You know how poker players are supposed to have a ‘tell’ – a subconscious behaviour that gives away the state of their hand?
Well, I reckon we all have them.
I’ve written before about how if I’m failing to get to sleep, I’ll always notice that my tongue is stuck to the roof of my mouth, and the other day, while having my hair cut, I upgraded this curious glossal phenomenon to the ‘Giles Ego Construct Tell’ (the G.E.C.T 🎁)
💇🏻♂️
Having your hair cut should be nice. It’s a a bit of time off, when you’ve got nothing to do but sit there and have someone attend to your needs.
If you go to the same person every time, you might consider them a friend, and enjoy the time chatting with them as they ply their trade.
Or you might pick a coiffuring establishment where it wouldn’t be amiss to answer the question, “How would you like your hair cut?” with a polite,
“In silence, please.”
Having your hair cut can evoke real deep-seated memories of parental care and attention, and it’s no surprise to learn that it can be a trigger for an ASMR reaction (something I have experienced from time to time).
But not when the mind’s blatting on, eh?
🤦🏻♂️
I wasn’t in the lightest of moods the other day, and as I sat there initially, all the mind could furnish me with were memories of last time I visited the barber's, when I seemed to get the work experience guy and ended up finishing my own haircut off at home.
Plus, I wasn’t up for any kind of small talk.
It's fair to say, there was a lot going on in my head.
And then I noticed the G.E.C.T 🎁 out in the wild: my tongue was glued to the roof of my mouth again!
😝
It was great to spot, because it let me know exactly what was going on:
Which right in that moment was having my hair cut by the boss, who’s a) lovely, b) very capable and c) even more taciturn than me!
🤐
So I sat there, closed my eyes and enjoyed the haircut, being ever so slightly mindful of where my tongue was at—i.e. my ‘tell’—from time to time.
I’d encourage you to do the same: to become really familiar with your ‘tell’.
What is it that correlates so well with your stress-levels going through the roof?
- Is it a clenched jaw?
- Shoulders up round your ears?
- Jiggly knee?
- Furrowed brow?
Check in with yourself next time you’re feeling all tight and edgy – what ‘tell’ do you notice?
And become a connoisseur of it.
Because your ‘tell’ is a gift! 🎁
Every time you spot it, it’ll be letting you know exactly what’s going on:
It’s a beautiful design.
💟
Giles
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Giles P Croft
My ‘tell’ – as it relates to getting a good night's sleep.