Lately, I've been very up in my head. This isn't really that different than how I normally operate, but I was pushing it to the extreme last week. I've been in the process of changing my tagline for my company, Four Quadrant Living. For most of last week, this was all I could think about—morning, noon, and night. I had about 20 different versions. Was it "Healthy living simply done" or was it "Choose healthy living" or ...
Well, my dog, Kora doesn't really care whether or not I have decided on my tagline and am living in my head. When it is time for attention, it is time for attention. She had been sleeping quietly for most of the day, and it was time for her afternoon walk just as I was in the thick of my tagline mental activity. As we walked, I was ruminating over my tagline. "This is the one. No, I think this is the one. No...". And then, ouch! I was on the ground.
Kora is a 1.5 year old border collie mix with a lot of energy. We had just walked by a couple walking their two dogs. These dogs were growling so I pulled Kora along and we walked on by. But, I was so in my head thinking about my taglines, that I wasn't fully present in the situation. One of the dogs growled again, which engaged Kora and caused her to lunge toward the other dog. With this unexpected pull on the leash, I found myself on the ground. The couple asked if I was okay, but they really couldn't do much to help me since they had their hands full with their own dogs. I said "yes" and Kora and I went on our way.
But I wasn't okay. My right palm was hurt, my shin was scraped, and my knee was skinned and bleeding. What the heck just happened? I'm a 40-something-year-old woman and I just skinned my knee? Walking a dog, nonetheless? Within an instant, I was out of my head and into my body. I had no choice. My knee and palm were hurting and the pain sensation took over any remaining thoughts in my head. I was in my body for the rest of the day because of the pain I felt. It's a week later and I still feel my knee every now and then when I straighten my leg because the scab is still forming. In an odd way, I like it because it is a reminder to me to not always be in my head.
Do you go through most of your days in your head? If so, bring yourself into your body now. How are you feeling? Are you feeling tired? Angry? Sad? Happy? Are you hungry? Feeling any pain? Feeling good? When something happens, good or bad, really try to feel it. Acknowledge it in your body. Some people use certain practices like yoga or meditation to keep them grounded in their body. These are on the to-do list in my head, but I haven't made the time to do them on a regular basis.
For me, the balance of time spent in my head versus in my body is completely tipped in favor of head. What about you? Do you have any grounding techniques to keep you in your body? If you're like me and you go about your day mostly in your head, I have some advice: Don't wait for a skinned knee to put you in your body. There has to be an easier and more pleasant way to remember your body.
(P.S. I wish I could say that the fall gave me clarity for my tagline and I had an instant epiphany, but it took me another few days before I decided on it. It's now "Four Quadrant Living: A simpler way to a healthy life". With that done, I've now moved on to a dozen other things that are vying to keep me in my head.)
__________
Dina Colman is a healthy living coach. She has her Master’s degree in Holistic Health Education from John F. Kennedy University and her MBA from Kellogg at Northwestern University. She has a private practice, working with clients to help them create health in their lives. She founded Four Quadrant Living, providing information and motivation for healthy living through nourishment of the four quadrants of our lives—Mind, Body, Relationships, and Environment. This blog is from the Body quadrant. Contact Dina at dina@fourquadrantliving.com
