Size Matters

That pesky gravity thing does a number on our backs by compressing spine when we are upright.  There are other things, besides gravity, that figuratively compress our spine.  It’s called baggage.  By baggage, I mean the collective emotional, mental, and spiritual junk we carry around.  In the book, Boundaries, When to Say Yes and When to Say No by Dr. Cloud and Dr. Townsend, they use the parallel of backpacks and boulders.  Meaning, we all have baggage and should do the work to ensure that baggage fits in a backpack rather than carrying around boulders.

Being overwhelmed with life’s events can be draining on all levels. When I am carrying too much baggage, I feel it emotionally, mentally, and physically.  My neck and shoulders get stiff, along with some level of a headache.  Those are my signals to do some type of Emotional/Mental/Spiritual (EMS) exercises to check some of the baggage.  My EMS exercises are turning the phone off for a bit, quiet time in the chair to ensure I am not owning someone else’s issues, writing, Harley therapy and working out. 

If you don’t think baggage is a big deal, look up some of the statistics on stress related illnesses.  Stress is one of the top killers out there.  It manifests itself physically in the way of anxiety, high blood pressure, ulcers, and all sorts of other physical maladies.  It doesn’t matter how you do it, but make sure you have some type of EMS workout in your routine.  Keep your baggage the size of a backpack rather than a steamer trunk. After all, size does matter.