I don’t like exercise. And I spend a lot of time in my head. Neither of which are particularly good for me.
But I realized this week that I’m spending far too much time just thinking, about the same things, over and over, again and again. Just dwelling on something for nothing. I’ve learnt that this is called ‘rumination’--which sounds something that a cow would do-- an excessive mulling over things, usually that have happened in the past.
Stephen S. Ilardi, in The Depression Cure, has this to say on the subject:
‘…after just a brief period of intense pondering, we’ve usually extracted all the useful bits of meaning from a situation that we’re ever likely to find. We soon hit the point of diminishing returns, when any more dwelling is simply a waste of time. But some people stay at it long past the point when enough is enough.’
And this:
‘Rumination also makes people less active. It’s an inert, inward-focused process that keeps us locked more or less inside our heads. When we’re brooding, we’re especially inclined to avoid activity, as it would force us to shift our attention away from our internal machinations and out onto the world around us instead./ In a nutshell, when we ruminate, we withdraw.’
One way of breaking this (and there are many), is exercise. Which also has antidepressant affects. I’m not a natural gym bunny and I loathe running. I’ve yet to find my natural exercise, but it seems necessary now, for my brain as much as my body.
RoCo Dance & Fitness
RoCo Dance & Fitness
Elyn Saks in The center cannot hold says she found her exercise in roller-skating, which she does weekly with a professional coach. ‘It’s focused, and disciplined, and predictable and invigorating. And most of the time, it’s just plain fun.’
I’ve always wanted to try dancing, proper dancing. So last night, I made it to RoCo Dance in Fairfax, California, for an Absolute Beginners class in Modern Dance. I found myself going left while everyone else was going right, my plié and points were horrendous, and lets just say I’m not the most relaxed dancer. But it was brilliant. And I didn’t think, not about those other things anyway. I thought about where my hands and feet should go, how to make my hips move, how to flatten out my back and elongate my toes. Being in my body got me out of my mind, for a while. And that’s a good thing.
RoCo Dance & Fitness
RoCo Dance & Fitness
This is National Dance Week, from Friday April 26th to Sunday May 5th. If you are in the Bay Area, RoCo Dance has some free classes, but it’s a nation-wide event, so if you want to get your body moving have a look what’s near you.