach to this, as you too have done.

645. That is so interesting Monika.You are so wise to point out that we do have this scaffolding of false ‘hierarchy ‘about what is more important in life and what is less important. A Job interview seems a monumentally important event and the body is just a nuisance in that context when it wants to have a pee. But, as you have said, every moment, feeling the body and its messages, is the single most important thing in life if we are to live with true quality.

646. How many of us do not go to the toilet when immediately needed or do not drink enough water!! It is really interesting to see how harming this is for the body … and at a time when you were feeling great! Very humbling thank you for sharing. On a side note OMG I love the rainforests you have there I would love to be able to walk in a rainforest as if just popping to the park, the trees are amazing there ✨

647. Many of us ignore our bodies needs. I have particularly noticed small children that I know that hang on till the “Last minute”, they are either too busy playing or in some other enthralling activity. So as adults we need to lead by example an show how important it is to listen to our bodies needs for food, water, rest and especially needing to use the toilet ! Surely our bodies comfort and well being is that important to us all. Thank you Coleen for an important reminder.

648. A great article proving that there is nothing too small when it comes to self-care…as you said a true rhythm excludes nothing for it is in the true flow of life for which we are naturally a part… and clearly our body lets us know when we step outside of this even for a moment.

649. This is the education we truly need about the body.

650. Why is it that we can put off or ignore a basic bodily function yet go out of our way to abuse our bodies in some form or other that is not nourishing or supporting the body. Many times I have put off having a drink of water or going to the loo only to then feel tension throughout my whole body and finding it difficult to actually even think clearly. It’s no wonder that this tension causes the bodies alarm bells to start ringing. So much easier and more loving to simply listen and responsibly respond to our bodies true needs.

651. What your experience highlights Coleen is how delicate our bodies are, and how important it is to honour whatever they are showing us… right down to the smallest details.

652. I love the analogy of the body being treated as a 2nd class citizen. This is exactly how we treat it, expecting it to put up with abuse, playing a very distant second fiddle to the mind. When I started to shift this relationship, it was amazing how much abuse there was in the way I treated my body, which can still sneak in at times. Never making anything outside ourselves more important feels to be key to undoing this pattern.

653. There is something about holding onto the need to pee that is a very old, ingrained habit. You mentioned the kids at school being considered mature if they can control their bladders. We get so much recognition and praise as little kids for being able to do this or negative reactions when we can’t. Perhaps ‘hanging on’ is a carry over from this early child hood conditioning. It doesn’t make sense to hang on but I know for nurses, it is considered an essential skill, to override this need in order to keep getting the work done. It is a clear example of how we make our work or things in or lives way more important than ourselves.

654. The body is kept in such a fine balance and is constantly working to keep us in this equilibrium. It is incredible how quickly it can rebalance itself when we give it what it needs, despite having been under stress. We really could take a leaf out of our bodies books, in responding as instantly and unquestioningly to bring ourselves back to balance.

655. What I’ve noticed when I do override the need to pee is that there is a tension that builds up in my body, even to the point of my breathing being affected… it doesnt take long to feel so uncomfortable in my body that the need is answered. No wonder our BP goes up with so much tension happening, and what damage are we doing to our bodies in the process?

656. It’s amazing how often we overlook and undervalue the basics that our body needs. This should be a fundamental part of our day, staying hydrated and allowing ourselves to pee when we need to. However we seem to take it for granted that our body will just ‘soldier on’. When I don’t drink enough water it is often that I have become too engrossed in what I am doing and forgotten to feel. My body doesn’t run as well or as happily as it does when it is hydrated. I lose clarity of thoughts, I think I am hungry when I am actually thirsty and my lips dry out almost instantly! I often ask myself, why would I put my body under this unnecessary stress?

657. If holding on for that short period affects our bodies that much, how would it be affecting our bodies if someone was to hold on for 8hrs? Colleagues in nursing have commented to me at the end of an 8hr shift -‘I just realised I havent pee’ed all shift’ and we are involved in health care! Next time I’ll ask how much water they’ve drunk and share your experience with them Coleen.

658. Wow – that is amazing how blood pressure can be affected by something we don’t even see as ‘stress’, simply an ‘inconvenience’. We are often busy and see our bodily needs as secondary to what we are doing, but we can do things in a better quality when we look after our body first.

