Mindful Movement
This week I wanted to take some time to talk with you all about one of the most important things in my life: mindful movement. In order to fully understand mindful movement it's important to first reflect on your own life and needs, and how you can first begin to incorporate movement from there. Many of us at some point in our lives have heard about the positive benefits of incorporating exercise or physical activity into your routine. These positive benefits include things such as improving your sleep, giving you more energy, maintaining a healthy weight, strengthening your muscles, and keeping your heart healthy. But beyond these physical benefits, regular activity can also have an immediate positive impact on your brain health in a multitude of ways.
Reduces Anxiety
Each time you engage your body in physical movement you are releasing several beneficial neurotransmitters into your brain including dopamine (increases feelings of pleasure), norepinephrine (increases blood flow and provides energy), serotonin (stabilizes mood and promotes feelings of wellbeing and happiness), and acetylcholine (plays an essential role in alertness, attention, learning, and memory). Together all of these chemicals have been proven to work together to decrease feelings of anxiety and depression.
Improves Focus and Concentration
Julia Basso and Wendy Suzuki conducted a recent study which showed that a single workout can have an immediate benefit of an improved ability to shift and focus attention as well as improving your reaction speed. They recommended the best exercises to create this effect are cardiovascular exercises that elevate your heart rate such as taking a long walk, running, swimming, cycling, or jumping rope.
Promotes Brain Cell Growth
One of the most significant benefits of exercise is the promotion of neurogenesis, or the birth of new brain cells. More specifically physical activity has been shown to catalyze the creation of new brain cells in your hippocampus, the part of your brain which works towards memory formation and storage. This is essential to improving cognitive function. Physical exercise has also been shown to improve the health and function of the synapses between neurons in your hippocampus, which allows your brain cells to communicate more effectively and efficiently.
Protects Your Brain Against Neurodegenerative Disease
In addition to aiding in the growth of brain cells within your hippocampus, regular exercise can also promote the growth of your prefrontal cortex. Your prefrontal cortex is the part of your brain which is implicated in a variety of complex behaviors, including planning, and greatly contributes to personality development. Both your prefrontal cortex and your hippocampus are the parts of your brain which are susceptible to neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. So, similarly to muscles in your body the bigger it becomes, the stronger it gets. Now by no means will exercise cure or prevent the onset of a neurodegenerative disease, but consistent physical activity has been shown to reduce or delay its onset. Think of it like an insurance policy for your brain!
All of these things are great reasons to start working towards incorporating physical activity into your daily life. However, exercise also creates a unique opportunity to practice mindfulness. For me exercise is a great outlet to release pent up stress or frustrations, but even more important for me is it creates an opportunity to feel connected with my own body. Each day that I go to the gym I focus on a specific group of muscles and while working out I pay particular attention to how those muscles are feeling. I may notice small pains in certain areas which gives me a sign that that spot may need more of a rest or focused stretching. Or maybe I notice certain muscles are not struggling with certain exercises as they did a couple of weeks prior, which provides me with a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. Ultimately, being mindful of the way my body is moving and feeling during exercise helps provide me with a sense of overall holistic peace.
If going to the gym and lifting weights isn’t your thing, Tai Chi, Yoga, and Qiong are great alternatives to help introduce mindful movement into your life. Tai Chi is a healing and meditative practice that combines martial art movement with Qi (energy circulation), breathing, and stretching techniques. This practice consists of a series of graceful movements with deep and slow diaphragmatic breathings performed while standing. Practicing Tai Chi has been shown to have both physical and psychosocial benefits for many different populations. Yoga, a mind-body exercise, involves a combination of muscular activity and an internally directed mindful focus on awareness of the self, the breath, and energy. This practice integrates an individual's physical, mental, and spiritual components to improve physical and mental health, particularly stress related illnesses. Yoga provides a unique opportunity for people to practice grounded mindfulness by fostering a deep connection with your breathing while also improving your vagal tone, an unconscious activity in your brain which regulates your calming and connecting response. Qigong exercise, similar to Tai Chi, consists of a series of breath practices with body movement and meditation to attain deep focus and relaxed state. Simply speaking, Qigong exercise is practiced/used to cultivate the balance and harmony of vital energy in the human body.
