Maybe they should rename it, Temporomandibular Joint and Midterm Election Disorder.
Whatever your views, I think we’ve all been through the wringer on this midterm election. But just so you know, this post is not about politics. Politics is just another trigger for clenching your jaw. It can be thrown in the same bag with relationships, jobs, money, health and on and on. As Rosanne Rosannadanna (Google it…) said, “It’s always something.”
And that’s what this post is about. The “always something,” never-ending life events that are slung at us. For example, we’ve just experienced about 9 months of negative, name-calling TV ads and an election. But guess what? Thanksgiving and the December holidays are heading at breakneck speed right for our front doors. Just typing those words, I can hear the creaking and clicking of jaw bones.
So how do you make it through the next couple of months without totally throwing your jaw and life out of control? If I was a different kind of person, I might suggest vodka, but that’s another kind of disorder, (although that does involve opening the mouth too much.)
No, I’m thinking more along the lines of R&R. But I’m not talking about Rest and Relaxation, I’m talking about Remember & Reset.
Remember: The holidays can be really stressful. Are you cooking for a crowd? Overworking so you can have some time off? Cleaning like a cyclone? Racking up your credit cards for a trip? Hosting relatives like a hostel or laundering like a laundromat? Then odds are, you’re going to trigger new pain or amp-up your ongoing or current pain. That doesn’t sound very holiday-ish does it?
Reset: When you Remember, you can Reset. That means, as soon as you catch yourself over-doing, over-committing, over-THINKING, it’s time to Remember to Reset. Resetting your mind. Resetting your day. Resetting whatever you’re doing at that moment.
Now for those of you screaming at me right now that I don’t understand, that you have responsibilities! Calm down, cause I know that’s causing you to clench. I’m not saying to throw your to-do list in the dustbin. I’m just saying, Reset the way you are doing or thinking about that list. It means taking a breather and maybe stepping away for a few minutes to decompress Step outside, have a delicious treat, spend a minute with your pet, look at a piece of art that your love. Whatever it is that Resets your thinking, Remember do it.
Happy Holidays!
John