How to Get Different Results (and why you’re NOT insane)

You've probably heard the famous quote, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

Though I believe that there is some wisdom to this statement, I also think that when we fall into habits that aren't serving us, it's not because we're insane. 

It's because we've become accustomed to certain ways of doing things and the road to change may not just be difficult, but it might feel a little like driving through fog.

You might feel like you're running in circles, but you're so enmeshed in what you're doing that it's hard to see what the problem is.

A version of not being able to see the forest for the trees, or perhaps you can't see the trees for the forest. 

Both missing details or a lack of big-picture perspective could be keeping you stuck.

When people decide that they want to "fix" their posture like they are checking something off of a list, they are missing both the bigger picture and the finer details.

"Posture" is a physical attitude that reflects your habits. 

Looking at the bigger picture, posture relates to your interactions with the world at large (people, screens, stress, carrying stuff).

-- and the finer details have to do with how your body parts are actually organizing themselves when your posture isn't so great.

Does not being able to fix your posture and the habits around it with the snap of your fingers (or the pulling of your shoulders back) make you "insane"?

Not at all.

As I mentioned, it can be really tricky to figure out what habits are getting in your way and why. 

And sometimes we need a hand and an outside eye to help lift the fog.

People usually try to correct their posture by pulling their shoulders back because they perceive their shoulders slouching, but it is usually in fact, their head that is making them slouch...

or to go one step further, their eyes that are glued to a screen or focusing intently on the person they are speaking with as they wonder if the person understands what they are saying or likes them...or something like this.

Pulling the shoulders back feels like a temporary fix, but it doesn't actually fix anything.  It will just make you feel stiff and could actually cause back pain.

Actually changing posture would involve two totally different steps:
1) Observing your reaction to the screen you're looking at or the person you're speaking with.
2) Changing your physical response (ie not dropping your head or pushing your fact forward.)

The observational phase is key.  Otherwise you don't know what you're trying to change and why. 

For example:

Your shoulders are slouching....

Because your eyes are looking at someone or something...

And you have a physical and/or emotional response to that thing or perso nyou're looking at that's leading your face to lurch forward (for example)

This pulls your whole head and neck forward, 

Which pulls your spine forward and down

And your shoulders go along for the ride

And that's how you end up slouching - by doing that over and over all day.

But it happens so automatically that you may only perceive it as "slouch". 

Once you start sensing how you got to "slouch", it kind of feels like time slows down a little bit and gives you the mental space to make a different choice.

When you learn to get off of autopilot, you can actually choose to do something new, even if it means going against a long-held habit.

Having in-the-moment choice over how you react is a powerful tool that can be life-changing. 

And not just about the position of you're body, but also the presence of your mind.

In my sessions and classes, I can help you:

-Undo unnecessary tension,  not pulling yourself up with effort, creating more.

-Sense where your body actually is and sense it accurately.  Our body awareness gets thrown off by our habits, making it unreliable and harder to change, but this is something that can be corrected!  

- Become conscious of how you react to stimuli and change it so that you create new habits.

Want to start doing this now?  The best way to begin is simply to PAUSE when you're in the middle of doing something and ask yourself what your body is doing.

This is how you can start interrupting patterns that can leave you feeling depleted and even in pain at the end of the day -- but that you might not even notice are happening in the moment.

The result of this process is better posture and feeling more relaxed and in command of your body.

Feeling grounded, integrated, and present in your body can give you the power to stay composed when you have to think on your feet or deal with something stressful.  

It can help manage nerves and performance anxiety.

And getting out of that reactive mode can help you to manage your energy better and pursue your goals with more ease and energy, rather than tension and exhaustion.