Change & cheese
Recently, I picked up a book I read a few years back, it’s called “Who Moved my Cheese” by Dr Spencer Johnson - I recommend it to everyone.
As you may have guessed it’s about change and how we deal with it. Whilst reading it over the last few days I couldn’t help but cast an analogy in relation to Massage & Bodywork and your treatment sessions with me.
As ultimately during a course of treatments we are trying to create change in your body. Whether that change is to bring back free movement in your stuck shoulder or to free up pain in your lower back that’s been there for years. We start to change old cheese for new cheese.
Despite the positive change, it can still be a challenging journey, as underused muscles switch on, as new beneficial postures move from the unfamiliar to the familiar, change can feel different.
The way isn’t always linear and free of obstacles, it can indeed feel like a maze and it can take some time to find the entrance to a new, improved, flourishing, pain-free you.
In that maze, old aches and pains might crop up, emotions might arise, a ‘healing crisis’ might occur. You might feel like you take two steps back before you take one giant, leap forwards.
These are all normal processes as your body adjusts to a new, improved state of well being. It’s your personal journey to finding the tasty new cheese. Nom nom nom..
Did you know everyone’s journey through the maze is completely different!
As creatures of habit – its not uncommon to feel comfortable in pain, sat in postures that give us backache, coping with a sense of dis-ease and just ‘getting on with it.’ This is akin to old cheese.
We can come up with a whole heap of reasons to not go out into the maze. Preferring to eat the old cheese without much pleasure until its all gone and by that time it might take a bit longer to find the yummy, new cheese,
Are you sat in pain, dealing with the aches of old cheese? Did you know there is new cheese out there? What’s cheese would you like to eat?
During change, as our bodies re-adjust, our mind is also adjusting (the two are inextricably connected.)
In the book, there are 4 characters; two mice, Sniff & Scurry and two little people, Haw & Hem.
You may have heard me ask you to stay within the realms of the right side of your brain after treatment.
That’s the side that is holistic, has imagination, simply notices and feels intuitive. In contrast to the left side of the brain that analyses, judges and forms linear thought patterns.
(Remember a journey to positive well being is rarely linear.)
In today’s world, we are very much trained to resonate on the left side of our brain.
When you read “Who moved my cheese” (Go on, buy it now!), of the 4 characters, who resonates in which side of the brain??
Whom would you like to summon more of? Who inspires you?
I hope you have your trainers around your neck!
Remember that booking in for an MOT is a great way to smell the cheese!