How would it feel to always know how to take care of yourself so that you never get sick, depleted, confused or hopeless?

Once you learn the universal language of needs, and your unique dialect, you’ll always know how to meet your own needs.

I’m sure you knew that babies communicate through crying. But did you know that their cries are never random?

If you were to understand the five main needs and the associated baby cries, you would never have to worry about a fussy baby again.

And you are no different from a baby. Your body also has a universal language in which it communicates your needs to you.

The question is: are you listening?

And do you know how to interpret what your OWN body is telling you so that you can take meaningful actions to stay balanced and thrive?

Because if you can’t understand yourself, how in the world will you understand anyone else?

This episode of LanaTV reveals how I teach my clients to understand themselves so that they can re-align and live an optimal life!

Video Summary:

It is the saddest and most frustrating thing in the world to hear a baby cry for long periods of time and feel totally helpless. Every mom in the world has at some point felt like she couldn’t understand her baby.

Priscilla Dunstan developed a system of universal cues for baby language and she shared them on the Oprah show – watch it here. 

Then make sure to share it with EVERY MOM you know!

You can see in the video that the women Priscilla worked with felt palpable relief once they understood their baby. And this created a positive ripple effect for the whole family. Heck, it probably avoided some divorces!

I realized that this is a huge part of what I do with my clients and program participants, to help them understand these universal cues for their own needs and learn how to meet them.

Your body is always talking to you.

Here are 3 key needs to look out for and how to meet them:

1. Action Cry – requires an action to be taken

The Feeling:

• Hungry thirsty, hot, cold, etc.
• Feeling dissatisfied with a relationship, job or living situation
• Feeling itchy within or a nagging physical symptom
• Indicates needing to make a change in the environment or express something

Ask Yourself: What am I called to do/act on that will feel better?

You’ll Know It’s This Need: If you listen to your body and your heart and do what it’s calling you to do, you will immediately feel relief and have more energy. Usually this is pretty tangible as soon as you take the action.

2. Rest Cry – requires inaction or rest

The Feeling:

• Yawning, uninspired, fuzzy in your head or just plain tired
• Usually pretty obvious, but most people won’t give themselves permission to rest
• If you can’t sleep, then you can do integration practices (meditation, watching TV, time in nature, etc.)

Ask Yourself: if I could stop doing everything I have to do right now, would I feel better?

You’ll Know It’s This Need: You will feel a reset and an increase in your energy after sleeping or doing integration activities for a day or two.

(Check out The Sleep Revolution by Arianna Huffington about how every high achiever values sleep.)

3. Inner Action Cry – requires a change in perspective, mindset or beliefs

The Feeling:

• Uncomfortable, frustrated, stuck or hopeless
• Feels like you are stuck between a rock and a hard place
• Hearing an inner voice whispering that something major is off

Ask Yourself: If I could wave a magic wand and change how I feel about this situation, what would I want to feel?

You’ll Know It’s This Need: This is maybe the most difficult to interpret because it’s not as tangible as eating or sleeping. It requires self-awareness and ability to reflect on what isn’t working.

The biggest tell is that tending to your physical needs like hunger, movement, rest, etc. does not work or even taking bigger actions like switching jobs or pausing a relationship does not bring lasting relief.

If you’ve tried to change the situation, but no matter what you do you still end up feeling stuck and frustrated, you know you will need to do some inner work.

(A great start is my 21-Day Ease Course which will work on shifting your basic beliefs about how to thrive, not just survive in your life.)

It will take some practice to listen to your body and mind and meet your needs.

Obviously there are many more needs that our bodies indicate to us. The more attuned we become, the more we can catch the signals and respond earlier.

This will prevent discomfort from continuing to gain momentum which can really wreak havoc in our lives.

As a result, not only will you avoid getting sick, burning out or feeling miserable, but you will lead a more balanced and satisfying life.

And if you can start to understand your own needs, you’ll be more attuned to the needs of those around you. That means less issues and conflict with your kids, partner, family, friends and co-workers – certainly, a huge reward!

Now I’d love to hear from you! Please tell me:

What are the symptoms/cries your body gives you to indicate different needs? What can you do to improve self-communication and take even better care of yourself? How would this improve your life?

I can’t wait to read your comments to this LanaTV episode!