659. This really exposes just how sensitive our bodies are, how finely balanced they are. Who would have thought holding on would raise a BP by that much! Often we override the urge to pee thinking its not ‘that urgent’ – just ‘a bit longer,’ but clearly it is urgent from the bodies perspective – thank you for sharing this Coleen.

660. Wow Coleen, great for you to share in these astounding results from not peeing. It really highlights the need to respond to our bodies promptings when we first feel them and not override what is needed. I remember a family member who went overseas and didn’t want to go to the toilet on the plane flight which was quite a few hours, then when they got home they couldn’t actually pee and had to see the doctor for support.

661. Interestingly, when I do override the need to pee or have a glass of water the quality in which I’m working is vastly diminished and becomes rushed, less focused and is done in drive.

662. Thank you for sharing your experience Coleen. Often I override my body’s needs if it is not convenient, thinking I’ll just finish what I’m doing, that my body will be all right and will cope. Yes I’m sure it will cope but perhaps coping is no longer good enough. You’ve really highlighted how sensitive the body is and how easy it is to ignore it.

663. How often do we make other things more important than our own health. This article really makes me think of where my priorities are. I can sense that the more care that I take in looking after me, hydrating and using the loo when I need to, the more care I can then bring to everything I do.

664. Coleen, I can relate to this in so many ways – so often I catch myself thinking: I will pee soon, but not now; or I will grab my jacket or a sweater as i am feeling cold, soon, but not now; or I will drink soon but not now…and then I can get carried away by what I am doing and shut down to what the body is saying. But more recently I have actually allowed myself the grace to just do these things as soon as I notice them, and I have felt my body respond beautifully. There is an instant feeling of having been respected, and cared for and it is like the body can actually relax so much more. This is well worth experiencing, and enjoying.

665. Thanks for sharing this Coleen, made me wonder how much stress I have put my body through, making it wait. It is actually abusive and quite dangerous as you clearly show. I guess I knew it was bad, but not that bad!

666. “I could not but marvel at my body’s exquisite sensitivity ” yes Coleen I feel we are only just at the beginning of understanding the bodies Wisdom and all encompassing communications that are naturally part of our bodies role. No detail is left without an expression and a consequence, lovingly so …. as it’s in its interest to support our livingness.

667. Coleen, your words a true rhythm excludes nothing are a huge wake-up call as I can often cram many things into my day and can put my body needs last or defer them to get something done. I’m usually pretty good at toileting myself yet there are subtle ways I dismiss myself like staying too long at work and leaving myself pushed for time and now as I feel this I can see there are so many ways we dismiss ourselves and we need to stop and hear them so thank you for bringing it back to basics.

668. There’s a saying “Devil is in the detail” it’s the small elements that are hidden in the detail that if we are not paying attention catch us out and can cause problems later on. They also say ” God is in the detail” attention paid to the small things has benefits and are important. So in choosing to connect to the details Coleen you have given us a great, clear example of honouring the natural flow in our bodies and the ‘basic’ details in our lives which cannot be overlooked and are fundamental to our wellbeing

669. Our body is full of appreciation of the needs it has. If we choose to deny the appreciation, of course our body will become rigid and not able to live the level / energy that it could. And eventually needs to create an illness or disease to get rid of the energy that we’ve allowed into our body to run us. And because we’ve ran away so far, the people dedicated to their bodies are the ‘strange’ or ‘weird ones’, where they are in fact leading the way to inspire others to do the same.

670. Hilarious title Coleen but yet not so funny when you show the dire impact on your body when you over ride the very real need to drink water and to pee!

671. Such a great foundation and understanding to live from: “I reflected how a true rhythm excludes nothing – it is in the flow of all life”. It makes sense that if we are aware that every single choice we make about our body has a cause and effect. These choices will certainly pre-dispose us to how we flow through life and it will for sure reflect in our well-being.

672. This should absolutely not be a question. I know that in my profession of nursing, this is a common theme – holding on and ignoring the body because we are so busy we don’t even have time to go to the bathroom. Taking care of ourselves in every way is so important and you have shown the very real and measurable physical effects in this blog.

673. What a beautiful, personally experienced, example you bring to your class and school. People in my workshop really look shocked at me when I share with them how you can always take care of your body by going to the toilet even when you are in a job interview. Like there are moments when attending to your body’s needs are not appropriate and should be overridden?!?

674. Such a basic need and so many times overridden: going to the toilet when we need to go. Always finishing something first, attending to something more important or not being in contact with our body and not feeling the need at all. As a dear friend of mine recently presented to a large group of executives: our productivity would be much higher if we peed on time.

