Are you suffering from ING Syndrome?

Season’s Greetings! Every year we poke fun at this “diagnosis” of ING Syndrome.  

Definition:

ING syndrome is a repetitive motion disorder that results in discomfort felt in the body that usually originates from the muscles, nerves, bones, joints and other structures in the spine.

Classification:

There are several potential causes of ING syndrome.  Diagnosis of the ING syndrome is directly related to excessive amounts of certain holiday activities.  These activities include, but are not limited to:  shoppING, decoratING, cookING, eatING, bakING, plannING, entertainING, stressING, wrappING, sleddING, skatING, SkiING, travelING, visitING, singING, laughING, drivING, shovelING, dancING . . . just to name a few.

But really, ING Syndrome can be all year round for many of us. Addicted to being BUSY.

A few weeks ago we were home on a Sunday. After a busy Saturday, we had gone to church Sunday morning and before church we had been invited over to a friends house for breakfast. We came home at noon to spend a Sunday afternoon at home. My 4 year old kept asking what are we going to do this afternoon? We are going to enjoy a Sunday afternoon at home. No, she cried, I want to GO SOMEWHERE. We have been out of the house from 8am to noon, we are going to enjoy an afternoon home. Just be grateful, you don’t have to go to school today. You have Mommy and Daddy to yourself. We will play with you, we told her. “I just want to go somewhere”, she kept crying. In that moment I realized how much we are constantly on the go and we have conditioned her this way. She does not know how to just be home and play. It hit me like a ton of bricks.

So what can we do about it?  First, do you want to change it? If so, start by looking at your schedule and see what you can edit out. The phrase “I respectfully decline” is ok. And you don’t need to give an explanation. Minimalism is a hot topic right now. I prefer “Essentialism”. Making time in your schedule for what is essential to you and your value system. That means your priorities. If I run errands and say yes to all invites, I am saying no to being home with my daughter and playing with her. If you say yes to something, you are saying no to something else. Make sure you are doing the things that matter to you instead of just doing it, doing it, doing it.

And on the other hand you may not want to change any of your plans! You may enjoy it; you may like INGing! And that is OK too! And if your body is feeling it, make sure you are doing self care – and Chiropractic Adjustments are self care. Self care is not selfish. If you are even reading this blog post, you are taking the time out to take care of yourself! Happy Holidays and we wish you many blessing in the New Year!