monomer/program_peace · Datasets at Hugging Face

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some experts refer to instances of bracing as neurotic holding patterns For instance we
tense during social encounters especially confrontational ones People tense their bodies
during standardized tests social gatherings and public speaking This hinders their
performance by interfering with productive efforts and by causing discomfort and autonomic
stress As we will discuss in Chapter the sensation of fear in your gut and the sensation of
having your heart in your throat are also manifestations of chronic bracing
Imagine that you are standing alone in a strange dark parking lot with nothing nearby to
grab ahold of You hear someone yell Brace yourself What pose do you strike Whatever
pose you imagined is likely one that you commonly adopt during stress and startle The muscles
responsible for this pose are the ones you brace most often and so they are likely currently in
the process of becoming locked up Explore this a little further using the first unbracing
activity below
Relaxation Activity Making a Claw
Tense all the muscles in your hand making it into a stiff claw Curl your fingers so that all
fifteen knuckles are partially bent Keeping your hand in that formation see whether you can
tense it even further Keep it tight as you open and close it five times
Now use your imagination Try to feel what would happen to your hand if you were forced to
hold it like this for a week straight It would become immobile inflamed and excruciating
Consider how often you tense your hand in daily life Has it already taken a toll Going
forward work on undoing that tension Try to notice the claw whenever it materializes and
allow it to revert to a soft lithe hand
You also want your hands to be strong so contracting their muscles firmly is necessary The
important thing is that you allow them to relax deeply after you stop using them Make a
very firm claw and then let it relax five times in a row How you respond to the discomfort
involved in the effort makes all the difference Dont allow the discomfort from the
contraction to influence you to keep bracing Rather plunge into the deeper level of
relaxation that is available after you have brought the muscles to fatigue
There are cyclical relationships between stress bracing and arthritis Some specialists
refer to forms of bracing as prearthritic postures Joints can only be braced for so many years
before they become inflamed and degenerative My mother has osteoarthritis in her hands
Some of her knuckles are larger and more deformed than others She firmly believes that the
most affected knuckles are those that she braced more during stress over decades An extreme
example is the raisedarm babas of India These are men who for spiritual reasons have
decided to always raise one arm in the air Over the years their shoulders become stiff as a
PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body
board and completely useless As you look over the table below think about which bracing
patterns you use
Internal Facial Postural
Tightening the Jaw Squinting the Eyes Raising the Shoulders
Constricting the Throat Raising the Eyebrows Bracing the Lower Back
Sucking the Tongue Straining the Smile Hunching the Neck
Constricting the Nasopharynx Straining the Sneer Neglecting the Glutes and Abs
Straining the Vocal Folds Pursing the Lips Bracing the Shoulder Blades
Shallow Breathing Tightening the Cheeks Clenching the Hands and Feet
Abdominal Tensing Drawing Down the Corners of Tilting the Pelvis to One Side
the Mouth
Table Common Forms of Bracing that Compromise Muscle and Cause Pain
Bracing belongs to a more general category known as dysponesis or the misdirected use of
energy in the musculoskeletal system of which unnecessary tensing of the muscles is just one
example This wasting of energy is destructive For example dentists and orthodontists make
particular note of jaw clenching teeth grinding and tongue tension because those movements
push the teeth out of their optimal alignment In Chapter we will discuss how bracing the
back pushes the spine out of alignment Muscular bracing is a factor in almost all joint disorders
and is responsible for carpal tunnel temporomandibular joint disorder tennis elbow and
countless others believe that most chronic injuries despite the fancy and distracting terms
used by physicians start with tension caused by bracing
One way a mammal remembers that it just glimpsed a predator is by crouching down and
becoming very tense We often use muscular tension to keep something in mind When need
to remember something or when there is an urgent need to do something that cannot be done
right away become tenser The specific part of my body necessary to carry out the task is
often where the tension manifests For instance will try to remind myself to write down a
thought by tensing my fingers as if were gripping a pencil Recognize when this happens to you
and try not to use tension as a mnemonic aid
We tend to be negligent of excessive increases in muscle tension even when we are
performing simple tasks We tighten muscles that are not involved in what we are doing and
then keep those muscles tight even after we finish If the action is built into your job or daily
routine you can start by improving the ergonomics of your workspace or taking more regular
breaks You can also teach yourself to selectively calm muscles that you are not actively using
for the task at hand The key is to constantly and creatively alter your body posture so that
unused muscles are engaged and overused muscles are given a break
Chapter Recognize Muscular Tension Dormancy
Relaxation Activity Monitor Your Bracing During Teeth Brushing
The next time you brush your teeth notice the movements in your hand arm shoulder
neck face and torso Are you tensing muscles or expending energy that you dont need to
For instance you might be gripping the toothbrush too tightly flexing heavily at the elbow or
shoulder locking your jaw or craning your neck to one side Do you alter your posture and
vary the repetitive motions to give your muscles breaks Use this activity as an example that
you can extend to all your daily chores and rituals Generalize this experience to as many
other activities as possible including writing with a pen typing with a keyboard or holding a
phone tablet book remote controller or steering wheel
Microbreaks Allow Muscles the Short Rests They Need
Not all muscle tension is bad After all there is no way to exercise without tensing your
muscles But bracing is very different from healthy exercise because it does not include tiny rest
periods called microbreaks Sometimes all our muscles need is a few seconds or even just a
few fractions of a second without being held taut When the electrical activity of muscle is
tracked with electrodes these moments of downtime show up as electromyographic gaps
brief intervals during which the muscles slacken and relax They are essential
For example every step you take involves significant exertion as you push off against the
ground However as one leg takes over the other is given a break during the time it takes to swing
it forward again That respite allows the muscles to regenerate and prepare for the next step If
you didnt have this microbreak after every step walking more than a few hundred meters would
be difficult In much the same way all the muscles in your body require microbreaks
Without momentarily reverting to a relaxed baseline tone muscles cannot replenish and
unwanted processes ensue You have probably noticed the difference between fatigue caused
by sustained bracing hyperfatigue and fatigue caused by exercise that contains microbreaks
The former aches and is unpleasant while the latter is both soothing and exhilarating Indeed
the most important factor in building healthy muscle is to allow it to relax The more relaxed
your muscles are at rest the more quickly they recover from exercise This is why relaxed
muscle responds dramatically to training whereas tense muscle responds sluggishly Whenever
you are not using a muscle allow it to go limp It almost seems slothful but its not its the way

