Tension Initiates Transformation

Tension is a normal part of physiological functioning: the tension between the lipid and water molecules that make up the cell membrane, the tension between positively and negatively charged ions in the intra and extra cellular spaces, the tension between rising and falling hydrostatic and oncotic pressures. It is often physiological tension that is creating the right environment for positive changes to happen on the inside of the body, and without this normal physiological tension, the body would be unable to perform even the most basic functions.

Tension is also a regular part of daily life. The tension between two people, the tension of conflicting emotions, the tension of the past with the present or the future. Without these tensions, there would be very little self-reflection, growth or personal evolution.

The hardest part about tension is that it is paired with feeling physically, emotionally or mentally uncomfortable. There’s a basic judgement that feeling uncomfortable is bad or unwanted. If, for a moment, you suspended your judgment and just felt the sensation of discomfort for what it is, what would that feel like? Simplified, outside of the realm of preconceived notions, being uncomfortable is just potential energy that could be anything, but not having a direct or clear outlet, just sits there unresolved and unused. So, this stuck energy generates a sense of discomfort and desire to change something without having a clear sense of how to change it.

Returning to the body for a second, imagine a single cell. It’s made up of mostly water and is surrounded by a primarily water environment. The only thing keeping the cell from simply becoming a part of its surrounding environment is its membrane. The cell’s membrane is made up of two layers of phospholipids. The heads of the molecules, which are attracted to water, face the exterior environment and the interior of the cell, while the tails, which repel water, face each other. This ongoing state of tension makes sure that the two water environments, on the interior and exterior of the cell, don’t blend together. If the membrane of the cell, called the phospholipid bilayer, didn’t exist, the plasma on the inside of the cell would mix with the extra cellular fluid on the outside of the cell because both are made primarily of water. It’s because fat and water molecules repel each other that we have individual cells. Without this ongoing tension dynamic, the body would just be a giant puddle of water with no structural integrity, incapable of holding any sort of form or preforming any sort of life functions.

Based on the understanding that a functioning and healthy body is dependent on tension to exist in the first place, when approaching moments of tension and discomfort in our lives, the aim would be to neutralize them, like the body, NOT eliminate them.

To neutralize is to foster an effect that offsets another effect. If you’re hungry, you eat to neutralize the feeling of hunger. If you’re cold, you put on something warm to neutralize the feeling of being cold. If you’re tired, you sleep to neutralize the feeling of being tired. And so on.

The same principle, as long as you don’t overcomplicate things, can be applied to mental and emotional health. If you’re upset, how about doing something simple to neutralize the upset feelings? If you’re angry, stomping your feet for a moment. If you’re sad, watching something that you know will make you laugh. If you’re having looping thoughts in your head, redirecting your attention to your hands or your feet to temporarily stop the looping.

Resisting the nature of things only leads to more tension, and the body won’t respond well over time to being forced to resist its natural inclinations. We’ve all experienced holding our breath for too long and the body forcing us to take a deep breath even if we don’t want to. Similarly, desiring to eliminate all tension or uncomfortable moments in our lives will only create more tension because we become attached to that desire and therefore become even more mentally and emotionally uncomfortable.

Our lives are flooded with situations that put our minds and emotions in states of tension. Those polarities push us to re-evaluate, grow and change. Hold the intention to neutralize them like the body does, not to eliminate them.

Life without tension is impossible, and life because of tension is possible. Practice accepting the tension in your life by learning to neutralize it, and it will transform you.