Latest / Ay Mijita ✨ Embrace your raíces. Reclaim your esencia. / Your Body Has Been Trying to Tell You

Transcript

Your Body Has Been Trying to Tell You · Ay Mijita ✨ Embrace your raíces. Reclaim your esencia.

0:10
Dora: Hi Mijita, can I ask you something?
0:14
Dora: When was the last time you really listened to your body?
0:19
Dora: I don't mean only when you're sick, okay?
0:22
Dora: Like, oof, have catarrows, or when you're in pain, or when you're so exhausted that you physically cannot do another thing.
0:30
Dora: I mean, like really, checking in with yourself.
0:34
Dora: Like, how am I feeling today?
0:36
Dora: What's changed?
0:38
Dora: What have I been ignoring?
0:40
Dora: What is my body experiencing that I haven't made time to acknowledge?
0:45
Dora: Because let me tell you something.
0:49
Dora: For much of my life, I wasn't very good at listening to mine.
0:52
Dora: Just being truly honest.
0:54
Dora: I was always doing something else.
0:56
Dora: Somebody else had something.
0:57
Dora: Working, raising my kids, taking care of my family, showing up for other people, and trying to accomplish one more thing on my to-do list.
1:06
Dora: You know how it goes.
1:07
Dora: There's always another possible possibility, responsibility, another deadline, another place for you to need where you need to be.
1:17
Dora: And when you're used to being the dependable one, sometimes you get so good at taking care of everybody else that you forget to check in with yourself.
1:28
Dora: So who can say yay?
1:30
Dora: But something happened to me in 2025 that changed my relationship with my body forever.
1:36
Dora: I was 38 years old and I had been working out at the gym, doing push-ups, chest presses, and all these exercises with big weights.
1:45
Dora: Now, if you know me, I can get a little competitive.
1:49
Dora: Sometimes I think I can do more than my body is really meant for.
1:53
Dora: So, well, I ended up straining my pectorial muscle.
1:56
Dora: And because my chest muscle was sore, I started to massage the area around my left breast, like right here.
2:04
Dora: And that's when I noticed something: a lump.
2:07
Dora: And at first I thought it was a cyst because my mom's like, oh, it's unmasita, but I had no idea what it really was.
2:14
Dora: But that lump eventually led me to my diagnosis of triple negative breast cancer.
2:20
Dora: And this is an aggressive form of breast cancer.
2:23
Dora: And I still think about that moment when I found out because if I hadn't strained my muscle, I honestly don't know when I would have noticed that lump.
2:34
Dora: So I share this because I don't want you to wait for something unexpected or adverse to happen before you begin paying attention to yourself.
2:44
Dora: And I'm not talking only about your physical health, okay?
2:48
Dora: Just the physical body.
2:50
Dora: I'm talking about your emotions, like your energy, your mental well-being, because we're into that nowadays.
2:57
Dora: And I'm very into intuition and your needs overall.
3:01
Dora: All these different parts of you deserve your attention.
3:04
Dora: Because, Mijita, you deserve to care for yourself before life becomes a crisis.
3:10
Dora: And that's what we're talking about today.
3:15
Dora: Welcome to IMijita, the podcast where we embrace our raíces, reclaim our essencia, and create a life with infinite possibilities.
3:23
Dora: I'm your host, Dora Licia Praxedis, and today we're talking about something that has become incredibly personal to me.
3:33
Dora: Your body has been trying to tell you.
3:37
Dora: Now, before we get into it, I want to make something clear.
3:41
Dora: I'm sharing my personal experience, not medical advice.
3:45
Dora: Not every physical sensation means something serious.
3:48
Dora: Okay, not every illness has symptoms you can feel.
3:52
Dora: And we can't prevent every health challenge by simply paying more attention.
3:57
Dora: That's why appropriate medical care, recommended screenings, and getting new or concerning changes evaluated are so important.
4:08
Dora: So go to your health care.
