I ask this question to nearly every person who gets on my massage table. Are you a locker or a clencher?
Lockers lock their knees and elbows....all the time. They tend to be prone to fear and anxiety, insomnia, depression, and often will run away from problems (figuratively and literally).
Clenchers clench their jaw, butt, hands and toes and they are doing this all the time as well. They cross their arms or interlace their fingers when inpatient or board and they are prone to TMJ, headaches, frequent frustration, and anger, and will put up a fight when facing a problem.
Then..... there are the talented ones. They are BOTH lockers and clenchers. Their stress levels are extremely high. The talented ones are in fact only one of those two but are so overwhelmed all the time by life that they attempt to do both and end up unable to do neither effectively. They tend to freeze up in high intensity situations or when facing challenges.
Why does this matter? Well, we all deal with stress and unless you are one of those talented ones, you either will deal with it by fighting or fleeing. We are hard wired this way. So, one of the best ways to manage stress is actually being very mindful of your body and what it is doing when you go through your day.
Check out some of these common scenarios:
- Are you clenching your butt when you wash the dishes?
- Do you lock your knees when listening or communicating to someone while standing?
- Do you clench your jaw when someone disappoints you?
- Do you grip the steering wheel?
- Do you hold your arms close to your body either straight or completely bent when you are supposed to be relaxing?
Lockers lock their knees and elbows....all the time. They tend to be prone to fear and anxiety, insomnia, depression, and often will run away from problems (figuratively and literally).
Clenchers clench their jaw, butt, hands and toes and they are doing this all the time as well. They cross their arms or interlace their fingers when inpatient or board and they are prone to TMJ, headaches, frequent frustration, and anger, and will put up a fight when facing a problem.
Then..... there are the talented ones. They are BOTH lockers and clenchers. Their stress levels are extremely high. The talented ones are in fact only one of those two but are so overwhelmed all the time by life that they attempt to do both and end up unable to do neither effectively. They tend to freeze up in high intensity situations or when facing challenges.
Why does this matter? Well, we all deal with stress and unless you are one of those talented ones, you either will deal with it by fighting or fleeing. We are hard wired this way. So, one of the best ways to manage stress is actually being very mindful of your body and what it is doing when you go through your day.
Check out some of these common scenarios:
- Are you clenching your butt when you wash the dishes?
- Do you lock your knees when listening or communicating to someone while standing?
- Do you clench your jaw when someone disappoints you?
- Do you grip the steering wheel?
- Do you hold your arms close to your body either straight or completely bent when you are supposed to be relaxing?
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