675. Wow I didn’t know that you can immediately measure the effects of not hydrating and going to the toilet. That’s a quite valuable information as it marks the real impact it has on the body not letting us get away with all the daily neglects only focusing on the long-term impact, ignoring the fact that it starts exactly with those little details.

676. This is such a great sharing and shows the attention to loving detail of what our body requires and truly deserves as part of our own care. A great reminder to listen to the messages, no matter how subtle, that our body is constantly communicating to us.

677. Wow this is staggering to read how our bodies respond so drastically to self care. I too am guilty of holding on or not listening to my body when really it is so critical we honour the basic function of going to the bathroom. How often have i held off to do one more thing without considering the implications that is having.

678. I love it Coleen “My body is now an equal player in my life, no more a 2nd class citizen: we are now a democracy.” Honouring what our body communicates to us is a game changer. No more thoughts running the show. The body gets the first say.

679. “It is seen as a mark of a child’s maturity that they can control their bladder for the duration of a teaching/learning session of up to two hours.” It’s criminal really that the education system has allowed this to be the case. It’s the start of children not listening to the cues their body is giving them. I now take a pee whenever my body calls for it, however ‘inconvenient’ it may seem and from that I’ve gone into so many different places I wouldn’t have ever gone to and made some amazing connections with people I may never have met.

680. If we knowingly ignore or override our body, then how much more abuse do we choose, accept and allow in our lives?

681. I almost get frustated at times going to the loo, in the sense of oh not again. But this is a clear sign my body is a sharing with me that something is not right and out of harmony. The anxiousness in my bladder comes from fighting my awareness of what I feel. This is a form of abuse in itself and a lack of responsibility. It stops me from being present in my body and reading what’s there for me to evolve.

682. Pee!

683. It just shows how we can knowingly abuse ourselves by overriding our most basically bodily needs and functions.

684. Wow i am just astounded at reading this blog the amount of times i have proudly held on and not gone to the toilet, I had noticed that it was feeling very dishonouring to ignore this basic bodily function, but to read about the impact on blood pressure is a real eye opener.

685. I absolutely love what you share here Coleen. You make it clear that there are no such thing as ‘little things’. Our body is wise and all knowing and it deserves to be listened to.

686. “My body is now an equal player in my life, no more a 2nd class citizen: we are now a democracy.” I love it Coleen, thank you for this insight into real life. It does start as simple as ‘to pee or not to pee’. The simple, everyday reoccurring evens in life are the ones that carry us through the day with grace and dignity if we allow us to bring the same attention to them as any other so called important moment. Everything matters in life thus everything is equally important.

687. Wow Colleen how insightful, and a reminder through the magic of the body how simple it is to act with it not against it.

688. Nurses are also known for their ‘bladders of steel’, but yet at the same time research is showing that nurses have a high level of incontinence. This highlights that ‘hanging on’ is not good for our bladders, but more than that it affects the whole of our body. I have also looked after a lot of people who don’t want to drink, so they don’t have to wee. This too creates havoc in the body.

     1. Use it or lose it! This old saying relates to bladder control and incontinence.

689. What a great reminder Colleen, I can totally relate to what you share and I love the emphasis you bring back to our need to give the body priority. It is so fundamental to our continued existence!

690. Hi Coleen, good lesson in looking after yourself, act on what the body needs when it needs it

691. Interesting that we think we feel great and connected yet all the while our bodies are telling us a different story.. what a revelation!

692. “This applies to we teachers, too, and we are the role models of bladder and thirst control.” Quite often I have heard many a teacher say they have been too busy to go to the loo! Your blog certainly points out the folly of not making time to serve our most basic of needs as I had no idea not going to the loo or drinking enough water could have such dire consequences on blood pressure!

693. Wow – what a lesson! Thank you so much for sharing this Colleen as this is a lesson for me too. I also have to say as a teacher myself how important it is that what you share gets into schools. So often the toileting of kids (especially in secondary school) and the drinking of water is used as a means of control and these things are denied to the children/teenagers quite often when they need them. As a result the kids often use these things as a way to manipulate too in their turn. What you share needs to be understood so that we can honour these basic needs for ourselves and our kids all of the time.

694. Also like you I am seriously in full appreciation of the true delicateness of my body just now, and how over riding any feeling or sensation is affecting this very delicate harmonious balance that it naturally lives by.