4:10
Dora: But I also believe that we can learn to become more present with ourselves, more aware of what we're experiencing, more willing to listen instead of constantly pushing just through.
4:22
Dora: And that's what I want to explore with you today.
4:25
Dora: So take a dark, take a deep breath, get comfortable, and let's have a heart to heart.
4:35
Dora: Let me ask you something.
4:37
Dora: How many times have you told yourself, I'll rest later?
4:42
Dora: I'll make that appointment next month, I'll start taking better care of myself when things calm down.
4:50
Dora: I'll slow down after I finish this project, after the kids' activities, after my busy season, or after the holidays.
5:23
Dora: And I do love them all.
5:24
Dora: I can do all these things, but I love being involved and I love creating.
5:28
Dora: I love spending time with my family.
5:30
Dora: I love learning and growing all the time, especially when it comes to techie stuff.
5:34
Dora: But sometimes, or something that I've had to understand is that loving your life doesn't mean you have to ignore yourself in the process or disregard yourself completely.
5:43
Dora: For a long time, I believed being strong meant being able to handle everything, being the dependable one, the person that people can count on.
5:53
Dora: Like I feel like I'm a human Google.
5:55
Dora: And don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with being responsible.
6:01
Dora: There's nothing wrong with being ambitious and wanting to get all your goals in set.
6:06
Dora: And there's certainly nothing wrong with loving the people in your life, your loved ones.
6:11
Dora: But where do you fit in to all of that?
6:14
Dora: When do you get to be the person who receives the care?
6:18
Dora: When do you get to say, today I need something too?
6:22
Dora: Because sometimes we're so busy keeping everything moving that we don't recognize how disconnected we're becoming from our own needs.
6:32
Dora: We normalize exhaustion, especially normalizing the stress, or normalize always being available for everybody.
6:41
Dora: And then we wonder why we feel so overwhelmed.
6:44
Dora: Now, I don't want to make it sound like everything can be fixed with a break or a little self-care, like a little bath time.
6:52
Dora: Some seasons are genuinely demanding, some responsibilities just simply can't disappear.
6:58
Dora: But what we can do is become more intentional about how we show up for ourselves while navigating those seasons.
7:07
Dora: And I want you to consider this.
7:10
Dora: What if your well-being wasn't something you squeezed in after everything else?
7:17
Dora: What if it became part of how you made decisions in the first place?
7:22
Dora: So I'll let that land for a little bit.
7:48
Dora: And at first I didn't really think of it.
7:51
Dora: I didn't really think it was cancer.
7:52
Dora: I thought it might be like a cyst, una bolita de grasa, as my mom would say.
7:56
Dora: And eventually, through the medical evaluation, I learned that it was a tumor.
8:00
Dora: So I wasn't even due for a mammogram.
8:03
Dora: But I was diagnosed with this triple negative breast cancer.
8:05
Dora: And suddenly my life just changed in so many ways I never expected.
8:10
Dora: There were appointments, there were decisions that I had to make.
8:13
Dora: Um, did I want to keep my chi-chis?
8:15
Dora: There was just so much information to process.
8:18
Dora: And there were moments when I had to recognize that I just couldn't keep approaching life the way I always had been.
8:25
Dora: I just couldn't keep assuming that I would be able to handle everything on my own.
8:30
Dora: I needed my family, I needed support from the medical professionals, I needed to listen to my medical team, and I needed to allow my family and the people who love me to show up for me.
8:43
Dora: And I also needed to learn what caring for myself looked like in this new season because I really wasn't part of that.
8:49
Dora: So I want to emphasize something.
8:52
Dora: I don't believe my muscle strain caused my cancer.
8:56
Dora: The strain simply led me to massage an area where I happened to notice the lump.
9:03
Dora: And I don't believe people are responsible for getting sick because they didn't listen closely enough to their bodies.
9:12
Dora: But my experience reminded me like how important it is to take changes seriously, to ask the questions, to seek the medical evaluation, to speak up and be your only liaison when something just doesn't feel right.
