Liz Strauss has a fun list of The Top 10 Ways to Start Living Your Life. The one that really jumps out at me as one you don’t hear about too often is #8:

Learn the physical symptoms of when your head and heart become disconnected.
We know when we’re having a knee jerk reaction, when we’re feeling sorry for ourselves, and when we’re being blind to people’s feelings. We can remember how it felt physically while we were behaving badly. Get to know those symptoms, and you can stop the behavior. Living life will feel a whole lot safer because you won’t be in danger of shooting yourself in the foot.

Good reminder to check in with myself–I know what it feels like to be “off”. The question is, do I do anything about it? I’ve spent more time in relationships that should’ve ended months earlier because I ignored the signs that were popping up in me and all around me. One in particular was very rough. My head was saying, “stay”, and my heart was saying, “get out of here!” The less I listened to my heart, the less it seemed to try to communicate with me. Ouch.

I also really appreciate #4: Surround yourself with people who enjoy living. We are so influenced by the people we hang out with!!! I’ve noticed I pick up small mannerisms and sayings of people I spend a lot of time with (not to mention being influenced by their perceptions on life!!) If I don’t want to be heavily influenced by someone yet want to maintain relationship, I’ll just limit the amount of time I spend with them.

These both speak out as reminding me to take charge of my life. If I don’t like how something is going, or how I’m responding–change it.