How not to get carried away!

Do you ever get carried away?

I really enjoy the expression because it conjures an image of a person getting whisked off of their feet by the wind, like in a scene from Mary Poppins and it highlights very clearly what is missing when we act unconsciously: a sense of being grounded.

The dictionary definition is simply, "to loose self-control"...and the expression can be applied quite widely. You could get carried away by eating an entire bag of chips, working for 10 hours without taking a break, shopping beyond your budget, putting your foot in your mouth (another funny idiom), or even becoming so enthusiastic or about something that you loose all sense of reason.

Have you every felt carried away during a conversation with a friend, family member, or date? How about during a job interview, giving a talk, or in another situation in which you'd like to come across well, but somehow your mouth seems to be talking without the consent of the rest of you. Maybe your arms, head, or legs are moving and you don't know why. You feel short of breath. You hear what you're saying, but you don't really feel in control of it...and by control, I don't mean overanalyzing or micromanaging.

It's more like stuff's just happening and you don't feel in command. Maybe you're nervous, excited, or both...or maybe neither and it's just habit. Or you see yourself on video and realize that you're not conveying what you felt you were.

If this sounds like you, it's time to get your hands on the wheel and steer the car while you're driving it!

I used to have a re-occurring nightmare as a child that I was trying to drive a car before I knew how and and it was going fast and out of control. Once I actually learned to drive, I continued having the same dream, but my brain cleverly changed it so that I'd have a new challenge of driving from the back seat, reaching into the front seat to steer and to try and see the road. It was a very similar feeling as to how I'd feel if I were trying to put my best foot forward in a social or work situation, but I felt totally discombobulated in my movements, voice, and breathing...the overwhelming sensation in these moments being the feeling that I was levitating off the ground.

People sometimes describe moments of great joy as having a feeling of floating, which isn't a bad thing. The trick is that we can feel expansive, and rooted at the same time. A kind of grounded enthusiasm.

To learn how to achieve balance in how you use your body, breathing and voice when you communicate, check out my Posture Under Pressure workshops for women. Click here for more information and registration.