What Is Trying to Get Your Attention?

It was a holiday Monday here in New Brunswick, and I went out for a run.

I usually put my earbuds in. I listen to music or a podcast or something that gives my beautiful brain one more thing to think about.

But that morning, I didn't.

I ran without them.

And I noticed the birds. The wind. The sound of the leaves. My feet hitting the ground. My breath.

I noticed what was around me — and then I noticed what was happening inside me.

It made me think about how quickly we fill the quiet.

We reach for the podcast, the phone, the next task or the problem that needs solving. Even when we are resting, we are often still taking something in or trying to accomplish something.

And listen, I love a podcast. I have a podcast.

But I wondered: what do we miss when we never leave enough space to hear ourselves?

My Body Knew Before My Beautiful Brain Did

There have been times in my life when my body knew something long before my brain was willing to acknowledge it.

My body would tighten. I would feel tired in a way that sleep didn't seem to fix. Something would feel heavy or off.

And then my beautiful brain would arrive with the explanation.

It's fine.

You can handle it.

Give it more time.

Don't overreact.

Be grateful.

Maybe you're the problem.

My brain could build a very convincing case for staying disconnected from what I already knew.

Maybe yours can too.

How many times has your body told you something that your brain immediately tried to explain away?

We often don't recognize it until later — after we leave the job, have the conversation, make the decision, or finally admit that something is not working.

Then we look back and say, "I knew."

And we did.

The question is not always whether we know. Sometimes the question is whether we are willing to listen.

"I'm Annoyed... But It's Not That Bad"

This came up in a recent coaching conversation.

I asked my client what she was feeling, and she said, "Annoyed."

And almost before the word had landed, she started talking herself out of it.

It's not that bad.

I shouldn't be frustrated.

Other people have it worse.

She named the feeling and then immediately put it on trial.

I think many of us do this.

We have become very good at explaining why we shouldn't feel what we feel. We call it being reasonable or professional. We tell ourselves we are regulating our emotions.

But sometimes we are not regulating the emotion. We are abandoning ourselves in the presence of it.

So I asked her to stop for a moment and take three slow breaths.

Then I asked:

"Where do you notice the annoyance in your body?"

Not why are you annoyed.

Not what are you going to do about it.

Just where do you notice it?

Because she did not need to solve it yet. First, she needed to stay with herself long enough to hear it.

Emotions Are Information, Not Instructions

This does not mean every feeling gets to run the show.

Feeling annoyed does not mean you need to quit your job. Fear does not automatically mean stop. Anger does not decide what you say next.

But our emotions do carry information.

In this case, the annoyance was pointing to something important. My client was spending too much of her time doing work that did not use her strengths or reflect the value she was capable of bringing.

Her annoyance was not the problem. It was trying to show her the problem.

How often do we try to get rid of a feeling before asking what it came to tell us?

We move into problem-solving. We think harder. We make another list. We ask someone else what they think.

Meanwhile, some part of us has been trying to get our attention all along.

This is where self-trust begins for me.

It is not about believing that every feeling is a fact or knowing exactly what to do next.

It is the willingness to stay connected to yourself, listen to what you know and let your own experience matter — even when you do not have certainty, outside validation or a guaranteed outcome.

What Is Trying to Get Your Attention?

The next time you notice something uncomfortable, see if you can resist the urge to explain it away.

Take three slow breaths.

Notice where you feel it.

And ask:

What part of me is trying to get my attention?

Then listen before you solve.

You do not have to make a big decision. You do not have to blow up your life. You do not need to know what it all means.

You are simply practising staying with yourself.

Because every time you listen, you send yourself a message: I am here. I hear you. What you know matters.

And maybe the journey back to yourself is not about finding the perfect direction.

Maybe it is about becoming someone your inner world can trust.

Listen to the Episode

In Episode 193 of Uncharted & Unfiltered: The Journey Back to You, I talk more about what happened on that quiet run, the coaching conversation that began with "annoyed," and what becomes possible when we stop thinking harder and start listening more honestly.

If something in this has stirred something in you, I would love for you to listen.

And I'll leave you with the question I'm carrying too:

What is one feeling you have been explaining away?