Simple Wellness: Release Eye Stress
By Paul Cavel
I don’t have to tell you that stress and tension have a way of building up during the day. In this age of Big Data, a lot of that tension gets stuck in our eyes and nervous system.
If your eyes are perpetually tensed or overloaded, if your subconscious mind is clogged with visualizations, you cannot see clearly. And remember you see with your brain, not your eyes, so this is quite a big statement.
On a more mundane level, the eyes are a doorway to your inner world that must be nurtured like all other body parts. I’ve got a few exercises that will help you recognize when your eyes are becoming overloaded and what to do about it.
The Fixate-Dart-Fixate Pattern
During most activities, you turn, bend, stretch and move around in three-dimensional space in one way or another, all while your eyes involuntarily focus and shift focus on objects in your field of vision. Often times, they remain fixed there until they jump to the next object, creating three bad habits:
The mind is drawn outwards, causing consciousness to go external.
The occiput—located at the base of your skull where the spinal cord meets the brain—closes down, restricting signals traveling between the brain and the body.
The nervous system contracts, eliciting a stress response.
Until you become aware of the fixate-dart-fixate pattern in your eyes, you will continually rev up your nervous system. If you’re not sure this applies to you…
See for Yourself
Start from a relaxed and comfortable position and only do the following two experiments a couple of times to get the point. Neither should be practiced long-term as they only serve to help you become aware of how intimately the eyes are connected to the nervous system.
Experiment A
Choose an object close to you, fix your eyes on it and stare at it for a couple of minutes.
Notice what happens to your body, nerves and mind. Can you feel any tension building?
Now close your eyes, breathe into your belly and relax your eyes for a minute or two.
Experiment B
Try focusing again and, this time, go out to the object as if you were trying to reach it with your mind through your eyes. Feel the intensity of your action.
Then completely relax your intent, your eyes and your mind.
Bring your mind back inside your body, soften your stare to a gaze and allow the object to arrive at your eyes. Breathe smoothly and totally relax your eyes. If you need to close your eyes to relax them for a few minutes that’s okay.
The intensity or tension you feel from this exercise also happens involuntarily during times of stress and anxiety — whether you notice it or not.
SUMMARY
Stress can happen in various parts of the body and cause tension that inhibits your routine and overall health. In this day-and-age, eye stress has become prominent due to the increase of screen time albeit for work or pleasure. A simple experiment can determine if you have eye stress or tension.
In the next post, Simple Wellness Tips: Release Eye Stress Pt. 2, we focus on easy exercises for releasing stress or tension in your eyes.