New balance

Day 59: My vestibular system is shot [ link ]. Since it’s a major component of balance I’ve come to rely on vision and proprioception to know my position in space, which is what enables me to walk upright like a human being. However, I don’t receive the best signals from my legs and feet, which are a big part of proprioception. So that leaves vision. I’ve come to rely on my eyes. But my eyes come back to haunt me. So I’m learning that the best way to navigate mother earth is by keeping my eyes directed forward and not shifting them from side to side. I need to trust peripheral vision for that. It actually does a better job. Focused attention augments visual features. Too much attention to what’s on the periphery lowers the threshold for warning signals. For instance, bright shiny objects, like passing cars, signal motion ..but not necessarily the motion of the cars. It can trick me into thinking that I’m the one in motion and I’m moving in the wrong direction. It can also trigger alarm as though they’re coming at me. Best left to peripheral vision to correctly screen for these things ..keeping my eyes focused on what’s in front of me.