I was just chatting to a patient who presented a few weeks ago complaining of a locked jaw. She had been to the dentist for some hectic procedures and after she finished having lain with her mouth open for a long time, she had pain. Pain which became severe stiffness and headaches and facial pain. Of course there was an underlying problem which the dental procedure had exacerbated. A problem caused by clenching her teeth and grinding due to stress and anxiety. By the time she got to our practice, she could hardly eat and chewing anything was exhausting. She couldn’t sing anymore and even speaking was very painful. She was miserable.
She is now feeling remarkably better. Her mouth opens as it used to and all the pain has gone away. She is reflecting back on how she felt a few weeks ago and recognizing that she was in a dark place. Depressed, afraid, angry with her body, feeling powerless and stuck, she couldn’t find her joie de vivre. She acknowledged that she hadn’t realized how desperate it is to not feel healthy. She promised herself in my presence that she will go about her life differently from here, making self-care and stress management and rejuvenation something she HAS got time for.
Maybe you too have had an experience where your body is not 100% and have seen how incredibly important your health and well-being really are. It's amazing how we don’t appreciate our health until it's not there anymore. I always quote Annie Segarra: “Health is a crown that the healthy wear but only the sick can see”. We have this extraordinary treasure and we take it for granted. Taking it for granted is one thing, but making it less of a priority than it should be is possibly a cardinal mistake. If you drop the crystal bowl of your health, it may smash and then it's gone, destroyed forever. That may not feel so important from where you are now, but it WILL feel like a total disaster when you are looking at that smashed bowl!
Some things are out of our control, and those things we just have to accept and tolerate, but the things that are in our control, are our choices. I invite you to make these choices wisely. Rushing constantly and being so tense you are like a rubber band about to snap, are not sustainable states of being. Never taking your foot off the gas is also not conducive to life time health.
If you were to trudge endlessly up a hill never reaching a destination where you can rest and recover, you can easily see how you would get tired and sore and weary. It's the same in your life, you need to stop and rest a while every now and again. If the load you carry is too heavy, it will damage your back, and if the responsibilities you have taken on board are too heavy it will wear your spirit down and damage your health. Maybe, this blog will give you some food for thought. You deserve better. Your body needs loving care and gentle handling. Your mind needs to rest and relax from time to time. I call it the trudge factor.
Make your health a priority! It's precious. It's a treasure and if it gets scratched or chipped, it will never be the same again. Don’t wait till you look back with regret to make some changes in your lifestyle. Celebrate your progress and small wins and give yourself plenty of off time. Keep it fun and shift things around if it feels like you are trudging.
Fun, lightness of being and effortlessness are what build supersonic health. They even heal chips and scratches in the crystal bowl of your health! Nourishing food and great sleep as well as exercise for the joy of being alive are great health generators. They clean the generators and keep the power pumping!
In beautiful pulsing vitality and healthfulness of mind, body and spirit.
Sue