Simple reminders to break subconscious stress-related habits and prevent pain.
Illustration © Shufflebag Creative for Quiet Reflexology
You've been working for hours on a stressful project. You're focused and unstoppable. Deadlines don't scare you - you thrive on them. When you finally complete the monumental task and your mind begins its return to your body you are shocked to find you are hunched over like Gollum guarding your computer screen like it's your precious.
When you sit, do you curl your toes up underneath your feet like a used tube of toothpaste? When you're tense, do you clench your jaw? Do you bite down upon and press your lips together like a couple of ciabatta buns in a panini press? Over the workday, do your shoulders tense and rise to meet your ears? Or my favourite, ever had someone ask you why you're so angry when all you've been doing is concentrating?
Our bodies contort into amazingly creative yet potentially painful shapes when our brains are focused elsewhere. I used to wonder why my mouth and jaw would be aching or why I'd always have tension headaches at the end of the day. When I began to notice my habits at school and work, I'd be amazed at the faces I'd been pulling while creating disturbing new what-not-to-do positions for the book of posture. I undergo enchanting and attractive behaviours, like furrowing my brow into wells so deep you could plant crops in my forehead. I make a chewing and gnawing action with my mouth when I use scissors to cut paper. I find myself bent into a pretzel with my forehead nearly touching the computer screen when I work. Super cute. It can be painful doing these actions and holding these interesting positions for hours.
So aside from discovering I can look like an angry, chewing, twisted tree trunk when deep in concentration - I learned that the forehead, teeth, mouth, jaw, neck, shoulders, and toes are areas I lock in tension.
Fortunately, by being aware of our tension points, we can intervene and release the tension before it manifests into pain.
It is suggested that after every 20 minutes of looking at a computer screen, we look off into the distance for 20 seconds. We can utilize that same mindfulness for our bodies by setting reminders to do a head-to-toe mental check to look for tension. Notice where you are clenching or tensing. Notice how you're sitting or standing. When you find a tense area, focus on it and release it. Even doing tiny movements improves circulation and helps to relax tight muscles. Change your posture, get up and move a bit. Stretch. These mindful moments don't have to be a huge interruption in your day - just a simple check and stretch.
You'll soon begin to be able to list the areas of your body where you hold your tension. By becoming aware of them, you'll be less likely to neglect them.
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