695. Colleen,
     Awesome article. I am so pleased you have shared this with us all, my mind is a bit aghast just now when I remember days of mustering, on a horse or working in cattle yards most of the day with very little time to drink or pee. What damage had I done to my body? Even more so I now shudder as to how many people I know and love still, to this day treat their bodies in this way.

696. It is interesting how we champion overriding the bodies messages with our minds if it is not convenient or we want to prove that is superior. In some ways it is crazy that we would want to take the body away from its natural balance and rhythm.

697. That’s a super wake up call Coleen, such a simple thing and so easy to overlook and yet a beautiful reflection on how we can override what our body is constantly communicating to us.

698. Colleen, thank you for this insight. It is simple but feels quite important.

699. This is awesome and really puts us on notice of how attending to our bodies needs is paramount. The body knows and yet we often think we know better how arrogant is that when all the body is doing is showing deep care and love to us and showing the deep care and love that is needed from us.

700. Colleen, this is really showing us that the finer details do matter. We may kid ourselves that holding on to go to the toilet does not matter as we quickly override any discomfort but of course it matters and our body tells us so. As you have inferred it is the body we need to be putting in the drivers seat!

701. I can relate Coleen, as a nurse, one of the very people who should have a clear understanding of the basic physiology of this I have also overridden my need for the toilet and for hydration on many an occassion, often ending up with awful headaches. It is a common denial of simple self care in our profession as well. Let’s not do that anymore, it definitely harms us.

     1. Amazing that your body speaks so loudly, Jeanette – although uncomfortable at the time (per your headache example), it’s our body’s way of speaking up if we’re not already hearing it.

702. The more I listen to and honour my body the more amazing my life becomes. So simple and yet not always easy.

703. That is very revealing Coleen. I sometimes work through as well when I am thirsty or have to go to the toilet but did not know it could have such a direct effect on the body as in stress levels going up. Very inspiring to attend more to my body knowing this.

704. This is so interesting. Great little experiment. Our body’s are so sensitive and responsive to our care or lack of.

705. That’s a really interesting story Coleen, isn’t it amazing how much stress can be placed on the body by those simple factors, drinking and peeing, it does call into question how much unnecessary stress we can place on our bodies through the days, weeks, months and years. It would make sense that from any such stress there would be a tipping point where the body has to find ways to discard the stress, perhaps creating a larger health issue to do so. Which if true makes it well worth taking care of the small details such as peeing and drinking enough water. Thanks for sharing.

706. We can get so focused on what we are doing and needing to get done that we literally block out or override any feeling we have to urinate or drink water and then we suddenly notice that we are actually desperate for the loo and very dehydrated.

707. Wow Coleen what a revelation to have, it is so beautiful to realise the state of pressure and stress we can put our bodies in without realising it and the gift this is to pay more care and attention to our bodies however good we may be feeling. The importance and value of listening and caring for our bodies simply by drinking water and having a pee is highlighted here and not something we are brought up to do in a world where function, fitting in and performance often overides everything else. The example of selfcare by teachers in everyday matters is such an amazing reflection for children and will go a long way to bring this back to our society naturally.

708. I am still pondering how something so common to us all – to stay hydrated and to go to the toilet can affect our body and for us not to be aware of it. This blog deepens my awareness that there is an outcome from every choice we make and that when we are truly connected to our body we will be able to read it’s communication. Thanks Coleen, there is so much more to ponder.

709. That is incredible! I definitely do not drink enough water, never have always just didn’t do it, my poor body no doubt has much to say about this level of disregard.

710. I notice that if I’m starting to get impatient or irritable about something it is often because I’ve been holding on to needing the loo and that I’m getting impatient and not enjoying the feeling tension building In my body.

711. As I was reading your blog I was saying to myself, ‘I will just finish reading it and then I will go to the loo’ the temptation to override what my body was telling me was so strong even whilst reading about the adverse effects. We have spent so long overriding the urge to urinate or drink water when we are thirsty because it’s inconvenient or there is not an easily accessible loo near by that for me to change this pattern will take an initial phase of absolute discipline.

712. Thank you for sharing this vital piece of information Coleen, I would never have thought not drinking water would have this kind of impact. I can at times do the same as you and override these needs but even though I better than ever at attending to my bodily needs these days your article has inspired me to be even more vigilant.

713. Coleen I love this “My body is now an equal player in my life, no more a 2nd class citizen: we are now a democracy.” so much can be learned from your experience, and we don’t all need to repeat it. Often I’ve put doing something as more important that drinking water or going to the toilet, even though my body is telling me otherwise. Time for equality with myself as how else could I then claim equality with another?

