Although counting is the action of finding the number of elements of a finite set of objects, it is a way for me to mark off time. I used to count steps to and from school (as well as going the exact same way to and fro) and used an 8-count for ballet class.
Playing piano and teaching aerobics set how I approached time.
Throw in stress reduction. It’s all about “count backward from 10 (or 100 or whatever)” and counting sheep to deal with insomnia has been a staple in my life.
In yoga, I hold a pose for 20 to 30 seconds. How many years have I done yoga? 15?
When I run intervals, although I try 2 minutes running/1 minute walking, I end up counting steps (2 minutes is ~165 steps).
For childbirth, it was all about breathing in for 4 and out for 4, for pushing for x amount of seconds – thankfully I don’t remember that number.
In Physical Therapy, when I have to stay in traction for 5 minutes at home, I count for the full time rather than set an alarm. My physical therapist put electrical muscle stimulator on my back, covered me with an ice pack, and set the the timer for 10 minutes. He came in and asked me how I was and how much time I had left. I told him I had one minute left, he looked at the timer and was stunned to see I was exactly right.
I count down, mark time. What am I counting on happening?
