Do you ever suffer from a heavy head?
I had a heavy head yesterday morning and it didn’t feel great. Maybe you can relate to this – a sheer feeling of heaviness and sluggishness.
So I found a simple solution – I had a haircut. And immediately I felt so much better.
It always helps to let go of all that extra weight:-)
Now I also know why some of our most popular bloggers such as Seth Godin and Leo Babauta are bald. Surely having less on your head means you can get more out of it?
Looking around, Gandhi was bald too.
Dr Wayne Dwyer, one of my inspirational teachers, is also folliclely challenged or should that be folliclely gifted? Or maybe it’s just old age:-)
Let me point out that I didn’t go the whole way and have a bald hair-style, but given the chance, my barber would have loved to have shorn off all my hair.
So here’s an idea for you – next time you feel heavy headed, go and get a haircut.
I know how some of you will be really attached to your hairstyle – but try something new and get a different look.
Even if you are female and you have longish hair. Indeed, especially if you are female. New look, new beginnings 🙂
Leo Babauta of Zen Habits in particular takes a minimalist approach to sartorial elegance. Maybe we should take a leaf out of his book and shorn more hair off our heads.
Failing that you can also consider these ideas to clear that heavy head in just 10 minutes:-
- Walk around your neighbourhood
- Drink herbal or green tea at your local café
- Sit in a garden and do nothing
- Take a power nap (and make sure it’s no more than 10 mins)
- Listen to some soothing, soft music.
- Do the hula hoop (my favourite – video coming soon!)
- Bounce gently or even rigorously on a rebounder or trampoline
- Meditate in a quiet spot
- Have a freshly squeezed vegetable or fruit juice, ideally made by you
Now over to you – how do you get rid of that heavy feeling?
If not a haircut, then what do you do?
Image courtesy of GerryT
I’m with you Arvind. Just got my hair cut the other day and was inspired by the entire experience (post to come). It did lighten my load and refresh my spirit. Thanks for a fun post.
Ways of ridding that heavy feeling: Just getting up and going somewhere, anywhere. Browsing the bookstore, being around people, a cup of cappuccino, watching a light-hearted movie, a scenic bike ride or beach walk.
The heavy head syndrome is much easier to bear than a heavy heart.
I clear my head with a brisk walk or quick workout. The blood pressure drops and the heart rate increases with fresh air in the lungs.
In summer, a dip in the pool does wonders for your outlook.
But above all, laughter is the best medicine.
Good job with this one. I’ve shaved my head many times and like to keep my hair short. I’ve also had long hair, but long hair does weigh me down and doesn’t fit into a simple lifestyle. Shaving my head does, in fact, have a very important spiritual component. For me, the first time I did it, I did it to prove to myself that I’m beholden to any systems that require paying for haircuts or having a certain hair style for a certain lifestyle.
On the broader issue, there are a few things in life that seem to make my load seem lighter, mostly involving nature, music and cats. I suppose a cat with a banjo on a patio would be the ultimate experience for me — although it doesn’t sound so good now that I’ve written it down.
Gip
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Music does wonders when I have a heavy head. When I sing and simultaneously play my keyboard, I feel calm and composed…
Also, listening to Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s sufi renditions gives me peace and tranquility. I totally love his singing…..
And then, the morning walk in this really green neighbourhood park is a great kickstart to my day..
I need a haircut soon. I have thick hair and even getting a trim can make a big difference in making me feel lighter. I find that eating a light salad or a bit of fresh fruit or having some water with lemon or lime banishes the heavy head feeling too. Also, any bit of communication from a certain fellow named Arvind seems to do the trick too 🙂
Thanks for the tip Arvind!
Hey when you find your way to Maui remember Wayne lives here and is giving talks (some free) and workshops often not to mention just out and about town (it’s a very small island). How delightful for you to meet him while on vacation 🙂
Haircuts are nice but what really inspires me is when I get my new highlights :)! I know, I know this may not be what you were hoping to hear but the new colors, the new shade, the hiding of that awful and brazen tiny strands of grey, oh it’s so empowering and rejuvenating that I can hardly contain myself for a day after that – and drinking loose-leaf tea at a local cafe sounds super – I did this in downtown Toronto for over an hour today before catching the next festival movie….Oolong tea from the mountains (mouth watering thinking about it)! Great post, Arvind!
Arvind, How many pounds of hair did the barber cut off today? If it helps losing weight that way – I’ll try it!
hi arvind – yes I have male pattern baldness but even if I didn’t you know I think I’d shave my head anyway. It’s a wonderful feeling to emerge from the shower clear and clean (clear?) headed. And the head is hugely more sensitive to touch once free of hair. I don’t know where sat sits with the spiritual crowd but they must know that this is true, even though it’s not written about much, but the whole head is an erogenous zone once hairfree. anyway, i do occasionally miss hair but not enough to risk growing it or worse, wigging it! and for a minimalist, one razor works for face and head – you don’t even need clippers any more or the cost of barbers!
Hands up, males who shave their heads who do NOT have male pattern baldness?
Just sayin’ 🙂
Agree totally with the haircut! I started cropping my own hair very short a few years ago and haven’t looked back. My husband trims his own very close with an electric trimmer. When it gets longer than ideal it feels weird. We don’t need blow dryers or hair goop, and we don’t get “hat hair” in the winter. The jury is still out, however, as to whether it makes us smarter or more creative 😉
I’m inspired… heading to the barber shop now! 🙂
Haha, interesting thoughts, Arvind. 🙂 I definitely know what you mean! I frequently go back and forth between growing my hair out and chopping it off. Hair can be such a pain.
My friend and I were actually just having a chat about hair today. She’s normally a blond, but she’s in the middle of separating from a really tough relationship, so she decided to dye her hair red. I’ve noticed that people, myself included, tend to do things like that when we feel our lives are out of control. She feels like she can’t change what’s happening in her relationship, but she can change her hair color. That little bit of control and change can often make a big difference in our lives.
Thanks for sharing!
Arvind,
I am with Angela, how much hair you cut it off, you to clear heavy head, is there a Arvind with long, curvy, knee length hair that we did not see? 🙂
Sometimes, for me simply when I talk to someone what is bothering me clears my head, and what I miss is, some one massaging my hair with oil, that sure feel so good. India’s barber’s are great doing it.
I like Jason Statom. He is still handsome and smart when he have hair loss. His image doesn’t change since from the start. I really admire his identity as an actor.