714. I continue to be amazed at the wisdom of this wonderful body of ours and the messages it is constantly giving us; all we need to do is listen and then action the message. Simple – yes? – you would think so. So how come we need a “crisis” moment like you experienced to wake us up to tend to its needs, after all in many cases the need is simple, as in your case Coleen, water and a pee. Great reminder for us all, don’t put off what the body is communicating, the consequences could be dire.

715. I love your sense of humour Coleen whilst delivering a very important and very much appreciated message to all. Thank you sweet pee!

716. What a great example of the precise level of detail we need to go to in our relationship with the body. Everything is a reflection of how we are living and an exact communication of what is needed to flourish with good health and wellbeing on every level.

717. This does show how all our systems within the body are intimately connected and one part will suffer if we abuse another part. This blog also has me recalling the many situations where I still override going to the toilet or not drinking enough, and choosing to put the doing first.

718. I get the feeling that as well as ignoring the functional needs of our bodies, the driven-ness we use to override these functions pushes our blood pressure up. Perhaps instead of referring to the toilet as a ‘convenience’, we should call it the absolutely essential.

719. What a story Coleen. But how beautifully informative of how such an apparently minor thing can have such a huge effect.

720. Thank you so much for this. It’s really woken me up to being aware of what my body needs, how sensitive it is, how balanced it is and how it restores itself to itself. We live in a culture where so many ‘good for you’ crazies- exercise or diet regimes- are actually in huge disregard of our bodies – far from the beautiful harmony of democracy you have come to.

721. The difference between how you were feeling and the distress your body was actually experiencing is telling. This must have been a huge shock for you, but also a great lesson going forward ( and for all of us) on the importance of staying present with the body so we can pick up the cues when they come and then of course act on them.

722. I love the idea that democracy starts with ourselves! What an amazing reflection it would be if we start to truly treat our bodies as equal and attend to their needs as a priority. Not only will our bodies thank us but we will function more smoothly in all other areas as well.

723. How often we ignore the body and this is a good example of how we do this. Going for a pee when the body demands it is often pushed away because we’re too busy, reluctant to wake from sleep and when working will delay until we’ve finished what we’re doing. Over time this signals to the body that we don’t care. Another reminder of the importance of staying connected to our body and responding to it when it calls, not when we feel like it or leaving it until forced to pay attention because a bigger problem has surfaced.

724. Wow, I had no idea that such apparently simple things could affect our blood pressure so much. Thank you for sharing this here Coleen. Our bodies are truly amazing and it is great to live in the appreciation of the fact.

725. This is a really informative and practical shared experience. Thank you, Coleen. I love, “My body is now an equal player in my life, no more a 2nd class citizen: we are now a democracy”.

726. “I could not but marvel at my body’s exquisite sensitivity – how ignoring my bladder and the need for water affected my whole body adversely. I felt a deep appreciation for how instantly my body responded and returned to equilibrium directly once its needs were met. ” When we listen to our body – and respond accordingly – that is true medicine.

727. So interesting – and shocking – to read about the discrepancy in your BP readings before and after drinking and peeing. Thankyou for sharing Coleen.

728. Thank you so much for writing this Colleen as it is so timely and relevant at the moment for me as I do a physical job and I have been very busy at the moment and often override the need to drink water or have a pee, but I never would have dreamt that it could effect the body in such a way.

729. Wow Coleen this certainly is exposing isn’t it and has made me ponder on the attention to all the little details that are required for us to live in a way in which is truly honouring the body.

730. There is much to learn for us in regards to honouring the body and as you say if we were to teach children from young to be very attentive and respectful to the signs of their bodies a huge step in our overall health system would be taken because they naturally would take responsibility for their well-being and not leave it to the system.

731. Fascinating to get to know the science of the body by the loving care of the pharmacist. Shouldn´t it be basic knowledge for everyone with sensitive blood pressure (or everyone indeed) how to support one´s blood pressure with hydration and peeing? Wouldn´t the mind tell the ignorant a quite opposite model of behaviour associating high blood pressure being related to too much water hence drinking less and also the tendency in elderly people to shy back from going shopping or outside because of the more frequent need to release their bladder and thus may drink only little to avoid the necessity to find a public toilet? Some proper health education would be very supportive.

