If I had a fractured bone and ignored it I would be in
constant pain, it would heal incorrectly, cause indirect repercussions in my
life such as missed work, crankiness, and no doubt would bother me the rest of
my life. I had that happen once, I had a hairline
fracture in my collarbone from a motorcycle accident. The EMT's never checked my neck or shoulder
as they were all worried about my ankle (which was not hurt). At any rate my shoulder, arm, and neck kept
hurting and I kept taking aspirin and going to the doctor who used a tens unit,
gave me muscle relaxants and said use heat.
Finally, after 6 weeks he sent me for an xray. Sure enough, I had a fracture that had healed
incorrectly. There was nothing to be
done without rebreaking the bone so I wore a sling for a couple of weeks and
rested the area so as not to exacerbate the problem. It still pops and cracks with great
regularity, it hurts often, and my arm does not lie at my side the same as on
the other side.
I can function and do.
As with any impairment that is ignored or not treated properly though,
it continues to cause a problem. I was
thinking this morning about how that had effected my life and how it could be
compared to a spiritual dip, financial dip, or an emotional dip in my
wellbeing. If I am feeling anxious for a
period of days and ignore it. Soon I am
in physical pain because my muscles tighten when I am tense and stressed. I am testy with others and as the pain
increases so does my crankiness. I have
trouble concentrating, I cannot muster energy to work at my full capacity and I
don't enjoy life. It affects my sleep or
lack thereof.
On the other hand, if I acknowledge I am feeling anxious and
talk to someone about it, write about it, and try to address the feeling. If I have an allergy attack I take
medicine. It is the same sort of
automatic self care that I am talking about here. I use the tools I have to hand for
relaxation, and peace of mind. I stay
away from volatile situations and news feeds, I blow bubbles in the backyard, I
get away for a day or a few days to a place that is soothing for me. I take a break from work and do something fun
for me. I take a walk in nature. It doesn't relieve the problem immediately
and that's okay. Taking steps in the
right direction is what is required here.
The same thing can be applied to a temporary financial
setback. If you are having cash flow
problems or the future looks bleak income wise, acknowledge it and acknowledge
how it makes you feel – tense, scared, anxious, peaceful, trusting, energized,
motivated…. Then address it. For me,
prayer treatment helps, as does talking to a friend. I also make a gratitude list of all the
things I have the money for and are already paid for such as rent or
electricity or gas in the car. And
knowing that it like the fractured bone will heal and can heal with proper care
and attention.
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