Slowing down and focusing
Thursday, September 3, 2015 at 12:05PM Having pulled a muscle in my back, I just had to slow down. I slowed down my movements, eased my to-do list, and expected to just sit or lie down and relax.
But relaxing is a tricky, elusive thing. My mind just continued its non-stop chatter – what I did, what I should be doing, yesterday’s news, today’s emails, the book I’ve been listening to in the car and the one I’ve been carrying around in hope to slow down and just read… I'm sure you're familiar with that feeling.
I must have a couple tools in my tool box that can help me here, I argued with my chattering brain.
I tried breathing. Slowly, effortlessly, in and out through my nose, carrying a wave of expansion and relaxation to my sore lower back and to other places that felt tight. Try that, if you haven’t for a while.
Then I did what I often see people do without thinking, just because it “feels right”. I crossed my ankles and interlaced my fingers, and felt grounded at last. Look around you and you’ll see how people find ways to connect between the right and left: touching the hands together or the fingertips of both hands together, squeezing the bridge of the nose, sipping water through a straw at midline – in the middle of the mouth, interlacing their fingers behind their backs or in their laps or on their desks. All these variations on reaching or crossing midline increase the communication between the two sides of the brain, allowing for focus and ease of thinking.
And that feels good.
Reader Comments (1)
Hope you're feeling better soon Dror!
Love how you handled your pain. You weren't fighting your back! And you seem to have faith in your healing process.That's really worked for my back, too. Especially slowing down, which lets me listen to what my back needs.