If you feel a bit unsteady while putting up the holiday decorations, know you are not alone – and take heed.  Last year, the Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that nearly 15,000 people were treated in emergency rooms for holiday decorating-caused injuries, half of which involved falls.

Standing on ladders, reaching, twisting, and leaning to get the lights or the ornament in the perfect spot, checking to see if the garland is draped just right while ignoring the boxes at our feet – all add up to dangerous and destabilizing movement.

Attention, Please!

While the physical challenges may be obvious, it’s how we direct attention and awareness that sets us up for a fall. That’s because movement organizes around the focal point of our awareness. Picture, for example, looking at your cell phone, how the head drops and the spine curls around the handheld screen. We tend not to notice the impact on posture; the object of attention (the ornament, the mistletoe) fills the mind’s eye. That’s what happens when stringing lights or reaching to place the angel atop the tree – as focus zeros in on the task literally “at-hand,” the whole-body shapes itself relative to that point of concentration – hence the twists and leans that create unstable balance.

Stable Posture as the Locus of Focus

Unlike object-centered attention, which narrows focus, postural awareness provides a big picture framework for the whole of movement. Hand and arm movement takes place in the context of stable, whole-body posture, as does our interaction with objects and the environment – and that helps protect us from a fall. 

To establish stable whole-body posture, simply move the focal point of attention from the literal task-at-hand to your center of balance in the middle of the abdomen – 2 or 3 inches below the belly button.  Placing the focal point of attention at the physical center of balance wakes up awareness of the whole body in balance. No need to tense up the abdominal muscles – the goal is to shift your attentional framework. 

Relax and Align!

Reaching up and lifting up may automatically recruit the lifting and holding up of shoulders, causing the neck and back to tense up and the spine to curl forward – destabilizing balance. Take a moment to release upper body tension and feel relaxed aligned posture over your feet. And remember – what’s good for your balance is good for your back!

Be Strategic

Place a ladder or step stool in a position that promotes your best vertical alignment. Too close on a ladder can result in leaning backwards while reaching up; too far away on a step stool can result in falling forward. Rather than leaning sideways to reach a place or an object, reposition yourself for an easy reach in front of your body. Create an obstacle free movement space by moving boxes et al out from under foot.

Cheers to a safe and beautiful holiday season!