3/3/10 - Breaking the stress cycle....or trying too..

Waking up at 6:30am lately has become a daily routine not a special occasion. Thankfully, I am getting a much better quality of sleep in my new bed which allows me to wake up rested. I remember waking up at 8:00 and wanting to stay in bed. Now, I am able to get and go. And go is what I definitely do!

Talking to my Dr today about my back's progress in some of the healing and improvement process we are working on he shared with me that my lower back is healing a lot faster than he thought it would. It has stabilized finally and now it is a matter of just continuing to watch its development. I was so happy and relieved to hear this because my degeneration is the worst in my lower back. After feeling positive he then went on to share with me that my neck and upper back which were my lesser problem areas (but still problems) are not correcting as well because he said I carry all my stress in those areas. Listening to my current lifestyle and all that I do on my own due to Sean's schedule he said is wearing on my body. I'm sure it wears on all of of us Moms. I was at church on Tuesday for my Bible Study and had a minor back spasm that caused me to yelp a little as I bent down to pick something out of the stroller. A lady nearby thought she had stepped on me accidently and shared an apology as she passed. I told her that it was my bad back and had nothing to do with her. I laughed saying I've got an old lady back. She said in response we all have bad backs were Moms.

I think it somewhat funny because I know so many women overseas in third world countries that probably carry more weight on their heads than I ever have in my arms.

However, I'm trying to consider what the Dr said this morning about where I carry my stress. As I drove away from the Dr office I thought about his feedback and what I could do to improve my problem by just mentally changing my routine or habits. While thinking about it and driving at the same time I realized I was holding my shoulders tight and my neck stiffly. After recognizing what I was doing I shook my shoulders trying to relive the strain. Who knew I did this? I certainly did not. Once this epiphany came to me I caught myself doing this very same thing several times in a few hours.

I'm unsure what this could do to improve my back's healing progress but its certainly worth a try. Surprising isn't it how much our "mental" health has to do with our physical health? It is true though when they say it is all connected. If we are healthy and happy mentally and emotionally more than likely our body will follow suit.

I am challenged by this to focus on removing some of the stress in my life. In the Bible Jesus talks about how many of us could add an hour to our lives if we stopped worrying. (Matthew 6) For me, its not only several hours I could recover but hopefully, my back as well.

I hope that the rest of you are having a good day and more than that mentally are having a good one as well!