Articles

Ever feel completely lost in thought? Almost like you’re addicted to something that’s on your mind? I mean I feel that way a lot. We are humans, after all, and we have thousands upon thousands of thoughts per day. The exact number isn’t really clear but Kahneman...

How do you get to where you’re going if all you know is where you’ve been? Imagine walking up to a forest and there’s a clear path in front of you. Our natural inclination is to take it. But if you’re stuck – with physical pain, anxiety, or whatever else – you know...

It’s fascinating how little sensory cues can bring us right back to a memory, isn’t it? Like just this morning at the end of my workout, I was quickly transported back to memories of playing high school football — and it felt real. As if I were back on the field with...

Ever notice yourself holding your breath or crushing the steering wheel without even thinking about it? Do you have receding gums or exposed enamel because you keep smashing your toothbrush into your teeth while brushing? I am sometimes guilty of clenching my jaw when...

Recently I was doing an early morning trail run along the Chattahoochee River here in Atlanta. It was going well, relatively speaking as I’m not exactly an aerobic monster, until I tripped over a tree stump and bit it. Hard. But I wasn’t injured, I was actually...

How much do you know about breathing? You know we cannot survive without oxygen but is that all breathing is good for? We practice it 20,000 times a day yet we often pay it very little attention. ​The fact is, though, that breathing has a profound influence on not...

Hello faithful readers! It's hard to believe that I've been writing on SethOberst.com for three years. I thoroughly enjoy it and have been proud to see the readership steadily grow. As I reflect on the articles I've written I have realized, though, some errors I've...

Imagine walking across a narrow, one-foot-wide plank on the floor of your living room. Knowing that any misstep will allow you to safely step onto the floor in the comfort of your own home, how stressed would you be to perform this task? Would you be physically tense...

WARNING: Do not read this if you are going to read half. Do not read this article if you cling to the security of the ground below you because it may crack and then you might have to make a move. [This is a collaborative article between myself and Dr. Ben House (he...

The interesting thing about beliefs is that they are merely opinions, convictions. Not immutable facts. A belief is a learned habit of mind, a perception of our own reality. Yet many people hold these "facts" about the function of their body, their abilities, or their...

Without an accurate appraisal of where we are in space, the ability to feel at home with oneself — our self-image — is compromised. This directly affects our movement patterns because we move according to this self-image. And our self-image, then, is at least partly a...

In Part I of this series on Spatial Perception and Self-Ownership, we introduced the concept of reference frames and described how those who don't know where they are in space may struggle with knowing who they are. So if our body is the reference frame for how we see...

How do you know who you are? That's a heavy question to start off this article and one that I certainly cannot answer. But I've been struck lately with how many of the clients I work with are uncomfortable in their own bodies, often reporting they feel 'phony' or...

Much of my philosophy when it comes to movement and behavior hinges on the process of self-regulation. I have addressed various aspects of self-regulation, or the loss thereof, on this website but I've never truly defined it. Read on for a few thoughts on the subject,...

Something I find interesting is that if an output doesn't feel challenging and full of psychosomatic tension, it must not be hard enough; we must not be putting forth enough effort. In my previous post, I discussed how the space between our self-image and our...