I didn’t want to get out of bed this morning. It wasn’t because the thermometer was hovering just below 10 degrees. It wasn’t because I was tired. It wasn’t because I didn’t want to go to work-I took the day off so no work for me.
The reason I didn’t want to get out of bed this morning is because I didn’t know what to write down on this page. For some reason that really had me stressing. It kept me burrowed under my comforter in the safety of my bed.
I recently read something about how much of a stronghold our minds can have over our bodies. I know there are times when I have the competing sides of my brain wrestling to see who is going to come out ahead. It is like the cartoon where the person has the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other.
The angel may have told us when we went to bed the night before that we are going to get up early and exercise. We set out our exercise clothes and set our alarm. When that alarm goes off the devil is the first one up. He is sitting on that shoulder rolling us deeper under the covers and whispering “five more minutes”. The angel, meanwhile, is a very heavy sleeper and does not stir when the alarm goes off.
I was thinking about the angel and the devil this morning while I was burrowing deeper under the covers in an attempt to please the devil. Then I remembered a trick mentioned by the writer of the piece I was recently reading. He said when we are sitting on the couch or in bed unable to move even though we know we should, just wiggle your pinky. This send a signal to your brain that you are back in charge, that the angel is making decisions now and the devil can buzz off.
I tried that this morning. I wiggled the pinky on my right hand just slightly. Then I wiggled it again. I could feel the devil falling off my shoulder and I could feel myself rising out of bed. I was back in charge!
This was my first go ‘round with the pinky Jedi mind trick. It served as a good reminder that we can put our best selves in charge of what we choose to do on a daily basis. Maybe I can build on this. Maybe I can use this as a reminder when I feel myself not wanting to do something because I would rather sit on the couch.
It seems like such a small thing-wiggling your pinky. But if it can have a positive effect on my decision making, you may see me wiggling my pinky for what appears to be no reason on a regular basis.
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