9:27
Dora: And to not automatically dismiss your own concerns because we're just too busy taking care of everything else, your family, your everyone else, the things you got going on.
9:37
Dora: But I'm grateful that I was able to notice that lump.
9:40
Dora: I'm also grateful that I actually followed up because I can't go back and change what happened.
9:45
Dora: I can only choose from this point forward.
9:48
Dora: And part of moving forward for me means continuing to build a relationship with myself, where my health is first, and it isn't just an afterthought.
10:01
Dora: Now, here's where I want to bring this conversation into the bigger picture because I love thinking big picture.
10:07
Dora: Because when I talk about listening to your body, I'm not only talking about noticing the lumps, the pain, or like physical symptoms, like your head hurts and stuff.
10:16
Dora: I'm also talking about the everyday ways we experience life.
10:20
Dora: We have you ever been sitting like at your desk or working on something stressful and suddenly you realize your shoulders were practically touching your ears because of there was so much tension?
10:32
Dora: Or maybe you were having a difficult conversation with someone and you noticed that your jaw was just like clenched, or you clenched your fists.
10:38
Dora: Maybe your stomach felt unsettled, or maybe you were so focused on something that you for completely forgot to eat because I'm guilty of that one all the time.
10:47
Dora: Or maybe you were exhausted, but you were in your mind telling, telling you, uh, just one more thing, or you can just rest afterwards, it's fine, or keep going, you got this.
10:57
Dora: And let me tell you, I know that voice too.
11:00
Dora: Sometimes it's practically running the whole damn show.
11:05
Dora: So, but here's what I'm learning.
11:08
Dora: Noticing what we're experiencing can help us make more thoughtful and intentional decisions.
11:14
Dora: Maybe we need to step away from the computer, go on a walk, or maybe we need to grab something to eat, like a snack, or maybe just take a nap during the day and rest.
11:24
Dora: Or maybe we just need to communicate that we are feeling overwhelmed.
11:28
Dora: Or maybe we just need to ask someone to share a responsibility.
11:33
Dora: Or just maybe a physical concern needs attention from a healthcare professional.
11:38
Dora: So that's where you practice discernment.
11:40
Dora: And we don't have to immediately know what every sensation means because we can definitely WebMD Google it and we freak ourselves out.
11:47
Dora: And we could definitely not assume that stress explains every symptom, but we can become curious.
11:53
Dora: We can begin asking ourselves better questions instead of what's wrong with me, like, and then just going off on that little spiral.
12:02
Dora: And we can also ask, what am I experiencing?
12:04
Dora: and just like sit with oneself.
12:06
Dora: Like, what information do I need?
12:08
Dora: What kind of support might help?
12:10
Dora: And what is one appropriate next step instead of focusing on the big picture like that?
12:16
Dora: So I'm gonna bring it down because sometimes we've been pushing through for so long that we forget we're allowed to check in with ourselves.
12:23
Dora: So that's where I invite you to just pause, take that moment to dig in.
12:30
Dora: Now, you know that I also value intuition and it's a meaningful part of my life and my spiritual practice.
12:36
Dora: And I believe that there is a value in creating enough quiet space to listen inward.
12:41
Dora: But I want to explain how I approach that because it doesn't look like every day the same.
12:45
Dora: For me, intuition can be an invitation to pay attention.
12:48
Dora: Um, it might be to ask myself a question or to explore something just on a deeper level, like if I'm feeling, I don't know, something.
12:56
Dora: Or it's not necessarily to diagnose myself or that I necessarily need professional help.
13:01
Dora: I'll experience something physically concerning I don't have to figure it all out through intuition alone.
13:07
Dora: I can actually reach out to my doctor, I can gather the information, and I can make decisions with the support of my qualified professionals.
13:15
Dora: And let me tell you, I have um I have a nutritionist, I have a psychiatrist, I have a therapist, I have my primary doctor, I have all, you know, just a whole medical slew of people.