732. You are exposing the ignorance and arrogance of the mind running the show and thereby over-running the body. Taking care of the bodies very simple and basic needs seems so trivial in the face of all the so much more important stuff the mind indulges in to gain recognition.

733. Over the last few years I have been more and more prompt when it comes to going bathroom when I feel to but very recently I noticed more excuses that come up between my bodies calls and my acts upon them – such as not leaving the counter at work because we are short staffed in that moment, or the thoughts that I may be perceived as a lesser worker for taking so many bathroom breaks. But even just writing this doesn’t feel right because in the ignoring of those messages what is the quality I bring to my work with that pressure building inside and what is the quality of relationship I am building with my body and then out to every other body?

734. Our bodies are truly a highly complex contraption. The levels of abuse it can take from the things we put into it, to the way we push it to its limits. All of these field tests have a cost on the longevity of this vessel we live in. Homeostasis is when we fully feel what the body requires and fully comply.

735. I had no idea that keeping fully hydrated and emptying the bladder could have such an effect on blood pressure. Clear evidence of the importance of responding to the messages from our body to keep it working in balance and harmony.

736. Yes, we can try to control our bodies and it does work in a certain way – but this ‘control’ is an illusion. We live in harmony with our body and its requirements or we ARE in disharmony. And this has consequences, off cause.

737. Well even reading this Colleen I stopped and went and got water because I instantly felt how thirsty I was. It is revealing and interesting when we have stop moments like these to see how we are putting ourselves last and making other things more important. I forget at times that our bodies are the vehicles that take us through life and how important that body is cared for in a way that allows us to reflect the quality and essence that we all are.

738. Interesting Coleen to read that our body does react so strongly if we do not fulfil its needs. And after reading this blog I can feel that of course the body gets stressed when it dehydrates and cannot get rid of its waste. I have never realised and appreciated my body to be that simple and responsive on how I am taking care for it.

739. Colleen- Such an important point you highlighted by your elevated BP- the importance of attending to and not overriding our most basic bodily needs- hydration and elimination.

740. This is awesome Colleen. Our bodies certainly are the ‘marker of truth’. We cannot deny our relationship with our body. Thank you for sharing.

741. I remember hearing that a significant number of car accidents are made so much worse because of the number of people who have full bladders at the time of the accident. The impact to the stomach region is made many times worse by the fact that people have ignored the need to go to the toilet.

742. Coleen I find what you have shared quite extraordinary. It has highlighted a rather arrogant and even blase approach that I still have towards my body. What I have understood from your experience is that whatever the body communicates to us, is of significance and it is not for us as human beings to grade our bodies’ messages in level of importance, but to see all communication as having equal importance. Over riding the body’s messages is over riding the messages of the body, regardless of what part of the body is communicating to us.

743. I love this reminder Coleen as I am often so engrossed in what I’m doing that I find myself ‘busting’ to go to the loo and / or realise I’ve gone for a good part of the day without drinking water! What is really helpful here is such a practical reminder and example that seemingly small or insignificant things such as these can have such an adverse effect on the body. What then is the impact when these bodily needs are magnified and we continue to ignore them…?!

744. This story just goes to show how sensitive we are and the intricate workings and communication within the body and with us when we are willing to engage deeply with the communication our bodies offer us.

745. I love this. It’s true we often measure our maturity according to how we are able to override and control our bodily function and your sharing totally exposes the ridiculousness of that. Ignoring the body’s wisdom and suffering its consequences and putting the body at risk is hardly an intelligence choice.

746. To ignore our bodily functions seems so insignificant but can have quite dire consequences. When did we get so ‘busy’ that these needed to take a backseat?

747. If we subscribe to the wisdom of the body and that the body never lies, we really need to cast aside those learned behaviours that push our body’s needs aside. This is such a great example of this Coleen, thank you. I have a friend who was able to raise her blood pressure by thinking upsetting thoughts. This is clearly a case for illustrating how the body can show us how harming thoughts can be. The messages are all there, if we care to heed them.

748. Well you have certainly called Hamlet’s bluff Coleen! Should that even be a question? (as you say) Let the choice decidedly be for Life.

749. Thanks so much Coleen for bringing up the subject of caring for our bodies – this is such an important topic for the world today. Even if we feel we live and eat healthily, there can be little sub-texts going on that we are unaware of – a simple thing like not drinking enough water can affect your blood pressure. These are things we need to be alerted to – that and to keep being aware of our body in presence. If the world would begin to self-care down to the fine detail, the medical system would not be close to bankruptcy.

