How to get out of your head

"Dance first. Think Later. It's the natural order." Samuel Beckett

This past summer, when my overwhelm was about to meet my breaking point, I got this urge within me to seek out a psychic. I thought somehow, someway, a psychic would have the answers I needed, and luckily for me, she did. 

A lot of big realizations and huge shifts in perspective came from my one little hour with her, but one of the best pieces of advice she gave me, that I can still hear her voice saying is,

"You gotta get out of your head! And to get out of your head, you need to get into your body."

She said, as she slapped the sides of her thighs to drive the point home further. "Does that make sense?"

"Uh huh," I muttered. But what I felt was this surge of understanding come over me, like I had an answer, a tangible way to move beyond my stress. And the solution was here with me all along- in my hands, in my feet, in my body.

Our minds are usually so wrapped up either dwelling on the past or worrying about the future, that we get stuck in our heads- playing out scenarios, obsessing over things, trying to sort out all our "to-dos". When all the while, our bodies are hanging out here in the present moment, waiting for us to pay a little attention to them, trying to fend off all the effects from the stress we're creating in our minds...

When we connect with our physical selves, it helps pull us out of our cycle of thoughts and brings us back into right here, right now.

When you're "in your body", so to speak, you'll notice that the have-tos and want-tos start to get awfully quiet. The shouldas and couldas seems to bite their tongues. And suddenly, all of your thoughts are about what you're doing and how you're feeling, in this moment.

As you stretch into crescent pose, or mix a new paint color for your piece, or go pluck vegetables out from your garden, that's all you're thinking about in those moments. Your mind and your body are on the same page, they're aligned.

And that alignment is like a reboot button for your whole system, so that once you turn your brain back "on", you might find its running a little more smoothly, things are clearer. Solutions that couldn't find their way through the clutter of your chattering brain, now have the space to present themselves.

So when your mind is running a mile a minute, you can't focus, or you're starting to play that tape inside your head that does its best to un-convince you of your awesomeness (you know the one), that's when it's time to move into your body.

Get up and stretch. Dance around. Go for a walk. Ride your bike. Do some yoga. Pet a cat. Throw the ball for the dog. Play an instrument. Do jumping jacks. Scrub the shower. Cut flowers from the garden. Raise your arms above your head and breathe in. Use your hands- build something, create something, touch something. Use your feet- jump, run, go.

Get out of your head. Get into your body. See what happens.

"There is deep wisdom within our very flesh, if we can only come to our senses and feel it." Elizabeth A Behnke

She's talking about how to do a daily body-check in, and listen to what your body is telling you.

Comments

[Lynn]

I just wanted to say that I'm really loving the 'new' Modish. I'm not sure I even know exactly what the difference is, but your posts are really speaking to me.
Much thanks,
Lynn

[Betz]

Great post! Great photo!

[Kelly]

I love this post, it speaks to me right now. It reminds me of when I did energy healing and the woman kept telling me to 'inhabit my body' - and thats exactly how i felt, like i was out of my body, floating around. and once i consciously moved the energy into my body, i never felt more like my self, more free.
So thanks for speaking to the need of the moment!

[Michele]

Just brilliant!!!

[Dawn]

This is wonderful advice, and I'm pretty sure I needed to hear it. :)

[sillylittlelady]

I needed to hear this, now I need to live it. I recently started a new job thats quite stressful and I really don't want to let it affect me. If I do, I'll acheive the dreams I have of being an entrepreneur and not having to deal with stress induced by others at work, I'd much rather deal with my own thank you!

Thanks Jena for the post :) I'm a long time reader and very sparse commenter but I really need to get out of my head and physically typing brings my body use and brings my appreciation to you.

[Mujgan]

Thank you very much for the post and your magical advice, I really needed it :)

[Stacey]

I'm pretty sure this is just what I needed to read. Thank you.

[Miss Modish]

Aw, yay! Thanks Lynn! I used to write mostly about products to buy, so this is different for me, but I like it better and am so glad you're diggin it too!

[Miss Modish]

Aw, that is so awesome! I love that you said that! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment and share your story and thoughts.

[Miss Modish]

You are all just so wonderful, thanks for reading and sharing and for your comments! I really appreciate it so much :)

[Anna]

this is that I feel! thank you!

[Hannah @ Sparrow + Spark!]

Really thought provoking post, thank you!

[Erin Jane - Erin Jane Designs]

Thank you Jenna! This is such a great post and such perfect timing. Beautifully said!

[ByYourSide2009]

i agree with the comments above! I swear you are speaking directly to me, thank you so much for the reminder... off to go cuddle with my doggie!! He always gets me back to the right place!

[Alyssa]

This is a wonderful post Jenna! I've learned recently that when I am stressing it helps me so much to sit down at my desk and make art! It's something that's been with me since I was a kid, but somehow I stopped allowing myself the time to do it and unwind. It can be a challenge to give yourself the time and space to just be happy sometimes. But despite everything, it gives me such reassurance to know that no matter what is going on, what I have and don't have, what I can and can't do right now, I know that I have the power to clear my own head by making art! It reminds me that everything is OK after all :)

Thanks for this post Jenna! I'm loving your posts, It's nice to talk with so many people who are going through the same crazy stuff! :D

[elisa]

I am so glad I checked in with your blog today. I love this post. Recently, I've been working on living in the moment, living in my body and eating mindfully. Your post is so true and speaks to so many of us who spend so much of our lives in our heads. Thank you for a great post!

[Nicole]

LOVE this! The world is getting crazier by the minute and it is so easy to become overwhelmed and over stressed. Your posts are very helpful in dealing with the hectic hoopla. Thanks Jena ;)

[Alicia]

what do you do when you have a chronic pain condition - my body is not my friend right now. i push it, walk it, yoga it, but then it hurts and i am trapped In the cycle of thinking how bad my body feels.

[Miss Modish]

I think maybe some stillness exercises that would help get you out of your head may be valuable for you to try- like meditation, visualization, even self-hypnosis (I do all three at different times for different things!) I emailed you more info and some links to check out! :)

[MelisA]

This post is a little old but I was just wondering what does someone do if even the activities that they do doesn't really get them out of their head and the chatter is constant?