13:28
Dora: Because that's what I think I, well, that's where I definitely know that I need to make those decisions for myself.
13:36
Dora: Because honoring my inner wisdom doesn't mean you have to know everything.
13:40
Dora: Okay.
13:41
Dora: Sometimes honoring yourself means recognizing what you don't know.
13:45
Dora: And that's where you reach out for help for professionals or just having somebody listen to you.
13:51
Dora: So let's talk about the emotions for a moment, because how often do we acknowledge what we're actually feeling?
13:57
Dora: I didn't even know there was a like emotions like wheel, because maybe you're just frustrated, or maybe sometimes you're just really sad.
14:06
Dora: Like I have those moments, especially with all these hormones, or maybe you're just anxious about something, and for me it's anxiety around dying because that is a true reality of what I just lived through survival mode.
14:17
Dora: But I'm also excited.
14:18
Dora: Um, but it can also be overwhelming.
14:21
Dora: And instead of making room for all those feelings, you can immediately start doing something else, like cleaning, working, taking care of somebody, or and and I use those as or to distract yourself.
14:35
Dora: And sometimes, yes, we need to keep moving through the day.
14:39
Dora: I mean, life doesn't stop, but feelings deserve acknowledgement.
14:43
Dora: They don't always need to be fixed in that very moment, but they don't always need to determine our decisions.
14:52
Dora: They deserve the space to be able to kind of decompress and see what comes up.
14:59
Dora: And so this reminds me of something I shared in the previous episode, 64.
15:03
Dora: You can care deeply about someone and you still need a boundary.
15:07
Dora: You can enjoy your work and still need to rest.
15:10
Dora: You can feel excited about an opportunity that's coming up and still need time to consider it.
15:16
Dora: So that's where two things can be true at the same time.
15:19
Dora: And becoming more connected to ourselves helps us hold those truths with great honesty.
15:30
Dora: In our last episode, I introduced to you my pause method, and we talked about the importance of not automatically saying yes to every single thing that comes your way.
15:39
Dora: But here's something I want you to consider.
15:41
Dora: What if we used PAUSE, the acronym PAUSE, for more than responding to other people's requests?
15:48
Dora: What if we used it to check in with ourselves during an ordinary day?
15:53
Dora: So let's walk through it, okay?
15:55
Dora: P is for pause.
15:56
Dora: So creating a little space.
15:58
Dora: Maybe you've been working long, hard hours, or maybe you're just feeling overwhelmed.
16:03
Dora: Or possibly you're just going through something about your emotional or physical well-being and just needs attention.
16:11
Dora: So before automatically just going say, I'm gonna push through, pause, pause, give yourself permission to notice what's happening.
16:19
Dora: So A again is for acknowledge.
16:22
Dora: So what am I feeling?
16:24
Dora: What am I noticing?
16:25
Dora: Have I been ignoring a need because I don't have time to like deal with it?
16:29
Dora: Because I don't want to go there.
16:31
Dora: So acknowledge your experience without judging yourself.
16:33
Dora: Just be curious.
16:34
Dora: You don't need to have the answer just yet.
16:37
Dora: So just sit with that.
16:40
Dora: U is for understand.
16:41
Dora: So again, getting curious.
16:42
Dora: Like, why are you pushing through?
16:44
Dora: Um, am I afraid of disappointing someone?
16:47
Dora: Am I telling myself that rest has to be earned because that's how I kind of think of it?
16:52
Dora: Or am I postponing something because it feels uncomfortable or overwhelming?
16:57
Dora: Or do I need more information or even professional guidance?
17:02
Dora: Understanding doesn't mean diagnosing yourself.
17:06
Dora: It just means like exploring what may be influencing your response.
17:12
Dora: S is my favorite.
17:13
Dora: It's for self-care.
17:15
Dora: Now we include actual needs.
17:17
Dora: And you know, you know what, like self-care isn't always just the spot day, which I love.
17:22
Dora: Although, Mijita, I will never turn down a good massage.
