Managing Stress with an Understanding of Torso Lengths

The title of this article may sound a little crazy, but your torso and leg lengths reflect both a response and a solution to stress based on your comfort level. When you push beyond what is comfortable for your physical body, you can start to drift, lose focus and your attention span is shortened. When you identify your structure and honor it, life gets easier.

 

Let's start with long legs and a short torso. You have a higher center of gravity and are more comfortable SITTING. If you have to be on your feet for long periods of time during the day you will become physically uncomfortable and feel stressed. If you are really interested in what you are doing, you can force yourself to be up and about. But at the end of the day, you will want to crash, sit, relax, watch TV.

The opposite structure is short legs and a long torso. You have a lower center of gravity and are built to MOVE. To sit still for long periods of time can feel like torture for you. You can get nervous and squirmy when you are not allowed to move.

A client of mine, Jeff C., came for a kinesiology session with the label of ADHD (Attention Deficit Attention Disorder). Typically at the end of the day, he would find himself tired, lacking focus and unable to help his wife around the house. Jeff had long legs and a short torso. He owned a custom framing business and spent the entire day on his feet, both helping customers and framing pictures. I suggested that he get a stool to sit on throughout the day, allowing his physical body to be more comfortable and therefore, allowing for greater focusing, as well. Making that small change for Jeff allowed him to come home from work at the end of the day with more energy and the ability to help his wife with some of the household chores.

Those of you who have "squirmy' kids - check out their leg lengths and torso lengths. You probably already have an idea who needs to move to stay focused and who needs to have more time sitting. Help them stay true to their nature.
If you feel that your torso is neither long nor short, you have the advantage of a more balanced body. There will be times when you need to get up and move to relieve stress and other times sitting down, putting your feet up and relaxing will revive you.

For all torso lengths:
Tune into your body this week and become aware of your comfort level with all of the activities that you are involved with. Get to know what you need to do to prevent overwhelming your body.

* What time of day is most stressful?
* Can you think on your feet or do you need to sit?
* Do you need to move at certain time intervals?
* Do you force yourself to go beyond your comfort level?
* Are you willing to accept and respect your needs?

Sometimes it is the simple things that we do for ourselves that makes a big difference in how the day goes. Determine your torso/leg length structure and give yourself the gift of being true to your comfort zone. You will feel more connected and focused and have more energy to spare at the end of the day.

3 Stages of Stress Reflected in the Eyes

  You FEEL with your eyes. People who know you well can tell by looking at you how much emotional stress you are enduring. Stress causes muscles to contract. The most delicate muscles in the body are first to be affected. Therefore, as stress mounts in the body the eye muscles contract, creating a glassy, tired look, leading to a scary, haunting look.

  You have all heard the expression, "she can't see beyond the nose on her face." That is precisely what happens when you begin to experience the first of three stages of stress. First Stage Stress is more of an immediate response to shock or overwhelm or going beyond your limits of endurance. Blood travels to the muscles to allow for the "fight or flight" response. Eyes becomes glassy and droopy, the skin takes on a shine as the pores close and our mind becomes dull. It's hard to think straight.

It's time to stop and take a break. Drink some cold water to rehydrate and get yourself electrical again. Relax. Get some sleep. Do what you need to do to rebalance.

When the unresolved first stage stress has been going on for days, weeks and/or months, Second Stage Stress becomes apparent. Stress chemicals cause muscles to contract. In the case of second stage stress, only one eye is involved. This is called vertical strabismus. The muscles contract the eye upward so that you see more white under one iris (the colored part of the eye). Depth perception is off, balance and ability to focus is off. Robert Whiteside, one of the pioneers of Structure/Function, describes second stage stress as "accidents waiting to happen."

The stress has gone on for too long. Choose to take care of yourself. Get grounded. Breathe. Drink lots of water to flush out the stress chemicals.

Unresolved second stage stress becomes Third Stage Stress. It is hard to stay present because the focus is on the past and the future. You feel disconnected from yourself. Physically, you will see the eerie look in the eyes as the muscles contract both eyes upward revealing more white under each eye. Find some help immediately. Don't let chronic stress create physical symptoms.

In a perfect world you would give yourself time to meditate, take a yoga class, visit with friends often, take a long bubble bath, get a massage and have all of your needs met. While I highly recommend practicing preventative care with holistic practitioners, I know that many of you only have limited time for yourselves. So, I offer some energy exercises that can support your body and can be done in 3 minutes or less.

THE OVERLOAD EXERCISE

1. Place one hand on your navel;
2. With the other hand, massage under your collarbone (Kidney 27 point);

3. Massage above and below your lips;
4. Massage the tailbone;
3. Reverse hands and repeat.

CROSS-PATTERNING

1. Bring your opposite hand to your opposite knee 3 or 4 times;
2. Bring the same hand to the same knee 3 or 4 times;
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 several time;
4. Always end with opposite hand to opposite knee.

COOK HOOK UPS FOR EMOTIONAL CENTERING

1. In a sitting position, place your left foot over your right knee;
2. Place your right hand over your left ankle bone;
3. Wrap your left hand around the ball of your foot so your fingers reach around the little toe to cover the top of your foot;
4. Put your tongue on the roof of your mouth;
5. Breathe in through your nose - as you breathe out let your tongue fall down;
6. Repeat 7 times.
7. Release your leg and sit comfortably;
8. Put your fingertips together and breathe as in step 5.

 

 

For more information about identifying and releasing the underlying cause of stress with a kinesiology session, go to my website: http://optionstohealth.com