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Stressed? Moi? Well a bit…

So much is said about stress these days, people get confused. Stress makes people perform better according to some researchers; too much stress is bad for you according to others. So what is stress and do we need it? It might be easier to think of stress as a stimulus. We need stimulus of all kinds to react to in order to function, but if the stress is unrelieved and constant, then we stop functioning and start to break down. Each of us has a stress level at which we really work well-we are happy and stimulated, but just a little extra pressure can turn us into harassed overworked miserable people who never catch up with themselves.

Mike is a typical example; he has a high stress graphic design job with tight deadlines and equally tight neck and shoulders. He was constantly ‘on edge’ and unable to relax, although only in his early 30’s he was already feeling burned out and bad tempered. He used to work off his stress by thrashing around the squash court, but recently he had suffered a series of minor injuries whilst playing and finally had to admit this remedy wasn’t working-he couldn’t drop the stress and couldn’t work it off. “I feel as if it’s with me all the time, why can’t I just relax?” he said.

When Mike started having a glass or two of wine to aid his relaxation he realised he had to change something, but didn’t know what or how. He came for Alexander lessons following friends advise, although he wasn’t sure what the Alexander Technique could do for him.

• Everyone is different, one persons challenge is another persons overload.
• Tell tale signs of too much stress include poor sleep, inability to ‘switch off’, forgetting details and irritability.
• If your shoulders live permanently round your ears and feel tight, chances are you are overstressed!

Posture and body language are the  first thing people notice about us. Confident people use their bodies  differently to those who are diffident. A lack of confidence makes us shrink  physically into ourselves. Our shoulders narrow, our neck droops forward on our  shoulders and our head is retracted down onto our neck. This gives a defeated  look and people are less likely to listen to us if we project that bodily  message. When my pupil Brian asked for lessons he hoped the Alexander Technique  would help his confidence and went on to say he knew he had terrible posture  and his girlfriend thought it made him look shy.

On meeting Brian, I could see what  his girlfriend meant-he was tall and slender and very collapsed, his upper back  was rounded and his lower back pulled in. It made him look a lot older than he  was. He had a very slight scoliosis. He’d had an enormous growth spurt as a  teenager and became very lanky, uncoordinated with back and leg pain. His mates  nicknamed him spider because of his long arms and legs, which he hated. Now in  his early 30’s he still had mild back pain, and that lanky look.

Teaching Brian to support his back  and neck differently was a challenge. He was so used to the way he carried  himself that all his efforts to move differently felt wrong and occasionally  painful.

Brian persisted with lessons, was  diligent with his semi-supine practice and came in for lesson 10 with a huge  smile on his face saying his back felt completely different. He had both  lengthened and widened and his shoulders had opened out. He looked much more  relaxed and confident. He said he had some Alexander tools to help him in  difficult situations, whenever he felt tense or nervous, instead of shrinking  into himself-which was his old response, he released the tension in his neck  muscles, reminded himself to ‘think up’, checked out what he was doing with his  feet and made sure he wasn’t holding his breath.

Brian’s awareness of his body  use continued to improve as he had more lessons. He took up the guitar again,  something he’d enjoyed but stopped because it gave him back pain. He was more  outgoing, confident and willing to try new things. He had started lessons  because of back pain and lack of confidence, and now he applied his new  knowledge to all sorts of aspects of his life, including a career change. He  decided to give up being a banker and train to be an Alexander Teacher, as he  commented-you never know what doors open when you start changing your body.

What can you do when your shoulder seizes up?

Frozen Shoulder is a very painful condition, affecting about 2% of the population, commonly in the 40-60 age group. Your shoulder becomes painful and stiffens up, and mobility is restricted. The pain can be so severe everyday tasks such as combing your hair, or getting dressed become very difficult. The cause of a frozen shoulder is not known, but it can last for up to two years. Although it is a very specific condition, it responds very well to the holistic approach of the Alexander Technique. When Peter rang me to say he’d been diagnosed with a frozen shoulder he was very fed up. His pain had come on gradually and he had ignored it until he couldn’t tie his tie in the morning. He tried heat treatment and was taking anti-inflammatory drugs, which he disliked as they upset his stomach.

Peter came for an introductory lesson. His first surprise came when I showed him how much compensation he was doing throughout his body because his shoulder hurt. He was twisting his neck to one side, pulling the painful shoulder round so his shoulder blade stuck out and curling the fingers of his hand so tightly it was difficult to straighten them. We started his lesson with him lying on my teaching table with extra support under his shoulder. He was surprised when I asked him to think about his back and neck rather than his shoulder, but gradually he began to release the additional tension that had built up in his muscles. Even his legs were tense. Every bit of unnecessary tension makes it more difficult for a particular ‘bit’ of us to fully release. So learning to release your legs and back really does make a difference to shoulder problems.

At the end of the first lesson Peter said he felt calmer and noticed his breathing was easier. His shoulder was still stiff and painful but he felt he had learned something about how his whole body played a part in his tension. Peter had 2 lessons a week for a 6 week period, saying that if he was going to do it he would do it properly. In that time his pain levels decreased enough for him to stop taking his pain killers, he learned to notice when tension was building up in him and how to release it, his mobility improved and he was delighted with how much easier his breathing was.

He continued to have weekly lessons for over a year. His shoulder healed completely and he found all his mobility much improved. He said he wished he’d discovered this self help technique years before as it offered him a positive way to manage his stress levels.

Going up!

That’s something you usually hear in lifts. But the idea of going up can apply to your own body habits too. How do you organise your head, neck and back? what about the pressures in your abdomen? Is your own posture literally pulling you down?

To move freely, free from pain and restriction, we need to walking and moving in a springy was, so that with each step we are going up against gravity, not pulling down with it.

Want to read more? Buy The Posture Workbook and find out how you can ‘go up’. Or book just one lessons and I’ll be delighted to teach you. It’s not a matter of luck- its a skill and anyone can learn it.

www.postureworkbook.com

How’s your stiff back today?

Do something nice for your back today – lie in this position and learn to lengthen.

One of the skills you’ll learn in online sessions with me is just how simple, but effective lying in this position can be. Did you know it needs to be tailored to you personally? In your sessions I will teach you how to get the best starting point for lengthening for yourself. For example how far your feet are from your buttocks depends on not just the length of your legs, but the habitual curve of your lower back too. Everyone is different.

I can also advise you on a ‘semi-supine’ regime that will support your sore back and soon get you felling lighter, more springy and free in your movements. How long to stay there, how often to do it are all important considerations.

Book an individual zoom sessions and find out what works for you. Contact: carolyn.nicholls@me.com