17:26
Dora: Okay, because I love them.
17:28
Dora: Sometimes self-care is going to bed early, or it's sometimes um making that appointment, even if it is for your nails.
17:36
Dora: Uh, sometimes it's asking your partner or a family member to help out or a friend, or sometimes it's changing your schedule just to accommodate like the needs that come up and being flexible.
17:46
Dora: Or sometimes it's deciding that today you're not going to take on any more responsibilities and take a nap, maybe.
17:53
Dora: Sometimes it's another person to solve their problems.
17:57
Dora: Um, or sometimes it's just receiving support, love and support when you're the one who needs it.
18:03
Dora: And that is self-care too.
18:05
Dora: E is for express gratitude.
18:07
Dora: So thank yourself for taking a moment and paying attention, for acknowledging your needs, for being willing to ask for the help.
18:17
Dora: And when appropriate, you can communicate what you need with care.
18:22
Dora: So maybe you say something like, I need a break right now, or I just need some time, or I need support with this.
18:30
Dora: Or I've noticed something different about my health, and I'm going to make an appointment.
18:36
Dora: That's practicing pause.
18:38
Dora: Not a perfect routine, and it's definitely not another thing you have to master.
18:42
Dora: It's just a practice that helps you include yourself in your own life.
18:54
Dora: Now, Mihita, I want to invite you into a short practice.
18:58
Dora: And before we begin, if you're driving or operating machinery or doing anything that requires your full attention, please save this practice for a time when you can safely focus.
19:09
Dora: And if you're somewhere comfortable, find a position that feels good for you.
19:14
Dora: You can definitely close your eyes if that feels comfortable and safe.
19:18
Dora: Or you can simply just soften your gaze and lower it.
19:23
Dora: You don't have to sit perfectly, and you don't have to force yourself to relax.
19:28
Dora: Just allow yourself a moment.
19:32
Dora: Now take a slow, comfortable breath and gently release it.
19:40
Dora: Now bring your attention to your body.
19:43
Dora: How are you feeling?
19:48
Dora: Not how you think you should feel.
19:51
Dora: Not how you wish you felt.
19:54
Dora: It's like, how are you actually feeling in this moment?
19:59
Dora: Maybe you're noticing some tension.
20:02
Dora: Maybe you're feeling tired in your eyes.
20:06
Dora: Maybe you feel comfortable in your position right now.
20:11
Dora: Maybe you're not noticing much at all.
20:13
Dora: And that's okay.
20:14
Dora: There's like no right or wrong answer.
20:18
Dora: You don't have to assign meaning to every single sensation.
20:22
Dora: Now ask yourself, what have I been needing lately that I haven't made space for?
20:30
Dora: Maybe it's rest or maybe it's support.
20:35
Dora: Maybe it's connection.
20:37
Dora: Maybe it's a conversation you've been postponing.
20:41
Dora: Maybe it's making time for your health.
20:44
Dora: And if it's nothing that come that's coming up right now, that's perfectly okay.
20:50
Dora: You can return to this question later.
20:57
Dora: Now ask yourself what's one thing I can do to care for myself today?
21:06
Dora: Just one.
21:09
Dora: Not ten.
21:12
Dora: Not a complete overhaul of your life.
21:16
Dora: One manageable.
21:28
Dora: Maybe you can take a break.
21:34
Dora: You can ask for support.
21:40
Dora: Or you can make that appointment.
21:44
Dora: Maybe you can simply give yourself permission to slow down a little while.
22:07
Dora: And when you're ready, bring your attention back to the room.
22:13
Dora: Notice your surroundings.
22:16
Dora: And silently thank yourself for taking this moment.
22:20
Dora: For being present.
22:23
Dora: For listening.
22:25
Dora: For recognizing that your own needs deserve attention.
22:28
Dora: And welcome back, Mikita.
22:34
Dora: I want to leave you with something that's been really on my heart.
22:40
Dora: When I think about everything I've experienced over this past year, I think about how much my relationship with myself has changed so much.
