Arguing with Reality

“Today I escaped anxiety. Or no, I discarded it, because it was within me, in my own perceptions—not outside.”—Marcus Aurelius

How much of what you’ve been sure was true has, in fact, turned out to be false or has changed from your original perception of it? If you’d asked me as a child what I was going to be when I grew up, I’d have said an optometrist. I have terrible eyesight and was interested in understanding why. In college I got a job at a candy store and became interested in why eating tons of candy always made me feel sick, so I instead became a nutritionist. If you’d asked me at the beginning of this summer when SYNC would open, I’d have said today, August 1st. Today, however, while we’ve made great progress, we’re not yet ready for clients.

Arguing with Reality

I panicked last week when things were not ready for float tank installation, probably losing the better part of a day to anxiety. For many of us, this is a common first reaction to stress. If we eventually look back at this initial response, we might discover our anger and frustration actually added additional, unnecessary pain to unmet expectations and daily setbacks.

My partner and I have been working on SYNC for over two years, and I’m so ready for it to open, so ready to be on the other side of this part of the process. But I try to remind myself: struggle is part of building anything. There is difficulty and joy, success and failure in all endeavors.

You may look at your own life and see something similar, as much of life is spent amidst change and transition. Be it a new relationship, a breakup, getting a “real job”, deciding how to approach a stressful situation with a co-worker, having your first child or adding a second—even joyous occasions sometimes have aspects we may want to fast-forward through, imagining everything will finally be okay once we’re on the other side.

However, all that wishing for “one day” takes us out of the reality of now, the process—and that wishing isn’t my fault just like it’s not yours. We have natural fight or flight responses to stress thanks to a very old part of our brains called the amygdala, which triggers the release of a hormone called cortisol, meant to prepare us to battle for protection or flee to safety. While this is extremely helpful in a life-or-death situations, it’s not always so helpful for standard, day-to-day stress. Just because one person cuts unseeingly across our path with their grocery cart, disrupting our hurried shopping, or another has an excessively loud conversation that disrupts our own, doesn’t mean we need to feel stressed or angry, these are the emotions that come naturally. We simply need to see those reactions and let them go.

Floating to De-stress

Floating gives you a megadose of often-lacking nutrients, magnesium and sulfur, and without these nutrients we have an even harder time overcoming our biological responses to stressful, though not life-threatening, situations. The body loses magnesium when it’s under stress, using it to regulate cortisol. Magnesium also helps us sleep, giving our body a chance to rest and recover before facing a new day. Sulfur, as well, is a healing mineral, and a sulfur deficiency can lead to chronic pain and inflammation. Each float tank contains 900 pounds of magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt), infusing your body with nutrients it needs to help you challenge your default stress response and become a better version of yourself.

Opening Soon?

We can’t wait to open SYNC. We can’t wait to see you there. Maybe it’ll be the end of August and maybe not until September. Regardless, we can’t wait to help you better understand how your body works, how getting integral nutrients, magnesium and sulfur, at high levels and in an environment completely free of stressful inputs, can help you on your journey to change yourself for the better. As Viktor Frankl said, “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”

We’d love to hear the other ways you take time out to reflect on your life in order to meet the next days’ challenges. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter and share your story!