Another form of mindfulness that you can do during physical activity can be thought examination. When doing a long-form or repetitive exercise like walking, running, swimming, or riding a stationary bike, something where you can allow your physical awareness to take a bit of a back seat, pay close attention to the thoughts or feelings that arise during this. A mentor of mine in grad school spoke on how she would start each of her days with mindful movement journaling. At the start of each day, she would go for a brisk walk and allow her mind to wander towards whatever it was naturally drawn to. Then once she returned home, she would journal about those thoughts and emotions, which helped her start each day with a feeling of mental clarity.
Exercise can be a daunting thing to incorporate in your life’s schedule, especially if it is something that is new to you, so remember not to be too hard on yourself or create too much pressure. Additionally, it is important to mention that exercise can be potentially triggering for some folks, so make sure to check in any professional you may be seeing before making any lifestyle changes. You don’t have to adopt a professional athlete’s regimen to achieve the benefits from this blog. Any consistent movement that is an outlet for your energy and makes you feel good at the end of the day will only provide positive benefits for you!
Building Security With Both / And
Parts of Covid, at least the lockdown isolating phases of Covid, are beginning to shift AND we are also still in the midst of the ongoing pandemic; navigating reentry, recovery, and the new variant. We have resolved some of the initial uncertainty associated with this devastating illness AND we are still uncertain about how we are going to gather again safely. In my personal life, I’m dealing with the complexity of Covid in the varying roles I have in my life with confidence AND trepidation, with curiosity AND with fear, with hope AND with grief. The ways my family and practice colleagues are approaching similar issues related to Covid BOTH resembles what I am choosing AND differs from my decisions.
All of it is real.
It’s complicated and so often in an effort to gain more control and more certainty we rush to find ways to feel more in control and more certain. That’s where Both/And comes in handy and that is why I chose to write this blog now. Because we are all in varying ways navigating how our lives are still somewhat isolated AND how to re engage with work, school and others, safely.
If you are working with me or have worked with me in the past then you’ve heard me say BOTH/AND, probably to the threshold of irritation. I use this concept EVERY SINGLE DAY.
It’s that important.
…In fact, if I were on a desert island and could only take one perceptual tool with me, it would be this one.
I’ll explain why. ..
Either/or thinking also known as dichotomous thinking creates a false dichotomy, often in the service of finding certainty. It artificially narrows our experiences and our feelings into this or that categories in an effort to increase a sense of security, by thinking we understand and can decide with certainty about complex aspects of our humanity, aspects that often defy certainty.
The problem with dichotomous thinking though is that it doesn't accurately reflect feelings and experiences. But both/and does.
Both/and thinking, also known as non-dualistic thinking tolerates uncertainty by allowing you to make room for all of “it”, whatever “it” is. Both/And opens us up to the possibility that you both love your partner and feel stifled in the relationship, which can be scary to acknowledge AND also liberating. You can enjoy the security of your job AND crave a more creative pursuit. You can appreciate the companionship of treasured friends AND be annoyed by their personality quirks. You can feel grief and joy in the same space or experience disappointment and gratitude; which is a more accurate lens to explore ourselves and our relationships with.
So how can you apply this thinking tool to your life as it relates to Covid?
Notice where you feel uncertainty in your life right now. Maybe it's related to varying vaccine statuses in your workplace and the policies around that. Maybe it's connected to school settings. Maybe it’s connected to immediate and extended family situations. Maybe even all of the above!
Acknowledge ALL of your feelings related to the uncertainty. Especially if they seem in conflict with each other. Acknowledge, don’t judge or criticize.
