Thomas Fiffer shares his secret for unwinding when he’s tense.
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Lately, I’ve been feeling stressed, you know, wound pretty tight.
The changes causing the stress are all positive.
Nonetheless, I am experiencing that unique combination we all know so well of frantic energy, deep exhaustion, and forward focus instead of leaning back into the present moment.
It’s a frustrating state, and it also wreaks havoc with creative flow.
This morning, as I made my coffee standing on a new memory foam mat in the kitchen that does dreamy things to relax your feet, I took a moment to absorb the sensation—not of the soft, spongy fabric soothing my soles but of the tight compression in my chest stealing my air as my heart pounded even before my morning dose of caffeine.
As I centered myself, I remembered a friend’s words: clear the mechanism, and with a deep breath realized that the spring in my center was overwound.
Winding a watch creates tension in the mainspring, which is then released as the watch ticks off time.
If you overwind a watch or other spring-based mechanism, there is only one thing to do.
Relax and wait.
You can’t wind it any further.
And you can’t release the tension by turning the knob in the other direction.
You simply have to let time pass.
Springs are designed not to break from overwinding, but they’re also designed to store tension and release it as the energy that powers the device.
Our psyches can only handle a certain amount of tension before we start to feel overloaded and powerless to find relief, which can quickly lead to resentment—one of the most dangerous feelings there is.
So if you’re feeling wound up, try relaxing, breathing deeply, and doing nothing, even for just a few minutes. Allow some time to pass that has the sole purpose of letting your mainspring unwind.
There will be plenty of time to get to all those things on your to-do list. And you’ll do them much more effectively—and with greater pleasure—if you take some time to unwind first.
Originally published on Tom Aplomb.
Photo—BenGrantham/Flickr