If you've ever wondered why you feel drained or unsettled,
Even when life looks fine from the outside,
Then this talk is going to be for you.
Welcome to Simple Shifts Forward.
This is our first chat for 2026.
Today,
We're going to explore gut instinct,
Internal trust,
And how the body often senses misalignment before the mind has words to describe it.
I'm Dana Mitchell,
And I want to thank you for joining me.
So,
As I said,
If you've ever wondered why you feel drained or unsettled,
Even when everything looks great from the outside,
Well,
You're not imagining this.
On paper,
Things could look good.
You're responsible,
You're capable,
And you're doing what makes sense.
But still,
Something can feel off.
That feeling can show up as tension in your shoulders,
A tight chest,
Or exhaustion that just doesn't go away,
Even with rest.
Your brain might not have words for what's happening,
But your body sure knows what's going on.
What I've learned is that the body knows what's happening around us long before the brain catches up and is ready to understand it.
That knowing usually starts off softly,
Like a whisper,
And then you'll get a subtle discomfort,
And then you'll get a sense that something is out of alignment or just not right.
When we don't listen,
The body tends to repeat itself,
And then it gets a little louder each time until,
Boom,
There's a shout and a clear,
You better pay attention.
I remember this clearly in my own life.
Early on,
I chose a career that looked great on paper.
It made sense,
I had other people's approval,
And I seemed to be good at what I was doing.
I was told very early that I needed to figure it all out,
College,
Career,
The plan,
And stick with it.
So I did.
But it wasn't long before I started feeling something in my body.
I had just started working in my field and my body knew something that my mind was not ready to admit to yet.
I was exhausted in a way that sleep just wouldn't fix it.
I felt tense every day before work.
The environment felt heavy and draining.
There was a lot of negativity in the field that I was in.
Even though I knew it wasn't a fit,
I stayed.
I didn't want to disappoint my parents.
I didn't want to feel like I had wasted time,
Money,
Or effort.
And interesting enough,
I now know that wasting time is one of my top values.
I guess back then,
I really didn't want to go against all of that and have those feelings.
So I told myself I was already too far in.
I couldn't make a change.
So instead of listening,
I pushed harder,
Longer hours,
More responsibility,
Trying to make it work.
And lots of people-pleasing.
And that's often what we do when we feel like something is off.
Maybe we ignore it.
Maybe we push through.
Maybe we overwrite it.
And eventually the body finds a way to get our attention.
For me,
That looked like chronic tension,
Severe TMJ,
An emotional shutdown.
Not sadness,
Just exhaustion.
And I couldn't figure out where it was coming from.
Looking back,
I can see it clearly now.
Hindsight is 20-20 and all.
My body was giving me information long before my mind had words to put around it.
Listening to your gut doesn't mean quitting everything or making dramatic changes overnight.
It doesn't mean that you were wrong in your choices that you made.
It simply means that you stop arguing with the information and just take it in.
Every step we make is part of our learning.
And it really is helping us prepare for what's coming next.
So today,
If you notice a moment that feels slightly off,
Maybe it's a conversation.
Maybe it's a role that you feel like you're playing.
Maybe it's a commitment that you keep trying to just push through and make happen.
Or it could be it's something you're avoiding.
You don't have to fix it.
You don't have to explain it.
You don't have to put words around it.
Just notice it.
That awareness alone is enough for now.
And if you feel like this information is resonating with you,
Please go to my profile and check out some of our other Clarity Chats.
This is our first one for 2026 and I have several other things coming your way.
These are simple reminders to help you trust yourself and take the next small step forward.
Thanks so much for joining me and I will chat with you soon.
