Unstuck Yourself

Oh hello there. This post will be extra short today because … summer. I’m writing this in my home office as I watch my toddler enjoy hour #2 of Wild Kratts. I’m not sure she’s had breakfast, but she has had a popsicle and an ice cream sandwich. For those of you with structured summer plans, please don’t panic for me. I will eventually get us out of the house, to do something somewhere at some point. 

My message in this post is fairly simple, mainly designed to introduce you to the theme of The Hook this month in MommaStrong. So, I’ll get right to the point. We’re talking about how stuck we all feel, physically but also yes – of course – spiritually, emotionally, all the things. I personally discovered this the other day when I went to roll on my foam roller, a simple upper back extension. What used to be a relaxing release turned into what the actual eff is happening. My back quite literally would not arch even a tenth of what it used to. 

And, so, I began rolling other areas too. Armpits. Quads. QL. TFL. Lats. The only way I can describe how it all felt is as if there’s a layer of armor under my skin, connected like a sling from my armpits through my ribs and into the front of my pelvis. I’m guessing this armor has had its purpose, keeping me going while treading through the dangerous post-pandemic terrain.

I’m left wondering, is it my car? Is it the way I am sleeping in the wee hours of the night in the corner of my toddler’s bed? Is it the way I am sitting at my desk? Is it that I am now 43? But, the truth is that it is none of that and all of that. The basic and most obvious truth is that the last three plus years have been hard on our bodies. We are all stuck.

The way I used to handle stuckness was to roll and release on foam, lacrosse balls, all sorts of round and ouchy objects. I did this regularly, alongside my workouts. It was a partner in the dance of being a moving human. But, over the last few years, I have done less and less of the roll and release. My body has become a bit of a robot, performing the stuff I absolutely have to do, and staying away from the stuff that asks more of me in any way.

The result is what is here now. I am stuck. I feel stuck. And, if I’m honest, I’m sort of like meh, what’s the point? Maybe this is too far gone. Or – more accurately – maybe I really really don’t want to feel what I know I need to feel in my body (and in my life).

So, as it goes here in MommaStrong, once you know, you know. And once we know, we dive into the deep water and we eschew stagnation. This is why this month, we are focusing on release work – how the way that unfolds in the body is connected to other areas of our life. In the end, it’s a commitment to believing that it’s never too late and it’s always worth it. 

Deep breath. Dive in with us this month of July and unstuck yourself too. 

After you register for the Hook, all we encourage you to do is to listen to one short episode of our mini podcast each week, then comment or discuss as you like in our community. OH, and you try to show up for 5-15 minutes of exercise as often as possible during the month.

See you on the flip side.