Thank you so much for this one. Thought-provoking! "It’s a harsh reality that I was lucky not to have to face in any significant way when I was younger" got me thinking of my own very early lesson that gave me a deep appreciation of wellness, comfort, and mobility that I feel to this day (age 72). A few years of my life around 29-32 were blighted by back pain that deepened into disability. My search for a solution led me down some common but problematic paths: _be careful< and stop doing anything that might make things worse_ -- and, well, things will got worse, much worse. When I was at a very low point (living with parents again -- thank goodness they were there for me and had room), a wise chiropractor/physical therapist told me "You're hard as a rock, and you need to get moving again" and the Key Words: "You're not fragile!" Being fragile, never getting better, and losing all hope that I ever would, had been my reality for so long! That's when I really began to get my life back. Swimming, walking, then running, and finally weight machines. And many self-care practices both physical and psychological (a profound Trager session, and a wonderful therapist). The earlier chiro who'd said I would never carry a backpack again was wrong. I can't say I'd want to go through it again, given a choice, but in some ways it really was a gift that's informed the rest of my life.
I used to think about writing a book about this . . . maybe I still should. Now I have true aging changes cropping up, but at least no one will lament "But you're so young [to be so afflicted]!"
That's an amazing story, Kristi, thanks for sharing! I'm so glad you found a way out of that, and a healthy way out at that. Definitely a great lesson to learn, though a hard way to learn it.
Great story! I’ve had back issues since my 30s and I’m now 70. For years I went to a chiropractor but that never helped. Then, I got some great massages. That helped! But I needed more: I discovered yoga. That really helped a lot. And now, over the last year, I have been doing Pilates, which I call yoga on steroids! Feeling much stronger and when my back does go south, I recover a lot faster. Motion is, truly, the lotion.
Glad to hear you've found some relief, Paul! This reminds me of a book my father read when he was having serious back problems, something by John Sarno (can't recall which one, as he's written a few, like The Mindbody Prescription). Just reading the book helped him! It wasn't enough by itself, but it helped.
Once, when I took 'shrooms, I became *intensely* aware of my feet. I ran around saying, "I can feel my feet! I can feel my feet!" probably driving my friends nutty. But it was a profound experience to really have a deep appreciation of this body part that does so much for us. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
A body is kind of like a car. When it’s new, it just runs and you never have to worry about it. When it gets older though, it’s in the shop a lot. I find myself in the shop a lot these days. Anyway, good, thoughtful article. Almost spiritual, but not religious!
Thank you! And ha! In some ways a body can seem like a car, yes. But that's kind of my problem; it's feeling more like a container lately, something to get me around, than part of me. I mean, we are our bodies. That's something I feel like I need to get more in tune with, as I used to be (at least, much more than I am now).
I really relate to these words, and I find myself in this loop often. It's in the magic of the unknown that keeps it circling back. Thank you for your share!
Thanks for reading and commenting! The magic of the unknown is the good part. The disconnect from the body, not so much. I feel like I need to work on that.
Thank you so much for this one. Thought-provoking! "It’s a harsh reality that I was lucky not to have to face in any significant way when I was younger" got me thinking of my own very early lesson that gave me a deep appreciation of wellness, comfort, and mobility that I feel to this day (age 72). A few years of my life around 29-32 were blighted by back pain that deepened into disability. My search for a solution led me down some common but problematic paths: _be careful< and stop doing anything that might make things worse_ -- and, well, things will got worse, much worse. When I was at a very low point (living with parents again -- thank goodness they were there for me and had room), a wise chiropractor/physical therapist told me "You're hard as a rock, and you need to get moving again" and the Key Words: "You're not fragile!" Being fragile, never getting better, and losing all hope that I ever would, had been my reality for so long! That's when I really began to get my life back. Swimming, walking, then running, and finally weight machines. And many self-care practices both physical and psychological (a profound Trager session, and a wonderful therapist). The earlier chiro who'd said I would never carry a backpack again was wrong. I can't say I'd want to go through it again, given a choice, but in some ways it really was a gift that's informed the rest of my life.
I used to think about writing a book about this . . . maybe I still should. Now I have true aging changes cropping up, but at least no one will lament "But you're so young [to be so afflicted]!"
That's an amazing story, Kristi, thanks for sharing! I'm so glad you found a way out of that, and a healthy way out at that. Definitely a great lesson to learn, though a hard way to learn it.
Great story! I’ve had back issues since my 30s and I’m now 70. For years I went to a chiropractor but that never helped. Then, I got some great massages. That helped! But I needed more: I discovered yoga. That really helped a lot. And now, over the last year, I have been doing Pilates, which I call yoga on steroids! Feeling much stronger and when my back does go south, I recover a lot faster. Motion is, truly, the lotion.
Glad to hear you've found some relief, Paul! This reminds me of a book my father read when he was having serious back problems, something by John Sarno (can't recall which one, as he's written a few, like The Mindbody Prescription). Just reading the book helped him! It wasn't enough by itself, but it helped.
Once, when I took 'shrooms, I became *intensely* aware of my feet. I ran around saying, "I can feel my feet! I can feel my feet!" probably driving my friends nutty. But it was a profound experience to really have a deep appreciation of this body part that does so much for us. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
That's clearly the answer! That's definitely a story to stick to and sounds like an amazing experience.
A body is kind of like a car. When it’s new, it just runs and you never have to worry about it. When it gets older though, it’s in the shop a lot. I find myself in the shop a lot these days. Anyway, good, thoughtful article. Almost spiritual, but not religious!
Thank you! And ha! In some ways a body can seem like a car, yes. But that's kind of my problem; it's feeling more like a container lately, something to get me around, than part of me. I mean, we are our bodies. That's something I feel like I need to get more in tune with, as I used to be (at least, much more than I am now).
I really relate to these words, and I find myself in this loop often. It's in the magic of the unknown that keeps it circling back. Thank you for your share!
Thanks for reading and commenting! The magic of the unknown is the good part. The disconnect from the body, not so much. I feel like I need to work on that.
Thoughtful and interesting meditation!
Thank you!!