Motion CREATES EMOTION

By DR. DARREN MORTON

Hold your pointer finger out in front of you as far as possible. With your eyes closed, guide that finger back to touch your nose.

Did you skillfully navigate your finger? I am assuming you did because it actually isn’t that difficult. But how is it possible, given that you can’t see your finger to guide it?

One person said their brain knew where their mouth was because they constantly put food in it, so they just aimed a little higher!

This is partly true: Our brain does know where our body parts are even when it can’t see them because throughout our body are millions of tiny nerve endings called proprioceptors Proprioceptors detect how our body is positioned and moving, then relay this information to our brain.

On the way to the Leader (the thinking part of the brain), the messages from these nerve endings pass directly through the Limbo (the feeling part of the brain).1 The result is that motion creates emotion as our proprioceptors tell our Limbo how to feel.

Acting before feeling

Proprioceptors can be used to manage anxiety and calm our Limbo by sending it soothing messages.

These anxiety-reducing quick fixes can be summarized as the 3S approach:

Slow refers to breathing. Anxiety is associated with shallow and rapid breathing. Respiring like this can bring on an anxiety attack! Step one in creating a state of calmness is to take slow and full breaths consciously. This is why breathing exercises are integral to many relaxation strategies.

By Leomar P. Percival