Adopt an ergo approach to life

Most of us understand the importance of an ergonomic, or properly aligned, workspace — especially when we’re working from home. A kitchen table and chair just don’t cut it. The good news is that by making tiny changes aligned with a few key principles, we have the power to transform even the most challenging space into a more comfortable, supportive, and enjoyable one. This led me to ponder: How might we adopt an ergo approach to life?

The first rule of ergo

The first principle of ergonomics is to conform the equipment to our bodies, not the other way around. Bending and stretching to meet the equipment rather than adjusting it to our own needs causes pain. Not only physical but also emotional, because our wiring is all interconnected.

Families, societies, governments, churches all create rules that we’re told to embrace and accept. Many of us comply without asking why, even when it doesn’t feel right to us. Then we wonder why our neck or back hurts all the time, why we feel contorted and constrained, or why we find it tough to stay focused as our minds wander to unfulfilled fantasies and dreams.

Avoid the acrobatics

Unless we’re acrobats, if we continue contorting ourselves while sitting at our desks or making choices in our lives, we’ll feel the strain on our health and wellness. The challenge is that we often believe we don’t have the freedom or power to adjust our lives to adapt — and better yet, celebrate — our beliefs, our preferences, and our needs and desires.

Meanwhile, we almost always have some choices. That doesn’t mean making changes is easy or comfortable. But neither is contorting ourselves all day long year after year.

Several years ago I was a young, single woman who snagged what many saw as a dream job with a company car, expense account, and regular travel to interesting cities. But not only was the work extremely stressful, it didn’t align with my desire to express my creative side. No matter how hard I tried to make it work,  one day I hit my limit and quit. I still needed to pay my mortgage and without another job lined up, I cut expenses and worked as a retail store manager for a while. But I didn’t lose sight of my dream. Eventually I found my path back to writing and love how creative my whole life is now.

The roots of fear

The second principle of ergonomics: The humble chair is the foundation for all. So, if our chair’s not stable, supportive, and aligned to our needs, all the fancy ergo mice and keyboards in the world won’t fix what’s ailing us.

Let’s look at it through the lens of our chakras to apply it to our lives. We discussed the heart chakra in a previous blog — now we’ll head south to the root chakra.

Located at the base of the spine, the root (or base) chakra is the foundation for the spine’s energy centers. As our most primal energy center, this chakra relates to our family of origin which provides our foundation in life. The circumstances around our birth and experiences with our family impact this energy center. When it’s blocked or out of balance, we may feel as unsafe as an abandoned baby — despite our actual circumstances.

This can cause us to be afraid to make choices that could threaten our connection to people or situations that provide a sense of safety and security. So, we might stay in a job we don’t love but pays the bills or in a relationship that’s not working but protects us from feeling lonely or responsible for our own needs.

Wobble don’t run

To adopt an ergo approach to life, we don’t need to dump the job or the relationship — unless we’re ready for that. Our minds often jump to a big, complicated solution which only increases our fear and anxiety. Then we often give up completely.

Fear is a powerful motivator and demotivator. Which means we need to take steps that are small enough to feel comfortable and safe, but point us in the direction of our desires. Just like a toddler, those first steps may be wobbly, but they’re extraordinarily powerful, exhilarating, and liberating.

As ergo teaches us, small changes can make a big impact. We don’t need to revamp our entire office space and order a slew of new furniture and equipment. Unless that’s in our budget and makes us happy. Instead, we can give our base a little boost by adding a cushion or folded blanket to our chair, instantly improving our overall alignment. The same can be applied to our lives.

Ground control to Major Tom

To reinforce our foundation and take more ownership of our lives, we can look for ways to ground ourselves with more support.  Maybe look for some new friends who better align with our values and lifestyle choices. When we feel supported and appreciated, our whole outlook changes. Not that we reject friends who don’t agree with everything we say or do. But if we feel constrained from being our authentic selves in their presence, we need to balance that energy.

Speaking of balance, we can also establish better boundaries around certain people or situations that don’t serve our higher good. That charming, antique French desk we fell in love with may not be the best choice for daily comfort or productivity. We may need to learn to say no and stick to it; give ourselves space and time apart; and clearly yet kindly express our own needs. As those contorted muscles loosen, we create space for our dreams and desires to take root and grow.

From an energetic perspective, we can play with red in our color scheme or practice specific ‘grounding’ yoga poses. And as always, Mother Nature offers all of us unconditional support: Connect with the earth by walking in the grass, growing a garden, building sand castles or making snow angels!

We all get to choose

To adopt an ergo approach to life, you choose to make adjustments that align with YOU and your desires, rather than force yourself to bend to the will of others. It also means allowing and empowering others to do the same. We can ask for what we need, but that doesn’t mean people must or will conform. Sometimes we need to say goodbye to that beautiful, antique French desk — or maybe just visit it every so often.

Bless you for reading my blog!

I am a holistic life coach who specializes in expressive writing to nurture healing, insight, and creativity. For more information about that, visit www.manifestwithmargrita.com. If you have a question or topic you’d like me to write about here, or would like to join my Good Vibrations email community, email me at [email protected]. I also invite you to follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.