The mind also suffers from repetitive strain injury. The major difference is that due to the adaptive nature of the mind, the symptoms of this can go unnoticed for long periods of time. Tendon strain in the wrist for example tends to be immediately obvious, with shooting pains, pins and needles and other assorted (and painful) signals coming straight from the injured area.

Repetitive strain in the mind can be much harder to spot as the symptoms tend to be more vague.

General fatigue, irritability and headaches are some of the more commonly known signs, but there are also signs that are not so immediately obvious. Overeating, increased alcohol consumption and insomnia can also be signals, but because they tend to be associated with everyday behaviours (everyone has difficulty sleeping from time to time) they are often dismissed as just a hazard of everyday life. This all tends to be accompanied by a general feeling that things just aren’t “right”.

And this is the biggest problem. Mental repetitive strain tends not to be taken notice of until it’s too late. By the time most people take action they are in the full blown throes of systemic anxiety (repeat being anxious enough and the body habitualises it and starts to produce symptoms automatically) and the mental repetitive strain is now taking its toll on their life and health.

Does this describe you? Take a moment to pay attention to your body. How are you feeling right now? Are you holding any tension? How do you feel when you eat?

Our unconscious is talking to us all the time. We simply aren’t listening. And so it begins to shout. And we still don’t listen.

The problem is that we simply don’t realise anything is wrong in the first place. And have no idea what to do about it anyway.  

Fortunately there is an answer...

There is one simple adjustment that everyone can make immediately which will help reduce anxiety permanently.

Which I will discuss in the next post.

 

In a long and very entertaining discussion with a good friend last night we touched briefly on the subject of tendon injuries, particularly related to typing.

Tendonitis, also known as repetitive strain injury is a common problem facing anyone who plays an instrument or does anything intricate with their hands for a prolonged period. In fact anyone who repeats a given movement for an extended period risks tendon problems and repetitive strain injury.

Tendons are like small elastic bands that attach the muscle to the bone. They are less elastic than muscle and do not receive as much in the way of blood flow. As such, when they become damaged it tends to take a long time to heal completely, and in some cases can become permanently weakened.

The key word here is “strain”. Consistent excessive load applied to a tendon will cause it to tear (imagine a rubber band stretched beyond its limit). These micro tears cause inflammation in the tendon. This inflammation is painful and causes amongst other things, pins and needles as the nerves around the tendon are compressed. Left unattended, or worse under continued strain, the tendon will eventually snap and the attached muscle will become all but useless.

How do we avoid such injuries?

Simple. Slow down. Use small movements.

Tension causes tightness in the muscular system. Typing too fast for your skill level will cause tension as the brain compensates for lack of control by exerting pressure on the muscles. This ruptures the tendon and tendonitis occurs.

Slow down, close your eyes and practice using the smallest, most delicate stroke you can whilst still typing. Breathe. Pay attention to the sensations in your hand. Slowly repeat a sequence again and again until the muscles relax. Small movements are controlled. Small movements are relaxed. Rinse and repeat.

By doing this you are paying attention to how your hands move. Your mind already knows how to type. You just aren’t listening.

Now stop reading and go do it...

J.F.D.I.

Mark

How many things can you look at at once?

Simply put, the human mind is a binary machine. It uses electricity to transfer thoughts ONE AT A TIME. As much as the term “multitasking” is used, it simply does not exist. You cannot do more than one conscious action at a time. If you think you can, try this simple experiment:

Read a book and watch TV at the same time giving both 100% of your attention all the way through.

Done it? Good. How many of you I wonder were able to successfully pay attention to both simultaneously? None you say? Thought so...

And yet, so many people do not apply this simple rule to their life.

 The number one cause of anxiety is overload. Simply put, if you try and make a binary organic system perform tasks that it is simply not built to do it will react by producing anxiety. Anxiety is your body’s early warning system. It is an alarm system to let you know something is wrong.

Too many tasks = Overload=Anxiety=Shutdown.

Simple really.

Try this simple exercise. Write down all the tasks you think you need to do in a day. Rate them all from 1 to 10 (1 being least important, 10 being most). Then eliminate the lowest scoring task. You can simply leave it out, or outsource it to someone else (get your other half to do the washing up for example). At this point your mind is throwing up excuses at you. Any change causes stress. Try it for a week and see what happens.

Reduce overload and anxiety improves.

J.F.D.I

Mark