The Art of Falling
Whether it was rollerskating, skiing, or gymnastics, one of the first lessons I had to learn when embarking on any new athletic activity was how to fall. I was never taught not to fall, rather it was instilled in me to expect to fall, to know how to fall “safely,” and to get back up and try again. Advice varied from “fall backward,” “never put your arms out to catch yourself,” “tuck your head,” “keep your knees bent,” “go with the fall,” etc. Regardless of the resulting bumps, bruises, sprains, and that unforgettable feeling of having the wind knocked out of you, the objective was to be able to get up and keep going.
As with sports, we are unlikely to escape life unscathed and a bit bruised by stumbles along the way. Falling does not indicate failure. So if we shift our perspective from trying to avoid falls, to instead expecting to fall once in a while, we would be better equipped when it inevitably happens. Perhaps some simple strategies for how to fall when we slip, trip or tumble in life would be worth remembering. Especially if we want to stay in the game.
How to fall:
- Fall backward
- Reflect on your life experience, recognize how far you’ve come, and remind yourself that you can acquire the skill and ability to manage any hurdle. Don’t overwhelm yourself by thinking about events that haven’t happened yet.
- Never put your arms out to catch yourself
- Resist the temptation to protect yourself from falling. What can feel like a natural instinct to avoid injury or an effort to protect ourselves, can actually risk doing more damage (most broken wrists happen this way). In life’s falls, this may manifest as “saving face”—making excuses, denying responsibility, shifting blame, etc. Acceptance, or allowing ourselves to take a fall organically and gracefully, may bring us to where we ultimately need to be, even if it means starting over.
- Tuck your head
- Prioritize what truly needs to be protected, and take the steps to ensure safety in that particular area. Whether it means your integrity, your health, your marriage/family, etc., commit to doing what you need to do to keep your priority safe and in tact.
- Keep your knees bent
- Absorb the shock and impact of a fall by maintaining a flexible position. The more rigid our stance, the more we risk injury (even if only to our sense of pride). Whereas, the more relaxed we are, the more resilient we are able to be in our response.
- Go with the fall
- Roll with the punches, so to speak. Don’t try to break the fall by tensing up or resisting it. If we move with the force instead of against it, we may discover we will end up exactly where we need to be, safely.