We all know the concept of a warning shot: a cannon aimed well and truly in front of the boat to get the captain’s attention or even the coastguard shouting into the megaphone warning the captain not to come any closer or that he must slow down. But what do warning shots mean and how come each and every one of us can have different warning shots?
According to Wikipedia, “A warning shot is a military and/or police term describing an intentionally harmless artillery shot or gunshot with intent to enact direct compliance and order to a hostile perpetrator or enemy forces. It is recognized as signaling intended confrontations on land, sea, and air.” Our amazingly constructed bodies also have warning shots. For us they can come in a myriad of forms- from restless nights, upset stomach, feeling listless, constantly running on empty, headaches, pins & needles, numbness, lower back aches, feeling stiff getting out of bed, an inability to concentrate, muscle cramping, muscular aching & pulling and even an inability to get comfortable. You name it, warning shots are vast and expansive however, they are asking you to take action.
We all have different warning shots as a result of the different stressors and strains that we place our own bodies through each and every day. The mum of 3 kids under 3 has different emotional and physical stressors than the truck driver who has different stressors than the travel agent who has different stressors than the marathon runner who has different stressors than the CEO. Stressors do not have to be physical, the one constant here is whether the stress is physical, chemical or emotionally based it will still burn the matches in the matchbox. As the matches burn out the warning shots start to sound, but how do we stop the matches from completely burning out or how do we avoid the “confrontation” or injury that the warning shot is trying to warn us against?
- Get adjusted– similar to taking your car to the mechanics for a tune up, as a chiropractor, my number one role is to decrease stress that is building up both internally and externally. An aligned body is much more adaptable to the stresses and strains of every day life and an adjustment will always get you further away from the threshold level where we start to experience pain and breakdown.
- Tune in– although harder to do, taking deliberate “me time” either at the beach, in the bush or even with meditation. Step away from your normal routine and mentally give your body some time to unwind. Try to step away from the 24/7 chaos that is most of our lives so you can genuinely gauge how you are feeling and performing.
- Move differently– if you are the marathon runner and constantly pounding the pavement, breaking up the movement with yoga, riding, swimming or heaven forbid reading a book or meditating will stop further body breakdown. However, for the CEO who is mentally exhausted maybe the run will be just the right thing to clear the cobwebs. The mum with the three kids could go with either the exercise or the mental unwind, all would be a great positive change.
A lot of these steps can be done yourself, the difference between a warning shot and the real thing can be only inches. Don’t take the risk of drifting a little too far; once you have crossed that ledge it is much harder to crawl your way back. If you are in need of any help either before or after the warning shots have landed, we have plenty of options to help you. With Chiropractic, massage, breathing therapy and mobility each therapy will help you feel, sleep and move better.