750. Your body and you are now a democracy! I love that declaration Coleen. How often have I delayed having a pee or not taken water with me to work or at other times, resulting in thirst. Thank you for drawing attention to how fine-tuned our bodies are, and the arrogance of our minds in thinking we can override its needs for the sake of ‘convenience’.

751. You’re absolutely right, should that even be a question?! And unfortunately the answer is YES…for now. The more we acknowledge we are one with our bodies and that they are not 2nd class citizens as you’ve described, the more this question will start to sound like a complete joke! But until then, we have so much awareness to bring back to ourselves.

752. Agreed, it is in the details that we are able to develop a foundation, a body of Love that supports us to live in the power of our Divinity.

753. Brilliant blog post Coleen! And absolutely perfect for me to read right now. My body is carrying enormous stress at the moment, to the point where I can’t say I even notice it half the time because I’m so used to the underlying anxiety. The amount of times in a day I will try to squeeze one or two more things in before I go to the toilet, all the while tapping my foot on the floor keeping my body moving somehow to distract me from bursting! HELLO!!! I am the only person contributing to the stress I’m already under. This must be agony for my poor body holding on so tightly! What a wake up call.

754. Our bodies are truly designed for us to heal to return to and hold a state of harmony, well-being and vitality so we are able to then live and respond to the connection to our Soul. When we appreciate the delicate relationship that is alive between our bodily systems (physically, physiologically and chemically) you cannot help but be in wonderment of the magnificence of the home/temple we get to live in everyday we breathe. There is an intelligence here within our bodies that far exceeds the so called ‘intelligence of the mind’ that we so ignorantly champion, that we would be wise to pay attention to. As when we do it is this wisdom that we are guided by and so then can Soulfully live.

755. It is crazy that we as a society have imposed that controlling our bladders is an achievement of maturity or anything for that matter. It is the overriding of our bodies that have us as a society in such ill-health. We need to teach our children to honor the calls from our bodies so that they then can guided through life by the best, honest, ‘bearer of truth’, ‘never leave your side’ friend that they will ever have in this life.

756. Thank you Coleen for this very enlightening sharing that does, without question, highlight the precision and delicateness of our bodies and the responsibility we have to care and honor the subtle messages that are constantly being sent. To appreciate that these message are being sent in order for us to choose to what movements are needed for our bodies to maintain or return to a state of well-being is to appreciate how our bodies are designed to hold us in and reflect the absolute Love that we are in essence. It is only ever our choice to dismiss this.

757. Fantastic Coleen to bring this to our attention. We do so often override the needs of the body and it is so great to call an end to this. In the past I was living on an island where we had to carry drinking water from the supermarket, across on the ferry and up the many stairs and long a road to the house! I began to drink less and less to save having to carry the water! It was a habit I have found tricky to break, and only keeping awareness of my body can do that.

758. “My body is now an equal player in my life, no more a 2nd class citizen: we are now a democracy.”

     I love this line. It is the true union we feel when we begin to move in harmony with all that we are a part of and not in opposition to it. Our bodies belong to the Universe and we are the honorary custodians of them. By working with them and not against them, space opens and we are able to feel the depth of who we truly are.

759. This for me highlights the incredible responsibility we each have in every moment to truly care for the ‘vehicles of expression’ that are our human bodies. I am only just busting out of the belief that it is a ‘chore’ to care for the human form – to feed it, sleep it, take care of all its bodily discharges… I am learning that there is actually a great joy to be had in truly caring for our bodies right down to the minute detail for they are our temples and not our prisons. Coleen, your sharing encapsulates this joy and the simplicity that comes with being at one with the flow of life. Nothing is insignificant, every move matters.

760. Talk about instantaneous feedback from one’s body! I had no idea blood pressure could be affected so markedly by thirst and ignoring the call of the bladder. Thanks for sharing, Coleen. My water bottle has just become a much closer friend.

761. Wow, your experience shows how important it is to look at our own disregard if for instance our blood pressure is not as it should be, what a great starting point to change behaviours instead of a quick fix of a drug to keep blood pressure ‘where it should be’.

762. If the body knows what it wants and it is able to communicate this, why are we teaching our children to override these messages at school?

763. Haha! I love the play on words in the title of your blog Coleen. Attending to that very important bodily function is a great place to start if we want to take greater care of ourselves. My new years resolution this year was to not put off going to the loo at work.