some experts refer to instances of bracing as neurotic holding patterns For instance we

tense during social encounters especially confrontational ones People tense their bodies

during standardized tests social gatherings and public speaking This hinders their

performance by interfering with productive efforts and by causing discomfort and autonomic

stress As we will discuss in Chapter the sensation of fear in your gut and the sensation of

having your heart in your throat are also manifestations of chronic bracing

Imagine that you are standing alone in a strange dark parking lot with nothing nearby to

grab ahold of You hear someone yell Brace yourself What pose do you strike Whatever

pose you imagined is likely one that you commonly adopt during stress and startle The muscles

responsible for this pose are the ones you brace most often and so they are likely currently in

the process of becoming locked up Explore this a little further using the first unbracing

activity below

Relaxation Activity Making a Claw

Tense all the muscles in your hand making it into a stiff claw Curl your fingers so that all

fifteen knuckles are partially bent Keeping your hand in that formation see whether you can

tense it even further Keep it tight as you open and close it five times

Now use your imagination Try to feel what would happen to your hand if you were forced to

hold it like this for a week straight It would become immobile inflamed and excruciating

Consider how often you tense your hand in daily life Has it already taken a toll Going

forward work on undoing that tension Try to notice the claw whenever it materializes and

allow it to revert to a soft lithe hand

You also want your hands to be strong so contracting their muscles firmly is necessary The

important thing is that you allow them to relax deeply after you stop using them Make a

very firm claw and then let it relax five times in a row How you respond to the discomfort

involved in the effort makes all the difference Dont allow the discomfort from the

contraction to influence you to keep bracing Rather plunge into the deeper level of

relaxation that is available after you have brought the muscles to fatigue

There are cyclical relationships between stress bracing and arthritis Some specialists

refer to forms of bracing as prearthritic postures Joints can only be braced for so many years

before they become inflamed and degenerative My mother has osteoarthritis in her hands

Some of her knuckles are larger and more deformed than others She firmly believes that the

most affected knuckles are those that she braced more during stress over decades An extreme

example is the raisedarm babas of India These are men who for spiritual reasons have

decided to always raise one arm in the air Over the years their shoulders become stiff as a

PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body

board and completely useless As you look over the table below think about which bracing

patterns you use

Internal Facial Postural

Tightening the Jaw Squinting the Eyes Raising the Shoulders

Constricting the Throat Raising the Eyebrows Bracing the Lower Back

Sucking the Tongue Straining the Smile Hunching the Neck

Constricting the Nasopharynx Straining the Sneer Neglecting the Glutes and Abs

Straining the Vocal Folds Pursing the Lips Bracing the Shoulder Blades

Shallow Breathing Tightening the Cheeks Clenching the Hands and Feet

Abdominal Tensing Drawing Down the Corners of Tilting the Pelvis to One Side

the Mouth

Table Common Forms of Bracing that Compromise Muscle and Cause Pain

Bracing belongs to a more general category known as dysponesis or the misdirected use of

energy in the musculoskeletal system of which unnecessary tensing of the muscles is just one

example This wasting of energy is destructive For example dentists and orthodontists make

particular note of jaw clenching teeth grinding and tongue tension because those movements

push the teeth out of their optimal alignment In Chapter we will discuss how bracing the

back pushes the spine out of alignment Muscular bracing is a factor in almost all joint disorders

and is responsible for carpal tunnel temporomandibular joint disorder tennis elbow and

countless others believe that most chronic injuries despite the fancy and distracting terms

used by physicians start with tension caused by bracing

One way a mammal remembers that it just glimpsed a predator is by crouching down and

becoming very tense We often use muscular tension to keep something in mind When need

to remember something or when there is an urgent need to do something that cannot be done

right away become tenser The specific part of my body necessary to carry out the task is

often where the tension manifests For instance will try to remind myself to write down a

thought by tensing my fingers as if were gripping a pencil Recognize when this happens to you

and try not to use tension as a mnemonic aid

We tend to be negligent of excessive increases in muscle tension even when we are

performing simple tasks We tighten muscles that are not involved in what we are doing and

then keep those muscles tight even after we finish If the action is built into your job or daily

routine you can start by improving the ergonomics of your workspace or taking more regular

breaks You can also teach yourself to selectively calm muscles that you are not actively using

for the task at hand The key is to constantly and creatively alter your body posture so that

unused muscles are engaged and overused muscles are given a break

Chapter Recognize Muscular Tension Dormancy

Relaxation Activity Monitor Your Bracing During Teeth Brushing

The next time you brush your teeth notice the movements in your hand arm shoulder

neck face and torso Are you tensing muscles or expending energy that you dont need to

For instance you might be gripping the toothbrush too tightly flexing heavily at the elbow or

shoulder locking your jaw or craning your neck to one side Do you alter your posture and

vary the repetitive motions to give your muscles breaks Use this activity as an example that

you can extend to all your daily chores and rituals Generalize this experience to as many

other activities as possible including writing with a pen typing with a keyboard or holding a

phone tablet book remote controller or steering wheel

Microbreaks Allow Muscles the Short Rests They Need

Not all muscle tension is bad After all there is no way to exercise without tensing your

muscles But bracing is very different from healthy exercise because it does not include tiny rest

periods called microbreaks Sometimes all our muscles need is a few seconds or even just a

few fractions of a second without being held taut When the electrical activity of muscle is

tracked with electrodes these moments of downtime show up as electromyographic gaps

brief intervals during which the muscles slacken and relax They are essential

For example every step you take involves significant exertion as you push off against the

ground However as one leg takes over the other is given a break during the time it takes to swing

it forward again That respite allows the muscles to regenerate and prepare for the next step If

you didnt have this microbreak after every step walking more than a few hundred meters would

be difficult In much the same way all the muscles in your body require microbreaks

Without momentarily reverting to a relaxed baseline tone muscles cannot replenish and

unwanted processes ensue You have probably noticed the difference between fatigue caused

by sustained bracing hyperfatigue and fatigue caused by exercise that contains microbreaks

The former aches and is unpleasant while the latter is both soothing and exhilarating Indeed

the most important factor in building healthy muscle is to allow it to relax The more relaxed

your muscles are at rest the more quickly they recover from exercise This is why relaxed

muscle responds dramatically to training whereas tense muscle responds sluggishly Whenever

you are not using a muscle allow it to go limp It almost seems slothful but its not its the way