Episode 10: How to Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Body
Description: Learning to get out of your head and into your body can change how a hard day feels. Tina Boogren shares why she took care of herself before finishing her work, and invites you to name your own red flag and your go-to way back, like a walk, music, or a call with a friend. Let the to-do list wait this week.
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Transcription: Hi, and welcome to Everyday Wellness with Dr. Tina H. Boogren. I am your host, Tina Boogren, and I'm so happy that you are here. Ah, I'm going to invite you to take that nice deep breath and relax your shoulders and just kind of take a second to get back in your body. And in fact, that kind of leads into what the invitation for this week is going to be. And before I get there, I'm going to give you just a little bit of background.
So specifically, today, as I am recording this, boy, I was in a mood this morning. Everything just felt off, if you know that feeling. My brain was kind of spinning with anxious thoughts, and my to-do list felt too long, and I always describe this feeling of, like, being uncomfortable in my own skin, and I don't like it. And I tried to employ all the kind of mental tricks and tips that I know to get myself through it, right? I think about what would I say to my best friend if she was feeling this way? What's another perspective I could take? What might be a different story that I could tell myself instead of the story I'm currently living within?
And, mm, it was helping a little, but it really wasn't working completely. And so I paused and I thought, "Okay, what do I need?" And I knew that I needed to get the to-do list done, and I had like, piles of stuff that needed to be sorted through on my desk. And instead, I knew that I needed to get back into my body.
So that feeling of being uncomfortable in my own skin is such a red flag for me. That means that I am living completely in my head and out of my body. And so, hmm, I got a good strength training workout in this morning in our, we kind of converted our garage into a home gym, and so that felt good. I played some good music and kind of got lost in that. And when I was done, I felt a little bit better, but I still wasn't there. And I came up to my office and I looked at the pile and I knew it needed to be done, but I also knew that I wasn't ready to do that yet. And so then I did what I know always works, which is to go for a walk.
I put my tennis shoes on. I put my earbuds in. I listened to Amy Poehler's podcast, which always brings me joy. She is just pure delight, no matter who she's interviewing. And I went for a walk, and it happened to be a perfect day here for the walk. So we had sunshine and had a couple layers on, which felt really good, so it wasn't too hot. And I actually drove to a park that I love, so Wash Park here in Denver. So I didn't do my typical route around my neighborhood. I went somewhere new, which felt good. And I walked and I walked and I walked, and what it did is it pushed me to get out of my head and back into my body And what a difference, what a difference that made.
For me, and I know for many of you, I am a real Type A personality, and I have this thing where I feel like the work always has to get done first. I can play later. I can relax later. And trust me, I like to play and I'm pretty good at relaxing, but for me, it always comes after getting the work done. And today I just decided, you know what? That work will be there when I get back. I didn't have like a deadline of something that needed to be done today. I did have some stuff that needs to be done for tomorrow, but I got a lot of 24 hours in the day that I could still play with. And so instead of sitting down and getting the work done first, I decided to take care of myself first. And that's the invitation that I offer up to you.
If you, like me, kind of get stuck in your head and you feel like you have to, I hate to use this word, but here's what it feels like in my mind, earn the right to go for a walk or get the workout in or go sit on the park bench after you've gotten everything done on your to-do list, let's interrupt that thinking. Let's try a different way. Let's see if we can let that to-do list go for a minute, let the pile sit there for a minute, not respond to every single email that comes in within minutes of it arriving, and shut out the rest of the world and just get back into our bodies.
And along those lines, I want you to think about what is kind of your red flag. I know we've talked about this in different ways before, but I just keep bringing this back up. So many of us just live in our heads and forget we even have a body. So what is it for you? What is that sign? What does your body do to let you know that, uh-oh, you've forgotten about me? Like I said, for me, it's when I get that feeling of like, ugh, just flat out, I don't know how else to describe it, being uncomfortable in my own skin. That is just when I really have to pull the brakes and go, "Okay. Body, I hear you. I know that you are trying to get my attention, that you want me to, just..." I think of like glitter in my brain that's swirling around and letting that glitter just settle all the way down to my toes.
And amazingly, it's pretty magical that it works. I sometimes think we need to do these big things or I need to get a prescription for something or, you know, some sort of massive change, and the reality is just slowing down, stopping, and getting out of my head and into my body is really what makes the biggest difference.
And this is going to perhaps look different for you. So for me, it's going for a walk almost always feels better. Strength training can usually do it. Today it didn't quite get me over the edge. I needed to do both. Getting outside is huge. And again, that just, oof, shutting out the to-do list and the emails and the texts and the things I gotta get back to and the list and the ever-growing, checklist of all the things that need to get done. Just walking away from that and knowing that it's still going to be there, and the world is not going to end if I don't get to it right away. It's just a lesson I have to learn again and again and again. And maybe you do, too. So maybe this is just a nudge of like, "Oh, I hear you, Tina. I recognize that feeling."
You know, as this podcast comes out, you are still in the depths of what's typically known as the disillusionment phase, where things might feel really hard right now. And for me, when things feel really hard, that's usually when I'm living up in my brain and out of my body. And so that's a good time to just kind of slow down, take some deep breaths, and things kind of look better after that pause.
So try that out this week. Think about for you, what are your red flags? What do you need? What do you typically do to get out of your head into your body? I know a lot of people like to dance. I love that, too. Like I said, going for a walk, listening to a podcast, listening to music, talking to a friend. I mean, there's a gazillion ways that we can do this. So figuring out what that is for you and what that signal is that says, "Okay, emergency, I need to do this now." And just pay attention this week, and pay attention to your own day-to-day. Do you live more in your head or in your body? How can you get back into your body if you've been stuck in your head for a while? And know that I'm cheering so hard for you.
As I pull this to a close, I also just have a request for you. So, Global Guru voting is available or open, I should say now. And this is a distinction that I have been so honored to have for a few years, and it really means a lot to me. This is a pretty incredible organization that is not pay to play. It is not just based on popularity. That in fact, in order to earn your spot on this there's just a whole bunch of things that come into play. So research is 70% of it which includes originality of ideas, impact of ideas, practicality, presentation style, publications, and then there's the 30% that's public opinion. And I would just be so grateful if you could take two seconds. That's all it takes to go over. We will include the link, but it's basically if you go to globalgurus.org it'll lead you right through it. So you can see there's different categories. I'm in the education category, and I would just so appreciate if you wouldn't mind voting for me, because that really helps me spread the word and get this work to, as many people as possible.
So I thank you, thank you, thank you for doing that. As always, also so grateful for Adrienne and Solution Tree, Marzano Resources, and for you, this incredible Everyday Wellness squad. Ugh, I'm cheering so hard for you. Let's get back into our bodies this week. Let the to-do list sit there for a little while. It will be okay, and know that I'm cheering so stinking hard for you. I love you.
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