back pain and job

What is the connection here and how can you change something directly for yourself?

What we know about pain

Pain are multidimensional. This means that different factors play a role in the development of pain.
Why are we in pain?
They are a warning signal from our body. Or much more an action signal from our body. He tells us that our threat level has been exceeded and asks us to change something.
This can be a change of position, for example, if we have stayed in one position for a long time. This can be pulling your hand away from a hot object.
This is because the individual threat level has been exceeded. When the brain receives too much threatening information, it triggers a pain response. For this purpose, information from different areas is evaluated, from our environment, from inside the body, from our body parts and is connected with our experiences, adventures, emotions, fears and expectations. The brain interprets all this data individually and decides whether there is a threat or not. It is only when this happens that a pain response is sent from the brain.
If pain persists, general behavioral changes are often necessary. This can be the following, for example:

• Lots of exercise
• balanced Nutrition
• Good stress management
• supportive environment
• Satisfactory job

And that last point can be a game changer for many. When was the last time you asked yourself if the job you are doing right now is making you happy or unhappy?
Far too often I hear from my clients, "If I could, I would do something different." Or even "I hate my job".
In my opinion, we don't just do our jobs to make money. On average, we spend 41 hours a week at work. The content, the colleagues, the mood, the challenges, the environment - all of this affects our well-being.
Dissatisfaction at work, a bad mood among colleagues or over- or under-challenging professionally build up stress. This stress can trigger or increase pain. That doesn't mean they are the cause of pain. But they can be the trigger.
I have seen some customers in recent years who said they hardly felt any pain at the weekend or on vacation. But as soon as you get back to work, the pain comes back or becomes more intense.
Just the idea of ​​dissatisfaction can stress the nervous system so much that the level of threat increases and a pain response is sent. Because the expectations, experiences, emotions, fears and memories are also taken into account.

see the problem as a solution

In my opinion, the job is always part of the problem. And thus also part of the solution.
I don't mean that the job should be terminated. It would be naïve to think that this is the solution for everyone, let alone possible. However, I have found that everyone has a certain creative framework in their professional situation. What do I mean?

1. Become aware of what the problem is.
2. Think about how to proactively change that.
3. Do.

What is essential in my opinion? Get support. If you're unhappy but don't know why, you'll be going around in circles for a while, wasting time and energy trying to find a solution to an unknown problem. Talk to someone you trust, get feedback from confidants, advisors, coaches, Therapy, career advice – whatever feels good to you. Because you are the only person who can change your current situation. Do you need support for this? Then get it.
Then you can think step by step what you can change. And the whole thing can happen at your own speed. For example, a customer said last week that she had to hold out until her child went to daycare. This sets a clear deadline and gives the nervous system information and clarity, predictability. Another customer sought a conversation with his superiors and experienced what is possible when you communicate your expectations openly: new position, clearer responsibilities, more satisfaction. At the time I was more radical and simply resigned without knowing what was going to happen next. It felt liberating and so motivating - in my case one of the best decisions of my life.

What does this have to do with Neuro-Centered Training?

What does this have to do with Neuro-Centered Training, you ask? I'm asked that again and again, because many have the idea that you only train your eyes and balance and then everything will be great. Thank God - or for some unfortunately God - the human body is a bit more complex.
A large part of the work with my clients is the reduction of the threat situation. And that includes precisely the multidimensional approach. Since everything is connected in the body, I also have to connect everything in training. Therefore, for me, conversations about the job on the subject of pain are just as much a part of neuro-centred training as eye or hip circles.

Tool for a change of perspective

A simple, if unusual tool, which I like to use again and again:
The crazy eight
It's an exercise that I can adapt variably during training, I mostly use it to modulate pain. But you can also apply it to the job or other challenges. All you need is a piece of paper and a pen. Fold the sheet in half three times in a row so that when you unfold it you have eight equal squares. And from now on you need 8 minutes.

• Take 1 minute per square.
• In each box, draw what you can do to work on your current job position. Ideally, creative and maybe even utopian things come to mind.
• It's okay if it's unfamiliar and difficult at first.
• Reward yourself for taking the time.
• Consider which of the eight options are worth trying.

This exercise originally comes from business workshops and is used to find creative solutions to existing challenges. I use it to find eight new perspectives on current challenges with those affected. Because in this exercise you take eight different perspectives that help you in your current situation.
The exercise is called "Crazy 8" because you should draw ideas that are as crazy as possible. Drawing engages the creative part of your brain in problem solving. Most of the time, however, this is left out and the frontal lobe with its cognitive functions, with logic and reason, is integrated. It can be extremely rewarding to engage in this exercise, even if you're less artistically gifted like me. Drawing literally initiates a new process in the brain. Try it!