What Colour is Your Canary?

by Judy Klipin

How do you know when you are doing something that is putting your happiness and fulfillment in danger? 

In the olden days, before sophisticated gadgetry was invented to do the same job, miners used to take a few canaries underground with them.  If any of the birds started to have difficulty breathing – and showed this by stopping singing – the miners knew that there was not enough oxygen and too much carbon monoxide in the mine-shaft.

Nowadays, the term ‘canary in a coal mine’ is used to describe a person or thing that serves to provide early warning of a coming crisis.

We all have our own version of an inner canary; an unconscious response from our body and/or our mind that tells us that we are in danger of suffocating if we don’t get out fast. 

Often it is our body that is our canary. We get a sinking feeling in our stomach when we see someone who hurt us.  We feel exhausted and energy-less at the thought of going to a social event we know we are going to hate.  We get sore shoulders when we are taking on too many responsibilities. If we aren’t careful, we get sick- sometimes seriously.

But it isn’t always a physical sensation – there are as many colours of canary as there are people.  Maybe you get grumpy and start picking fights with random strangers.  Or ‘accidentally’ call your mother-in-law “the Dragon” to her face.  Or forget to go to appointments and meetings.

I used to lock my keys in my car when I was working too hard and feeling frazzled and fragmented.  I was forcing myself to stop and think about what I was doing and what I needed to be doing for myself.  (The invention of electronic car locking systems has forced my canary to change colour – now I know I need to slow down and be more mindful when I find myself bumping up against barriers; walls, pavements, …)

To help you recognize and name your own canary, do this retrospective exercise:

Think about the last 3 times you had to:

  • go somewhere you hate,
  • do something you don’t enjoy,
  • see someone you really do not like

Is there a theme?  Do you experience similar physical sensations? Or is it a behavourial pattern?

Make friends with your canary, and it will help you to identify when you are in danger of suffocation.  Try to tune into messages you are sending yourself when your heart stops singing, and allow yourself to take mindful actions that allow the singing to start again as quickly as possible.

I would love to hear about your canary – what colour is it, and what dangers is it alerting you to?

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