How can you sleep, read, or focus on anything when your brain is constantly interrupting?
Just as you lay down to sleep, or take a moment to enjoy a quiet break, your brain pipes up with nagging thoughts of all that needs to be done, or begins to replay stressful situations you are facing. With all of the intelligence the brain is rumoured to embody, why is it that we struggle so much with the simple task of silencing this great structure for only a moment?
Because the constant chatter overwhelms us so much so, that we convince ourselves the only solution is to take action on the situation the brain has fixated upon. So we satisfy the brain by giving it the task of coming up with an action plan; feeding the chatter we wish to silence.
Action is a wonderful tool, but I’m talking physical action: sports, art, meditation, gardening, music… Any task that directs your brain away from the chatter. I dare you not to think about your foot while walking with a pebble in your shoe. The pebble has successfully accessed your mind through your body.
In the same way, while you preform a task that requires special skill from your body, the brain will disengage from the chatter in order to immerse itself in the task. Massage works in the same way. If you allow your mind to focus on the body sensations, you may be surprised how the rest of your system submits to a quiet state.
No time or motivation to escape the brain through body action? Try massage.