Reciprocal Inhibitions

When deep into a marathon, runners will often ‘hit a wall’ – that proverbial point around miles 18-24 where the legs hurt – calves, hamstrings and quadriceps are revolting at the stress - and it feels like you can’t finish the race. I tell my runners that when this happens, run with your arms!

Not literally doing handstands but shifting the focus from the hard-working legs to the free-loading arms. This is an example of what is known as ‘reciprocal inhibition’ where we cannot hold in our minds two contrary thoughts or feelings simultaneously. By shifting our mental focus from sore legs to the motion of our pain-free arm movement we forget the sore leg muscles and forge ahead.

I thought of this recently when a client mentioned that he struggles each year around Thanksgiving. Painful memories of the past impinge on enjoying this holiday. Reciprocal inhibition is a great technique to counteract holiday blues.

How does it work? When feeling negative thoughts or the blues, substitute a happy recollection from the past. It need not be related to the holidays and can be from any age. With that in mind, write down 3-5 things for which you are grateful. Things like a sunny day, a good relationship or job, or a favorite food.

Gratitude takes many forms, and acknowledging a few things for which we are grateful shifts our mindset into a more positive frame of mind. Once the focus shifts, positive thoughts help get us through.