Consciously and intentionally hold space for all of the feelings WITHOUT judgement. Here are a few examples of what that might look like. I’m happy I’m vaccinated because I feel more safe AND I am worried about my kids not being vaccinated. I’m scared to return to the workplace because I don’t feel secure about the policies in place AND I’m looking forward to seeing more people outside of my home. I am angry that I’m still isolated from parts of my previous life that I enjoyed AND I’m really disappointed in how my family is responding to the situation.
For me, currently, a both/and statement is; I’m grateful that my family is vaccinated AND I’m concerned about how the Delta variant is impacting everyone regardless of vaccination status. Another is, I’m excited to gather with folks again AND concerned about how to do that safely. Another related to work is, I’m grateful we have a practice management system that can allow us to work remotely if need be AND I’m concerned about how the ever changing landscape is affecting our clients.
Opening up to the complexity of uncertain situations using this approach, counter intuitively CAN increase our security, maybe not in the moment, but certainly longer term because it’s honest and it's real. So this approach helps us build distress tolerance, helps us build self trust and helps us build self confidence; all of which foster resiliency. And resiliency is what fuels hope. And hope fuels belonging. Which is what we all are actually looking for when we are struggling to find certainty. I think it’s actually more about a safe, secure place to belong in the uncertainty.
10 Thoughts About 10 Years As A Psychotherapist
1. There is NO fixed destination.
People often look for a final destination, an ultimate arrival, as a business owner, a professional, an adult or in any perceptual lens or role you use to examine your life. Instead of a fixed destination, there is a never ending unfolding that happens, each milestone, accomplishment or insight opens you up to more. More learning, more opportunities for understanding, creating and experiencing.
2. Trust the process.
This is especially relevant when it seems most risky to do just that. Growth requires you to let go of who you were and open toward what you are not yet. When that process is gaining momentum, it often feels like “everything is going wrong” and this “change process was a bad idea”. If you stay the course, instead what happens is you awaken to new energy, new hope and new opportunities that were never possible before.
3. The things that pull at your heart are important and you need to listen to the wisdom of their messages.
When you turn away from those heartfelt questions and yearnings it disconnects you from joy; when you open to them you develop an abiding intimacy within yourself that fosters adventure and meaning.
4. Shame has the most destructive potential I’ve ever witnessed.
It hijacks connection. It can destroy love. It can justify violence. And it can actively harm everyone in its wake. The antidote to that destructive potential is;
5. Honoring your story, every bit of it, with compassion and acceptance.
That is the closest thing to a magic wand of healing there is. It disarms the power of shame by affirming your inherent worth and dignity.
6. There is NO ONE RIGHT WAY to build a life.
That notion is a powerful root of anxiety because the uncertainty involved in making a decision and plotting a course is difficult to tolerate. So, we look for a “right” way, we foster unhealthy dependencies on parents, on friends, on partners. We stay too long where we no longer fit and we shrink from where we can expand into, all in an effort to avoid the distress of uncertainty.
7. When you continue pursuing the calls of your heart, it all is worthwhile.
You do that by leaning into the limitless possibilities and tolerating the risks with making decisions. That process IS the gateway to understanding that all choices have meaning, all twists and turns have value.
8. Bad things happen to good people because life isn’t fair.
Pressuring yourself and others to subscribe to harmful platitudes like “everything happens for a reason” or “God never gives you more than you can handle” is an attempt to avert grief. Many beautiful souls have been hindered and held back by trauma, their resiliency is awe inspiring but THE TRAUMA DID NOT make them stronger or better. Their spirit, their support and often privileges inherent in our institutions and cultural norms have helped people to overcome trauma.
9. None of us are truly free to live our “best” lives until all of us are free to equitably pursue our “best” lives.
This is a concept Americans are deeply at odds with. Our rugged individualism often used as a means of masking inequitable systems, interferes with the universal truth that none of us are truly independent. We are interdependent, and when we can understand the importance of that without it threatening our individual identities, we will transform our systems so that all of us can be free.