Under Pressure - How Do You Feel It?

In the last post, I began to describe how the example of the mental experience of pressure (as in, "I have so much to do and not enough time!", or "I can't see beyond all of this stuff in front of me to get to what's really important!", or "I feel completely overwhelmed as to be paralyzed!") translates into a literal physical experience of pressure.

By necessity and by choice, many things demand our attention.

So, aside from the changes that we can make to organize, deter, declutter and otherwise tame our external world so as to get a sense of peace, how can we begin to affect our experience of pressure...thereby allowing us to feel a sense of freedom, centeredness, and space in the midst of a very hectic world?

First of all, let me ask you to picture yourself, if you are not in this place in the moment, experiencing a situation in which you could describe yourself as feeling pressure.

Maybe it's one particular circumstance, or a recurring one, perhaps a particular time of day-- or maybe it's just work, in general. Or if you happen to be feeling "pressure" right now... what are you physically feeling? Can you notice your breathing (or lack thereof?) Where, specifically, in your body can you pinpoint feelings of pressure? And, what is your posture like?

When you think about "all the things you have to get done", what do you notice happening in your body?

Is it energetic enthusiasm? Calm clarity? A slight sense of panic with increased heart rate? Chest tightness? Maybe a sudden drop in energy and a deadening feeling. Try to be very specific as you describe to yourself (or in the comments, if you like) what you are feeling. Jot down a note to yourself, if you can remember, to be aware of those places in the day where your mood drops. Bringing these automatic responses into the light of consciousness is the beginning of being able to make long-lasting change.

Tune in again tomorrow for ways to change your experience of pressure...

Under Pressure - More Than Metaphor

As I've been hobnobbing lately with women immersed in businesses dealing with organization and time management, I began to reflect on the nature of pressure, and how we experience this expression of stress in our culture, and how I would view this condition through a shiatsu lens.

There are many styles and systems to choose from created for the intention of taming the external causes of pressure... new, and tried and true ways to approach the continual influx of stuff and information, as well as that disparity between so much to do and so few hours.

But what about our internal experience of pressure?

I mean, when we perceive that we are being overwhelmed by what life is throwing at us, or by what we are allowing in, either by intention or default, doesn't the word 'pressure' accurately describe what we physically feel, and more than just metaphorically? It's like a feeling of the world bearing down, of a hindered ability to breathe... a closing in, a sense of limited mobility and a lack of options. Yes?

Our bodies, as is true with practically all of our mental and emotional states, express what is going on in our heads. And likewise, our moods and perspectives are directly affected by how our bodies feel. In a state of pressure, we literally contract and become smaller and more compact. It doesn't matter which came first... physical, emotional, and mental conditions feed off each other, unless we can interrupt the feedback loop, and consciously introduce a new way of being.

Fortunately, it really doesn't take too much of an effort to effect this change. For one thing, we can just change scenery. Get up, get outside... introduce a sense of expansion. Stretch, breathe, move a little. Get bodywork. This will provide some temporary, but immediate relief.

Tune in again this week for more on pressure and tips for creating a greater sense of expansion and relief.