using a sledgehammer or a scalpel?
Scalpels
Once I was house sitting and got sucked into the True Hollywood Story of Britney Spears. This was back in 2010 so poor Brit had just shaved her head and was being extracted from her own bathroom by EMTs.
Culturally, we love drama. Big impact. Radical transformation. Cataclysmic breakdowns and hopeful breakthroughs. It’s why shows like True Crime, Love is Blind, and anything-home-makeover are popular.
It's why concepts like consistency and sustainability are obviously a good idea. But also get an eye roll.
It’s why most of us tend to use a sledgehammer when we need a scalpel.
Sledgehammers are great for wake up calls and break throughs. But they make a mess. Not far from slinging sh!t at a wall and seeing what sticks.
Scalpels are for precision, delicate cuts, and keeping as much intact as possible.
With those definitions in mind, what do you really need when your low back is cranky or your shoulder is sticky? When your nervous system is on the fritz and you’re feeling anxious? When you’re navigating an autoimmune condition?
Is a sledgehammer your best option? Usually not, but often it's all we know. It's definitely most of what we see.
Scalpels take skill, patience, and training. Scalpel work is an investment.
Here are 2 case studies:
Your lower back goes out and you do the same ol’ practice hoping to “fix” it, or you run to the chiro, or maybe take a muscle relaxer.
While none of these are wrong, they take healing power out of your hands. They do not increase knowledge of your body or develop new skill for next time.
Scalpel work would be slow deliberate practice to dissolve asymmetries. Laying with legs at 90* waiting for release. Paying attention to how you’re walking, sitting, and standing. Making miniscule adjustments in alignment.
Your back regains stability and you gain confidence in your ability to maintain it because of everything you discovered along the way.
Less wack-a-mole, more detective work.
Similar but different: You’re teetering on the edge of burnout and fending off overwhelm. So you go to a breathwork class. While the breathing is promoted as healing, it’s taxing for your nervous system. You’re high as a kite for about an hour. But then your heart is racing and your anxiety is off the charts.
Again, breathwork isn’t bad, but it’s rarely what an already overextended nervous system needs.
Scalpel work is noticing your breathing, nudging the system gently, taking 10 or 15 minutes for breathing that feels soothing. Suddenly you have more space and you tackle the next thing with calm grace.
Scalpel work is delicate and deliberate. It asks for restraint. Minimalism even. Which is why we often miss it.
And much to our detriment because if the go-to-tool is a sledgehammer, of course we feel scattered, depleted from picking up pieces, unclear about impact, and unable to stay centered.
Next time you find yourself needing something, whether it’s stability for your lower back or strategies for adrenal fatigue, notice if you reach for the sledgehammer or the scalpel.
Want to do in-person scalpel work to build strength and stability in key areas of your body? I'll be in Marin teaching December 6-8. Details below.
If you want to work on the conditioning that keeps you reaching for the sledgehammer, take the 6-week journey to Make Practice Miraculous. You'll learn the language of your body so you can do scalpel work for healing.
With the march of time (aka aging) you need scalpel skills. Patience and precision bring endurance. Start making the investment today so you never wish you did it different.
May your practice have endurance,
Alison
