Release the Cheeks!

I was catching up with a friend yesterday (also a first-time-mom, also stressed the hell out, also salty that no one gave her the real) and we talked about the necessity of the ‘self-check’. This is especially useful for those of you that have a hard time becoming aware of the negative thoughts (‘aka’ your inner critic) that leave you clinging to your last nerve. And while some stress is normal and expected, the prolonged, always-seething-under-the-surface kind should not be… that’s where we get into trouble. As I’m sure you know, stress can lead to depression, illness, weight gain and the inability to turn-up and get your life boo-boo.

So, right now, I want you to become aware of four things-

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1. Your Shoulders.
Go on, relax them.  They were jammed up to your ears weren’t they? Mine live up there.

2. Your Tongue. 
Strange, I know. Take note if your tongue is plastered to the roof of your mouth.  If it is, its tense and so are you. Give it permission to relax and gently fall to rest toward your lower jaw. For that matter, also relax your jaw!

3. Your Tummy. 
I’m willing to bet that if you’re reading this, you’re neither at the beach nor posing for a pic, so why is it sucked in? Liberate her! And also read up on slow, diaphragmatic breathing (belly breathing).

4. Those cheeks!
And I’m talking the ones behind the thighs, not the ones beneath the eyes. Sometimes we don’t realize when all of the craziness is going on that we’re sitting an inch higher than we should be. You may be doing it while you’re just standing there. The term is ‘butt gripping’ and believe it or not some clinicians have linked butt gripping to lower back pain. So come ladies – release the cheeks!

Psychological issues manifest physiologically. It is presumed that if you can squash the physiological signs of stress, that some of the jacked up psychological stuff you’re dealing with, especially the more trivial ish, will resolve on its own.

Thankfully, with a bit of practice, I stay awares of my inner critic and keep her in check, but I also take stock as often as I can remember of the above, and it really does help to break the physiological-psychological cycle. Give it a try and remember to breathe, boo.