Woman wearing a pink beanie drinking from a glass, with text that reads “Your body gives messages,” representing listening to physical cues like dehydration.

Your Body Is Talking — Are You Listening? (What dry lips say) | #120

February 06, 2026•2 min read

A simple, funny story about listening to your body—and why symptoms like dry lips might be messages, not problems to gloss over.

Watch the Video Here or Read the Script below

Today I have a fun, quick story about listening to your body.

This video is for anyone—but especially if you’re not great about drinking enough water, or if you have no idea what it even means to listen to your body.

This is the Daily Dose of Dawn at Dawn, videos designed to expand your thinking.

I’ve lived with chronic illness my entire life, and until fairly recently, my body was always screaming about something. So why do we want to learn this? Because we have to live in our bodies for the rest of our days.

Over time, I’ve gotten really good at knowing what noises my body is making and what action I need to take. If I’m achy, I know I need to stretch. If I start having certain signs, I know a narcolepsy nap is coming. I try not to ignore those signals, because when I do, things usually get a lot worse.

One of the things I have going on in this meatsuit is chronically dry lips.

I was thrilled when I found this special lip gloss that actually helps, so now I have one in the bedroom, one in the car, one outside, one in my backpack—basically everywhere. Lip gloss everywhere.

This year, I also started drinking more water. I found this neat pitcher that holds eight glasses. I steep a cup of mint tea and pour it into the water, and suddenly drinking water feels a lot more doable.

And here’s the funny part: in 55 years, I’ve only consistently had enough water every day for about the last six months. Not great. I know.

So last year, I decided to really listen to my body and deal with my chronic dehydration. My lips would get dry, and I’d reach for lip gloss and put it on.

Then the other day it finally dawned on me—pun intended.

My lips don’t want lip gloss.

They want water.

It sounds obvious now, but I had never framed it that way before. I was covering the symptom instead of responding to the message.

So now, when I feel that tightness and burning in my lips, I drink water first—and then I put on the lip gloss.

Next time your body starts making noise, try asking it a simple question:

“What do you want?”

Check out my new e-book: How To Like Yourself

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Dawn Super

About the Author Dawn Super is a resilience coach, speaker, and writer who helps people thrive — not someday, but right now, exactly as they are. She knows firsthand what it’s like to live with lifelong health challenges, including narcolepsy, and has made it her mission to teach others how to show up for themselves with compassion, courage, and a little bit of humor and sass. Known for her “mindset magic strategies,” Dawn brings a blend of practical tools, soulful insight, and real-talk encouragement to anyone ready to stop waiting for permission to love themselves. Her work speaks especially to those who’ve felt left out, misunderstood, or stuck on the sidelines — the misfits, the dreamers, the rebels, and the overcomers. When she’s not coaching, creating, or writing, you might find her picking up rusty metal at the beach, virtually socializing, or laughing along at life. Dawn believes that self-love isn’t just a buzzword — it’s a radical act of rebellion in a world that profits from your doubt. You can connect with Dawn, learn more about her coaching program at DawnSuper.com.

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