764. OMG, I got half way through reading this and stopped as I needed to pee – the thing is I had actually needed a pee before I started reading it but decided I’d wait until I finished reading the blog before going. Crazy! I was then going to wash my face and clean my teeth since I was already in the bathroom, but had to stop and admit I was thirsty and needed to get some water first. So here I am back at the end of the blog, doing all those things in the order my body needed, not what I thought was most convenient. Extremely revealing blog Coleen -how many times do we put off going for a pee for what ever reason, something worth paying attention to and seeing what we compromise our bodies for.

765. “The diastolic reading was 85: it had dropped 40 points from a point of crisis to super normal after I went to the loo and then drank some water.” – wow. A stop moment as well as an appreciative moment for me when I read this. How incredible accurate is our body communicating to us. And how much (immediate) effect is has when we don’t listen. Demonstrated so simple and clear by measuring blood pressure. There are enough moments that I’ve overwritten my own body’s communication. Even though I listen much more, what I got from this sharing is the fact that I’ve got the opportunity to deepen my relationship with my body as my right shoulder still hurts quite often.

766. Holding on to finish this one extra thing rather than go to the loo is a familiar habit of mine. It is shocking that it had such an effect on your blood pressure. It is good to realise how much stress we put our bodies and also disturbing that we can get used to it and think everything is just fine.

767. It is amazing how we can tell ourselves we are too busy to take a toilet stop. I have caught myself many times doing this one or putting it off until I have finished what I am doing yet I am wondering what the quality of my work is during that period of needing but not going.

     1. A great point, Jane. How does something as simple as holding your pee affect the quality of our work? Perhaps for some they like the pressure they’re putting on themselves to complete a task before they use the toilet – thus, raciness.

768. Coleen, you really highlight the depth to which we can ignore our bodies and the immediate effects of either doing so or not. When I think about it, holding off going to the toilet does raise an anxiousness within that is not alleviated until this need is met. I agree – “why should to pee or not to be even be a question”. How can we be so busy as to choose to override one of the loudest messages of all from our bodies and if we can do this, then what other less demanding messages are we neglecting to note and heed and what effects are these having on us.

769. Haha Coleen and the subject of this article was enough to make me laugh and be curious to what it was about. I agree with you totally on the demands we place on our bodies with ‘time’. The old ‘I’ll just do this and then I’ll go’ comes to mind. Especially during work hours this is more noticeable. It was amazing to see how much extra stress your body was under with just these 2 simple, everyday things out of balance and how quick your body responded when they were taken care off. I enjoyed this simple message, thank you.

770. What a wonderful example of how important it is to listen and act on what our body is telling us what it needs. Thank you for sharing Coleen.

771. The body is so responsive to the smallest of changes, both when it is lacking something it needs and also the changes when it gets what it needs. Any discussion or education on the simplicity and practicality of this tends to be avoided becaus of the disregard and lack of care that most of humanity lives in. Firstly there is the not wanting to admit the lack of care and disconnection that is being lived in and secondly there is an unwillingness to take responsibility. It’s not until this is shifted that we as a society will start deeply caring for our body and our health.

772. The body is the marker of truth. I too have ignored my body and its simple messages and requests at times Coleen. What a lovely marker for you with the amazing instant feedback given through the blood pressure reading.

773. Thank goodness you did go to the pharmacist after your walk Coleen, it has truly shown you how serious it is for anyone to ignore even the subtlest communication from their body. A very humbling lesson and the level of appreciation and awareness you for your body now will be forever changed.

774. Wow. Wake up call for everyone. Thanks for sharing Coleen.

775. Coleen – how amazing our bodies are, we have a full on working science laboratory that is part of us all of the time and we often don’t even bother to stop and appreciate the extraordinary and magnificent way it works, with all its numerous parts working harmoniously together.

776. This is a great wake up call to receive. It definitely shows what a disregard of our bodies’ messages comes to. It has a great effect on or health, it is no coincidence that our health system gets overloaded, as this overriding of these messages is seen as normal. But it definitely isn’t, I choose to make a caring commitment to myself normal to the best of my ability in this moment in time.

777. Our body is so incredibly wise. It is like having our best friend as our greatest teacher too.

778. Wow Coleen, you offer us a whole nother level to understanding statistics, figures, and test results. We become fixed on numbers like immovable flag posts in the sand, but you show us all just the magnitude of the power of our choices. They can turn-around our state of being in such a substantial way. It is this turn around power we should start to scientifically document, not just illness and disease.

Comments are closed.