Decisions In Taut or Slack Mode

Are you making your decisions in TAUT or SLACK Mode?

The moment we seek to be a certain way, think a certain way, do a specific thing, or feel misaligned or uncomfortable with who we are or the way we are now, we create sensations of TAUTNESS in our bodies.

Are you making your decisions in taut or slack mode? Let’s begin with how can you know. Try this exercise for a moment.

As you sit here and read this I want you to remember the last time you felt any one of the following emotions: sad, scared, threatened, helpless, isolated, powerless, or not good enough.

As you remember that time, drop down into your body and feel the sensations. Notice where you feel it and allow yourself to experience the physical sensations in your body.

Your body feels taut, rather than slack or relaxed.

Exploring TAUT Sensations

Now you know what this feels like, turn up the intensity of the feeling in any way that works for you. Everyone feels their emotions differently. Some may have a sense of tightness in their stomach, throat, head, or chest, others feel their breathing shift in place or pace, or maybe feel numb or detached. You may associate your feelings with a certain smell or taste in your mouth. Do you hear or see anything? Perhaps you had the urge to get under your bed covers and curl up in a ball.

From this TAUT space, how do you feel mentally? How much potential for possibility, acceptance, creativity, positivity, passion, and inspiration do you feel in this space? I’m sure it’s minimal.

You may even start to develop thoughts of judgment or impatience, maybe even criticism or justification. Perhaps you’re already imagining a defence mechanism around you.

Now, step out of the space and remind yourself what you had for breakfast this morning. Did you enjoy it?

Exploring SLACK Sensations

Now I want you to remember a time when you felt completely open, trusting, fulfilled, happy, or grateful. Feel those feelings of knowing you are powerful, abundant, confident, and free, feeling the awareness of being unstoppable and connected with your inner wisdom.

How do you feel in your body? What physical sensations are present?

Maybe your breathing has slowed, or perhaps your posture or the position of your head has changed. Perhaps you feel more grounded, relaxed, strong, and purposeful. Your body may feel completely open.

Now you know what this feels like, turn up the intensity so you can remember the sensations and emotions attached to this awareness,

This is the feeling of SLACK or feeling loose, expansion, and relaxation. How do you feel mentally? Can you imagine more possibilities? Do you feel as if you’re capable of anything and open to receiving whatever comes your way?

Your Body Remembers

Our behavioural habits are important. How do you spend most of your time – feeling taut or feeling relaxed? When our body is taut and our muscles are tight, our nervous system is over-activated. Our adrenals are triggered and this can result in either a fight, flight, or paralysis response. We can develop a dash of paranoia when threats to our known or long-held beliefs exist, or risks to our identity can feel like threats to our physical safety.

Doubt and uncertainty create a fear of the unknown. If left unchecked this can lead to feelings of anxiety or put us in panic mode. Overwhelming flood the mind and it becomes harder and harder to decide what we think and what we want. When we have all these chemicals rushing through our energy our body can become accustomed to feeling this way.

Strangely, it can even become addictive and we tell ourselves we can’t give our best performance unless we’re under pressure. We kid ourselves into imagining it’s a performance drug. The body will even repeat the experience even when the original stimulus is not there anymore. In NLP (Neuro-linguistic Programming) we call this anchoring.

Even more unhelpful, When the body becomes so familiar with this chemical rush, it will seek out situations that perpetuate it; the body simply repeats what it has learned through repetition. Are you constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop? That fear always finds something to feed on.

Facing The Original Taut Experience Is The Key To Change Creates The Real Change

Our natural state of being is happy and relaxed, trusting, and open.We’re designed to operate in flow.

However, often without our conscious knowledge, many of our thoughts and feelings create tautness inside. Our adult life experiences, moments in our childhoods, our insecurities, low points, traumas, feelings of inadequacy or shame, limiting beliefs, fears, and stress are held as memory in the body, which is where our unconscious mind lives.

Your mind may not remember consciously, your body remembers everything. Our body will resist triggering wounds in our nervous system’s memory to maintain feelings of security. If we have a memory of being teased for being “stupid” in school, anything in our present day that makes us feel stupid gets tangled up in that original tautness. This emotional bucket grows and continues to stretch the nervous system and create even more overall tautness.

Most of us don’t want to face the discomfort of feeling that original experience so we stuff down each reminder and avoid situations that may bring it up. We create coping mechanisms, many of which can be behaviourally and emotionally harmful.

You Can Choose Whether You Make Decisions In Taut or Slack Mode

Feeling into your body and noticing whether you’re operating in taut or slack mode is the first step. Next, you want to ask yourself what you were doing when this feeling arose. Was it something you saw, heard, or felt in your memory, is it a conversation you’re having now or the environment you’re in?

When you’re aware of it, you can physically change your state by stepping into the physical posture of slack or relaxed. Slow your breath.

Remember a time when you felt excited, alive, grounded, relaxed, solid, and certain in yourself.

From this place of SLACK or relaxation, we make our best decisions.

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