Is It Safe?
Author’s note: I’ve had this one in the mental hopper for several years now, since I first learned how to self-heal trail running injuries. Now feels like the most appropriate time I could think of to finally publish this one.
To our cognitive, thinking brains here at the end of May 2020, “Is it safe?” is a really stupid question.
My guess would be that about 95% of you reading this, given some time to really ponder it, would answer with some variation on the following:
“Who the hell knows?”
There are a lot of variables out there in the world right now. Unfortunately for we humans, that level of uncertainty doesn't play well over time, often leading to chronic stress, tension, and all the challenges that go with those patterns (including pain!).
The global pandemic has presented interesting challenges for me as a mindfulness-driven bodyworker & coach. On one hand, I’m living in the same state of confusion as everyone else, struggling to find answers, making sense of the constantly changing information and my own fears as a human being. On the other hand, I know I can call on my knowledge of human systems to help myself get oriented, and help others with what I know.
During the last few months, our Systems have been through a lot. We’ve been processing endless, often-conflicting data points, breaking news, varying expert advice, opinions, internal reasoning, and the noise of social media. Couple that with the economic impact many are experiencing and the whole mix without a doubt has an impact on our minds and bodies.
So what exactly does the body do when it’s facing levels of uncertainty that are well beyond the norm?
Our bodies are built to be adaptable, but at our core (not talking about doing crunches here!) we’re constantly scanning and evaluating for certainty. Looking at this through the lens of basic, nuts-and-bolts posture and movement, we’re constantly working to find stability and simply not fall down. (Years ago in fact a mentor of mine taught that “the body’s prime directive is ‘Don’t Fall Down.’”)
So, think for a moment about how it feels in your body when you can confidently sink into the solidity & comfort of your favorite chair. Pretty relaxing right? Your body knows on a subconscious level that it’s safe, so it can relax and trust that the likelihood of an earthquake or of your chair collapsing beneath you is pretty remote. Contrast that now with what it feels like in your body to be balancing precariously on a rickety stool that feels like it might collapse at any moment, or what it feels like to walk on ice, or slippery rocks as you cross a stream. Quite different, eh? Hard to relax in this last experience; in fact, it probably feels like your entire body tenses up to try and keep you from falling.
The last several months have been the physical equivalent of constantly walking on that ice or trying to balance on that wobbly stool. Uncertainty is in the water, and It doesn’t take long for the body to feel overworked, overstimulated, and exhausted in its quest for steadiness.
This “holding on” that the body does when it senses uncertainty can manifest in different ways. A client of mine, for example, recently shared that an old pattern of jaw tension has re-arisen during the last few months, an issue that had been resolved years prior. When the pandemic hit, her system defaulted into familiar habits for coping with stress and served that tension pattern right back up to be worked through once again.
So, if you’ve experienced flare ups of old pain, tension, or similar challenges recently, take that as a cue that on some level the uncertainty out there in the world is having an impact on you. And if you’d like to inject some level of certainty into your System so things can get just a bit easier, even for a few moments so you can reboot & refresh a bit, try the following:
Take a few moments daily to do a simple check-in with your body. Pause for a few minutes during your day and do a simple scan of how your body feels from head-to-toe. Ask yourself if there are any areas that can just relax a little bit more. Breathe. Simply connecting with “what is” and settling in for a few short minutes at a time goes a long way toward helping your System find some ease.
Be compassionate toward yourself. Some days checking in with your body, being mindful, and finding some relaxation will come easily. But on other days, it won’t come as naturally depending on how well resourced you are (sleep, diet, exercise, stress, family, work….all the things). That’s OK. Don’t force it, and know that every day won’t be perfect.
Start by helping your System find a small piece of physical certainty. An excellent hack for creating a visceral sense of "more certainty" is through the body's subconscious need for stability, and the way it relaxes when it's found it. You can create a bit more of a physical felt-sense of safety by consciously connecting to the feeling of stability right beneath you -- the floor, your chair, your bed, etc.. Allowing yourself to really notice how solid the floor feels underneath you, for example, tells the deep parts of your brain that there's stability your body can rest into, and that you can relax just a bit.
Check out this short video that introduces my Active Rest practice for a bit more on this last tip, and reach out if there’s any way I can support you on your quest to find a bit more ease in your day-to-day.
“You’re Working Too Hard” Mindful Movement Series — Active Rest Preview. Interested in more Mindful Movement practices to help you find more ease & certainty? Check out my “You’re Working Too Hard” blog!
Addendum — This piece was written in late May 2020 as Covid-19 induced quarantine was winding down and economies re-opened, and before police violence led to widespread protests, rioting, and more police violence. I think this is an even more prescient piece now, and hope it helps you find some small island of ease and peacefulness for a few moments during this storm. -MW