STRESSED?

It May Be Time For a Tongue Lashing

Sometimes it’s hard to be still.

Even when we stop our bodies, our minds keep rushing forward. I don’t know about you, but I don’t even realize it sometimes.

I’ll be going about my day, feeling relatively normal when my husband will point out that I’ve got "two little fists" or I’ll start to notice that my teeth hurt from clenching.

Does your body ever tell you that there’s more going on behind the scenes than you’re aware of?

Maybe your shoulders slide up so that they’re practically touching your ears, your brow is furrowed or you’re holding your breath.

Your body responds to your inner dialog even when you're not fully conscious that you're having one.

And you're carrying the burden of that tension with you every day.

To make matters worse, that ongoing inner dialog can clog up your processing space and make it really difficult to redirect, calm or focus yourself.

What’s a girl to do?

Believe it or not, you can hack the system by paying attention to your tongue.

It’s true.

Much in the same way that the thoughts you intend to speak activate your tongue to form words, your mental chatter is also forming words with your tongue – it’s just so subtle that you don’t notice it.

Why is that important?

Because it works both ways.

Just as an active mind creates an active tongue, a calm tongue creates a calm mind.

So, the next time you’re feeling stressed, anxious, or are experiencing runaway thoughts, relax your tongue.

This Week: Tongue Yoga

There are many ways to use your tongue to calm your mind.

Here are my favorites:

1. Press and Release

• Press your tongue to the roof of your mouth with force.

• Let go and allow your tongue to completely relax. (Your mouth may hang open a bit.)

• Repeat three times.

2. Gentle Hold

• Lightly hold the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth, just behind your front teeth.

• Focus on keeping your tongue completely still while maintaining this light touch.

3. Go Old School

• Feeling a bit silly? Try sticking out your tongue.

• Hold it steady and then release.

Try all 3 ways and notice how quiet your mind becomes. Add the method that works best to your toolbox to pull out whenever you’re feeling stressed or anxious.