The Bigger Picture: It is wonderful to be able to get up and move. Engaging the whole of our bodies in our self is uplifting and more meaningful than we let ourselves appreciate. Losing access to our bodies and abilities is devastating with implications as deeply emotional and psychological as physical writes Shalini Sinha.
Yet, most of us today who can lift our legs, swing our arms and hoist ourselves forward seem to take this so far for granted that we regularly waste the opportunity. Upon reflection, it seems to me there are more complicated forces in play interrupting our joy and desire for movement than simply a carelessness for our physical fitness.
Emotional pain has an incredible ability to make one stand still. Depression, grief, loneliness and rejection have all been known to stop us in our tracks, causing us to involuntarily crawl into bed, under a rock, or onto the couch lost to the box for days on end. I've even heard stories of people who've collapsed - simply fallen down - from shock or sorrow. Deep emotional struggles can be paralysing, literally grinding us to a halt.
Perhaps there is a real reason for this: emergency resources are suddenly required and thus re-directed from limbs and torso to the mind to deal with the unexpected onslaught of emotions.
It would seem, then, that after the initial shock our job would be to mobilise sufficient resources to process and heal from the experience over a longer term. Instead, many of us get stuck here - a body at rest remaining at rest long after the emergency is over. We simply cannot bring ourselves to move again.
It is useful to notice that the amount of energy required to deal with deep emotions is actually overwhelming. Very quickly, all our stores of nutrients and water can be depleted, even while apparently sitting still! It is also often difficult to eat or sleep well. Finally, the decay of social and emotional support structures in our society mean that many of us are left in this state of emergency for much longer than we otherwise would be. When we do finally surface from it, we are genuinely weak and tired. The last thing on our minds is the urge to exert our bodies and move again.
Our brains, while focused on a trauma and frozen in time, can keep us motionless for quite some time. In this period, habits of being still can be developed, lasting weeks, months, even years.
Although we may have slipped into it unawares, there is no way that immobility is natural to us. It is not human nature to be lazy, indifferent or unmoving. It is absolutely certain that some trauma (regardless of how forgotten or seemingly obscure) began the cycle - a physical injury, loneliness, rejection, disappointment, heartbreak or even boredom.
The longer we are static, the worse it gets. Stagnation only antagonises the human heart. It is not through rest but intense physical activity that our cells get a chance to process nutrients effectively and produce more energy. We need to move.
If we did decide to stir, it is truly stunning how this can help transforming our mood. Moving briskly can improve things. And, this is more than just mechanics or chemistry - I'm not convinced that all the credit lies with the mood- enhancing hormones, endorphins, released through exercise. (It seems too convenient an argument for our drug-dependent society.) Rather, vigorous physical activity provides inspiration, relief and empowerment that cannot be underestimated.
There really is something to moving our bodies - developing speed and momentum, being in control of ourselves, orchestrating movements that require strength and space, involving the whole of ourselves. There is something fantastic about having the command of big muscles like quads, hamstrings, biceps and shoulders. We have a power within. We have potential. We are in charge. Engaging with these facts alone is thrilling.
Ironically, physical activity also gives our mind a chance to relax. It opens our eyes to the present moment, our mind a much-deserved reprieve from the recurring struggle. Momentarily free from emotional stress, we can access different perspectives - be creative, consider something new, get in touch with our potential and develop a most contemporary understanding of our life and self.
As wonderful as it would be to move again, it is useful to know that our decision to be active will almost certainly rekindle the old trauma that has laid in stasis for so long and caused us to be still in the first place. We'll likely feel unable, exhausted, lonely or empty. We may feel it is pointless and unnecessary. And, while we may feel these things, they are not true. There is every point to moving again. We may have to agree to feel bad about it for a while in order to develop the determination to stay in motion. For it is certain that if we insist on waiting to 'feel like it' - that moment when it seems our struggle has spontaneously lifted - we may never move again.
Shalini Sinha is an independent producer and journalist. She is a counsellor on women's issues, has lectured on women's studies in UCD and presents RTÉ's intercultural programme, Mono.