22:49
Dora: I'm not talking about only physically, but emotionally, mentally, spiritually.
22:55
Dora: I've had to make room for a version of myself that sometimes needs more support.
23:02
Dora: I need more patience, more grace with myself, more flexibility.
23:06
Dora: And that hasn't always been easy.
23:08
Dora: Because when you're accustomed to being the one who can do everything, receiving support can feel unfamiliar, can feel guilty, resting can feel uncomfortable.
23:20
Dora: And changing your plans can feel frustrating.
23:23
Dora: And sometimes you even feel guilty for needing what you what you need.
23:28
Dora: But what I've come to understand is that I don't have to return to the old version of myself to prove that I'm strong.
23:34
Dora: I know I'm strong.
23:35
Dora: Okay.
23:36
Dora: I can honor the woman I was, and I can appreciate everything that she carried.
23:43
Dora: And I can also make for the woman that I am becoming.
23:47
Dora: A woman who still loves her work.
23:49
Dora: I'm very passionate about it, who still has goals and dreams and still has a long life to live, who still wants to create, explore, travel, and enjoy my life.
24:00
Dora: And who always recognizes that her well-being belongs in the picture as well.
24:04
Dora: And that's what I want for you.
24:06
Dora: Not because I expect you to have everything figured out.
24:11
Dora: Or not because I expect you to live some perfectly balanced life.
24:16
Dora: I want this for you because your needs really matter.
24:21
Dora: And you don't have to wait until something serious happens before you begin giving them attention.
24:26
Dora: I mean, I've called it the snow go effect.
24:28
Dora: Okay.
24:28
Dora: You don't control over every unexpected event that comes up, but we can take reasonable steps to take care of ourselves.
24:36
Dora: We can make time for appropriate health care, and we can ask the questions, we can seek the support, we can listen when we're overwhelmed, and we can also stop treating our own well-being as something just that we have to earn or something else on the agenda later on.
24:55
Dora: So here's my invitation for you this week.
24:59
Dora: I want you to ask yourself one question.
25:03
Dora: And I always kind of say one question, but you know how it's complicated.
25:07
Dora: What is one part of my well-being that deserves more attention right now?
25:12
Dora: Maybe it's your physical health or your emotional well-being, or maybe it's just simply resting.
25:20
Dora: It could also be the relationships that you are with your honey or with your other partner, or even like mom, dad, you know, family relationships.
25:30
Dora: So it might be also finding something to do genuinely that brings you joy.
25:35
Dora: Whatever it is, choose just one small step.
25:39
Dora: Something realistic, attainable, something you can begin with.
25:44
Dora: You deserve to feel supported in the life you're creating.
25:47
Dora: And if this episode resonated with you, I'd love to hear from you.
25:52
Dora: We can connect with me, you can connect with me on Instagram at IMijita Podcast.
25:58
Dora: And if you know someone who has been so busy taking care of everyone else and they've forgotten to check in with themselves, consider sharing this conversation with them too.
26:09
Dora: Now, in our next solo episode, we're going to explore something that often comes up when we begin honoring our needs.
26:18
Dora: So that's where the guilt of choosing yourself.
26:21
Dora: Because sometimes recognizing that we need one thing, actually giving ourselves permission to honor, and I know we're going to have a lot of talk there, but for today, I want you to remember you don't have to wait for a crisis.
26:35
Dora: You don't have to wait until everything is finished and said and done.
26:40
Dora: You don't have to prove your worth through exhaustion.
26:43
Dora: You can begin taking care of yourself in the ordinary moments of your life.
26:49
Dora: Just one pause.
26:51
Dora: One question, one intentional decision at a time.
26:56
Dora: Until next time, embrace your raises, reclaim your essencia, and create a life with infinite possibilities.
27:02
Dora: Nos vemos, sending you so much love and a big virtual hug.
27:08
Dora: All right, love you until next time.
27:09
Dora: Bye.