MOVING INTO THE ADVENTURE CALLED YOUR LIFE

BY: TANYA MOULAND

Here you are, in your mid-20’ s. You ’ ve completed university or college and you may have found yourself living back at home. You yearn for your independence. You long for your life to get ‘ started.

Where is your life journey taking you? Are you moving into the life you want to create for yourself or the one you are ‘ supposed to ’ create? Are you stuck, unable to move or are you journeying confidently?

I was asked if brain-body connections had anything to do with what prevents some young adults from moving into the life they want, or even to begin planning for it. The answer is: Yes!

Young adults today are living in such a different world than 10, 20 years ago. Okay, even 2 years ago! External situations are unpredictable and many times beyond our control. Yet, the internal requirements remain the same for moving into your life journey. The brain-body system connections don ’t magically appear at this time in your life to allow you the ability to set goals and get into action. We begin building these internal resources during our first years of life.

Setting goals and getting into action:

Watch a baby when she sees her favourite toy (goal) and works out how to get to it, reach for it and bring it in to herself. There’s no over-thinking. There is doing. The body figures out what to do and there is movement to reach the goal.

Moving out into the world:

Little ones figure out how to get themselves standing. They pull themselves upright, find their balance and begin the slow, uncoordinated process of moving forward on two feet. Babies fall down. They pause and stand up again. Eventually with practice, more and more steps are taken confidently. The ability to move more independently on their own journey of exploring their little world grows daily.

In your 20’ s, you are doing the same, although mostly metaphorically! You have goals in mind. You begin mapping out your journey. You visualize your journey. You write down your goals. Then you have

to figure out what you have to do (physical movement) to attain them. You are re-learning to stand on your own two feet. You may feel wobbly; you may fall down, and like the little one, you pause, re-organize and pull yourself up again. Or do you? Is all this goal setting and planning causing you to freeze, flee, give up? Do you feel overwhelmed? Do you feel in or out of control?

Sometimes the goals are big. They cause us to catch our breath, not sure where to begin. The best thing to do is clarify your goals by breaking them down into digestible accomplishments. Still feeling stuck or unsure? Consider this…

As a baby, you may not have had the opportunities to create and strengthen all the required internal resources. This creates blocks in the brain-body system. This creates challenges on getting started or continuing on your life journey. It can be demotivating and frustrating. Guess what? You can build the brain-body connections at any age, remove the blocks and increase those internal resources by tapping into your body ’ s innate wisdom. Your body is communicating with you 24/7. Use self-awareness skills to use this communication and identify where the blocks are.

When you are ready to remove blocks or get clarity on a goal, increase motivation, get organized, improve your focus, etc., use the 3-step exercise below. The exercise allows you to create and strengthen the brain-body system ’ s connections and build in those internal resources to get you into action and moving forward on your path.

A Brain Gym mini-balance:

1. You’ve got your goal. Step into it by actually role playing the goal. Notice: What happens to your breathing? What area(s) of the body has too much tension, or have muscles gone mushy? Does your energy level drop, or get you motivated? What words are you using to describe the situation? Does the potential excite you or increase your stress level?

2. Move to create new brain-body connections and remove blocks. Notice what movement the body would like to do. Allow your body to guide the movement. It can be anything from a yoga pose, to cardio, to dancing, to crawling or rolling across the floor. There is no wrong movement. No thinking, just do!

3. Revisit the goal. Step into it and role play again. Notice what’ s different. Review the questions in step 1.

Approach your life journey as a baby would approach a new skill – with curiosity and playfulness. Take the time and give yourself the opportunity to pause when required. Listen to the gentle whispers of the heart, respond to and move with the innate wisdom of your body, and allow your brain to plan and organize to keep you on your Journey. Happy Adventuring!