I forgot that my body notices before I do

Dear Delyara, I was halfway through the afternoon before I realized how tense I had been all day. Shoulders tight. Jaw set. Breath shallow. That low-level internal readiness that tells me my body has understood stress before my mind has agreed to name it. It’s unsettling sometimes, how often the body tells the truth first. I can call something manageable. My body calls it strain. I can say I’m fine. My body says otherwise in posture, appetite, fatigue, and how quickly I flinch at the wrong tone. I am trying to become someone who listens sooner. But I’m not there yet.