One Degree Turns
“If you want to sail your ship in a different direction, you must turn one degree at a time.” Brian Tracy
“Even a one degree shift in your thinking can cause a massive change in your life over time.” Mary Morrissey
Once in awhile a concept comes into your life that is so simple, so obvious, that it hits you over the head like a ton of bricks! A friend of mine is a Martha Beck coach and suggested that I read Martha’s new book, as she thought I might find it interesting. I did! One of the concepts that most stuck with me is that of “ One Degree Turns.”
The idea of a one degree turn is that the human body and psyche find it difficult to handle massive change all at once. We often start out strong - think new diet or exercise routine - but within a few days or weeks (or in my case sometimes just hours when I am on a “not eating potato chips” kick) we are “off the wagon” and back to a way of living that is more familiar to us. However, it is often much easier and more sustainable for us mortals when we make small changes, a little bit at a time, and stretch them out over a longer interval. In the end, these little changes can add up to quite a lot! Simple math tells us that a one degree turn per day for 365 days is more than one entire revolution around a circle. In this case, rather than implying I am back where I started, it means I have completed an entire lap around my nervous system track, leaving amazing, beneficial, positive things at each new angle. If you think of yourself as a cruise ship and consider what would happen if you altered your current path by one degree every day, it would not take that long and you would be heading in an entirely different direction.
My FM/ME/CFS specialist used to talk about growing our exercise envelope through making VERY small increases over extended months. Basically, this meant starting at a point I could manage without crashing and then staying there for several weeks. If I could CONSISTENTLY perform that level of activity within my window of tolerance, I could increase it a small amount, not more than 10%, and do that for several weeks. Anytime I would find it was too much, I needed to back down to the last level again before attempting any other changes. Great advice! Did I ever, even one time, listen to her? Nope. Never. Not. A. Single. Time. I would do my walk, lets say around my block of about .5 km. The next day I would try to go around twice. And if that didn’t kill me maybe 3X the next day! Why not right? You can probably tell I struggle to take things slowly. And, predictably, every time I would feel good for a short period of time, think I was totally in the zone, and then crash REALLY hard and be back down even worse than I started. You might think, after doing this half a million times, I would have recognized it didn’t work for me, and try a new strategy but I am nothing if not persistent (and apparently insane if you go by the idea that insanity is doing the same thing again and again expecting different results.) So much for one degree turns. I liked to do 180 degrees all at once and have the problem fixed by Friday, at the absolute latest! And when my plan failed, as it always did, I was often feeling worse off then before I started my fix… as in super crashed, deflated, discouraged and grouchy about the whole thing. Yup, you guessed it, I was a joy to live with too.
So here I am back to the idea of one degree turns. For awhile now, I have been entertaining the idea that if I make small changes that are consistent and they are within my window of tolerance, then my nervous system can accept them with less protest, and I will be much better off in the long run. Ideally, these should be a slight challenge for me, but not to the point that I have to go into stress mode trying to make it work. I will admit I am not the best at one degree, so I think in my life they are probably more like five degree turns, but they are still small and manageable. The main takeaway is that any degree will do. When you accomplish that degree, celebrate it. Big time! Phone a friend, put on your favourite sweater, have a special treat you have been waiting for, throw a “me” party just for yourself. And when you can’t quite manage a degree for today, honour your amazing persistence and practice self compassion. If you can’t manage it for several days in a row, then perhaps there are a few too many degrees in your turn and consider pulling back a bit to something even smaller and more doable. I have had to do that MANY times before finding that sweet spot of what I can do with just a little bit of effort.
What does that look like in practice? Here are a few one (or five) degree turns that I have taken in my own life to help get your juices flowing.
Wearing jeans – Putting on a pair of jeans, instead of sweat pants, track pants or yoga pants (my fav!!) helps me feel like I am dressed to accomplish something in the day. If you have been having trouble getting out of your pajamas, or getting out of bed, I totally get you. Been there myself. I am still there some days. Perhaps getting into a pair of yoga pants, or getting into the shower or brushing your hair feels like that is enough for the first degree. Totally fine! Maybe it is dressing up on Mondays or extra self care time on Tuesdays. Remember ANY one degree will do. And don’t forget to celebrate the heck out of your accomplishment. Go crazy and put it out there on your instagram page or twitter account. Possible twitter hashtag = #IBrushedMyHairTodayYayMe!!! (Full disclosure…I actually don’t have a twitter account but it seems like a fun way to proclaim your achievements to the masses, so if you frequent the twittersphere then hashtag away.)
Taking a 20 minute rest period mid day – Setting my alarm to listen to a quiet meditation, lying down with my legs upright sometime in the middle of the day puts my body into parasympathetic mode for rest and digest. It also breaks the circuit of any stress that might be building up. If 20 minutes feels way too long for your system, start with 1 minute or 5 minutes or 30 seconds. The amount of time matters way less than trying something new and having it be manageable and safe for your system. Tweet - #IrestIdigestIrock!!!
Putting my cell phone and other devices away for part of my day – For me this is my first hour awake and at least one hour before bedtime. Research has shown us that having devices with blue light before bed makes falling asleep much harder and reading news and information first thing in the morning adds to our anxiety. I try and keep a book beside my bed that I can read instead. If one hour feels more like a 20 degree turn for you, start with 15 minutes in the morning and before bed and work your way up as you go. Try one part of the day “off” and one part “on” for using your phone and see how that feels. Or give up just one thing – perhaps go without your favourite game (let that candy crush itself for awhile), or don’t check You Tube or Instagram for an hour or two. Play around with what feels like a challenge for your system, but not overwhelming. Just like the story of the Goldilocks and the Three Bears we are looking for the bowl of porridge that is “just right.” No tweet for this one since I am not on my phone right??
Doing a 15 minute yin yoga practice in the morning when I wake up – This slow and meditative style of yoga helps to get my body limbered up for the day and reminds my nervous system to park itself in a calmer space. On days when I don’t feel up to it… no problem. I can do a yoga nidra mediation or try a short practice before bed instead or just give my body permission to have a day off. YouTube has a zillion options for shorter, restful practices so might want to start with just a few minutes once or twice per week and see how your body feels. Remember… one degree at a time. Tweet - #YogaIsMySuperpower!
As you can see, these type of turns can be adjusted to fit your lifestyle and your current pace of living. The main thing is that we don’t compare ourselves to others. I have friends who wouldn’t dream of doing less than a full 1 hour intense yoga flow practice several times a week. Others have to work super hard to make it out of bed in the morning so a pair of sweat pants and a shower deserve tremendous applause and I am here to honour that effort. Only you know your system and what feels like a one degree turn FOR YOU and where you are at today.
Writer Samuel Croxall once said “The more haste, the worse speed.” How true is that? Lets remember to move slowly, celebrate each degree turn we attempt and not take our misfires too seriously. In a year’s time, we can look back on that lap around our nervous system track with pride. In this case slow and steady really does win the race. #IDon’tMindRunningWithTurtles.
One Degree Turns is from “The Way of Integrity” by Martha Beck
“I don’t mind running with turtles” quote by Sondra Faye