Juggling for stress:
Why do I juggle?
Stress Relief.
That’s easily the #1 reason.
I mean, it’s fun- it’s challenging, and it’s entertaining for other people- a great skill to have at a party for sure (in fact, the first impression my wife ever had of me was when I juggled torches at a party at Marlboro College back in 2001.)
But if Juggling was just a fun party trick for me, I wouldn’t do it every day.
The reason I juggle every day is simple- when I’m working on juggling three objects, the number of other things I can think about gets cut WAY down.
For instance, if I’m stressed about deadlines, housework, and pretty much anything else- and the OVERWHELM is setting in- That triggers my impulse to get some balls in the air. It automatically centers my focus on something physical, rhythmic, and fun.
After only 5-10 minutes of juggling, everything becomes much easier to handle- everything seems a lot more manageable- it becomes easier to imagine juggling all the less tangible obstacles in front of me.
It’s a fantastic way to keep focused, inject some fun into every day life, and be constantly working on a skill that other people can enjoy.
I feel like juggling makes me more valuable to other people too- for instance, if I’m ever around a friend with a kid who’s upset, or throwing a tantrum, or bored, or WHATEVER- I can usually find three roundish objects to juggle, and instantly, as if by magic I’m the center of attention, and the kid is having a better time-
It feels good to be able to spice up any situation with juggling- and it’s even nicer to be able to use juggling like a kind of active meditation… Instead of closing my eyes and basically falling asleep, I can just “zone out” on my juggling pattern, but keep one foot firmly planted in the “real world”.
If you’d like to learn how to juggle, I’m going to be putting together a 10 step email series for beginners-
I’ve taught over 100 people to juggle 1 on 1, and I’m thinking, once I make videos and email lessons, I can teach anyone who ever wants to know.
