Day 17

What do I find most helpful about this program?

Probably the forums! I like being able to ask a question and hear back from people with various viewpoints. The readings are good as well. I was journaling prior to starting this but now I just include that in with the daily journal topic. Sometimes I wonder if revisiting old hurts and repressed feelings is a good idea but after just reading an article about thinking clean and thinking psychologically I realize that I'm very much in a fearful mode-will my pain be bad today? what will trigger my pain? how long will my pain last? what will I do if and when the pain starts? On it goes.

Meeting a friend for coffee later today and she suggested a walk. I immediately got scared about the pain I'd feel on the walk. I haven't even started walking.

 

Hi, Hen. Meeting for coffee with a friend is great. If you feel real anxious about a walk, put it off a while. Does your friend understand that a walk would be hard for you just now? If possible, a short walk could be real good for you, both physically and emotionally. But don't put too much pressure on yourself.

 

Thanks Walt. I let her know a long walk wasn't doable for me. So we took a shorter one and that worked great for me!

 

Hi Hen - how did the walk go ? did you have pain after ? as much as you would of had before ? Did you manage to walk further than you thought you could have ?

I worry about the exact same thing - ''if I do ____ - I will hurt more''
so normally I then avoid doing ____
Im really trying hard to re programme at the moment xx

 

Hi, Hen. I'm glad you told your friend a shorter walk would be better and she agreed. Now that is a true friend.
Keep up the good work. Journaling can open up old wounds, but they are probably emotions you have been repressing, so it's good to bring them to the surface. Recognize them, but no need to analyze or try to change them. Your subconscious will just "get it," that you accept having that emotion, and let go of the pain.

Hi, too, Breakfree. Try not to think that doing normal activities like walking, sitting, standing, bending, doing housework and mild exercise will be harmful. It is actually more helpful toward healing if you keep as active as you can. I'm 85 and like the Youtube videos of easy exercises for seniors. You may not be a senior citizen but find them helpful. They have them for both sitting and standing.

 

Hey Breakfree! The walk was good. My friend said "what's up with your back?" I just replied that its been hurting and that I didn't want to discuss it further so as to avoid giving it further attention. She just nodded and said "yep-sounds like a good idea to me". We did do a much shorter walk and I felt little pain while doing it or afterwards.

I've been doing short walks daily 5-8 minutes and having success that way. Going a tiny bit further each time. I am also doing 5 minutes of very gentle yoga in the morning and before bed.

Also when I do go walking I focus really hard on whats going on around me (birds, the sky, the air) and I've been repeated a little mantra from Monty H. about clean thinking. I'll say to myself "what if your body felt free and open" and or just say "free and open" and I breath deeply and walk slower than I normally would. One foot in front of the other no? We got this!!!!!

Thanks to you as well Walt! I just received Steve O's book in the mail today so look forward to reading that. After the SEP is over and after reading Steve's book I'm going to pull back from being so heavily identified with having TMS and go and live my life. I listened to an interview with Steve O as well and I heavily identified with so many things he spoke about. It was very validating and hopeful for me to hear him speak.

Peace
Courtney

 

Hi Hen

Oh Im really glad it went well, and that your pain wasnt too bad during / afterwards.

Thats a really good idea on focusing whats going on around you, whilst doing a walk - I WILL try that next time Im out

Im also really glad to hear you've bought the Great pain deception - can you let me know what you think of it, as its been on my 'waiting to read list/when i can afford to buy' for a while now - thank you xx

 

Hi Walt - How are you?

thanks for your message .. Im trying so hard to do exactly what you suggest, trying to re-programme my mind.
I have had severe mobility problems for almost 12 years now, so I have quite a task on my hands ... however,
having read/still reading daily, the success stories , gives me MUCH hope that I too can beat tms !

You are also a great inspiration to me ...
I'm only in my 40's, so you are more than twice my age, AND you are fighting tms also,
and look how well and active you are... I think you could probably put most youngsters to shame lol xx

 

Hi, Breakfree. I'm fine. My dog and I are both senior citizens but handling it well. I always was more active than most teenagers.
You are going to become free of pain and happier than ever before. Hen gives you great advice, to repeat a favorite mantra, a word or phase,
to help focus your mind on the positive as you walk or do anything. I know that some days are easier than others, but keeping positive helps us get through the harder days. I see people jogging or even walking their dog while they do some text messaging or look at their iPhones. I don't own one, and when I walk with my dog I look at what's around me, flower gardens, etc. There's an old song you may remember: "Keep Your Sunny Side Up."

 

Hey Breakfree! I have started Great Pain Deception and I like it quite a bit. Its more fun and less dry than Sarno's writings but Steve O references Sarno A LOT which makes sense. You can look up Steve O videos some of which are on this wiki. I found an hour and half long Steve O audio interview which was ringing bells like crazy. So...if you cannot yet get the book make use of the videos and online resources in the mean time.

I took another walk today and got further with no pain! Just do a little at a time. I am still having pain but its almost like when I feel it I totally identify it as stress/tension pain and less bulging disc pain which is good for me. I'm also dealing with a lot of tension/muscle knots in my back and shoulders. Doing deep breathing while I drive to and from work. I highly recommend it. Breath from you gut and inhale and exhale.

Sending good thoughts!!!!

 

Hi Hen , thanks for replying , I will check out those videos now !! Thanks So many of the posts on here recommend Steve O's book, and your description of it just makes me want it even more !

That's gr8 news, another walk and further, and with no pain - brilliant !

I TOTALLY can relate to what your saying about, identifying/connecting your pain to stress/tension , in fact for the last few years I could deffo see that my pain would become worse if something stressed me out, but of course then, before I knew about tms,
I would just kept telling myself 'well if the epidural hadn't gone wrong, then I wouldn't have this pain at ALL !'
i.e. 'I am not structurally sound'

I too have the 'knot's' they cause me a great deal of pain, I was diagnosed with having Myofascial pain syndrome, again you can either look into what the doctors say cause it bla bla bla, or you can figure out that , actually, have I EVER had the 'knot's' when I am not stressed ?? I know my answer is, no , whenever I have had the knot's there has always been something else going on at the time to make me upset/stressed/anxious ect.
I suppose the knots are like any other tms pain/symptom, we must try out best to ignore/belittle/listen to them, they are telling us, there are still emotions to be uncovered and to be released from our minds and bodies.

Thanks for the tip with deep breathing, I have tried it a few times, but havent yet given it 'my best shot' ,
deep breathing/meditation/mindfulness, I REALLY need to get to grips with and start doing/practising them.

bfnt x x

 

Hi, breakfree. Hen definitely has it right. Deep breathing has become my number one way to relax. Every web site or video or book I read about relaxation says deep breathing is the most important thing we can do. It is profoundly calming.

My thoughtful b--tard book publisher boss emailed me last night with complaints that were unjustified, and it gave me a gas attack that lasted more than an hour. I practiced deep breathing and it helped a lot, and also telling myself he is a certified nut, which everyone agrees but him. He later emailed me a brief apology saying he is under a lot of stress and took it out on me. Thanks, but what helped most was me telling myself he is a perfectionist nut who isn't a perfectionist himself (but he would never admit it).

Here is an article about deep breathing and its benefits.

Breathing correctly is not only important for living longer but also to have a good mood and keep performing at your best. Let us look at the benefits of deep breathing and why you should make it part of your everyday living.

1. Breathing Detoxifies and Releases Toxins
Your body is designed to release 70% of its toxins through breathing. If you are not breathing effectively, you are not properly ridding your body of its toxins i.e. other systems in your body must work overtime which could eventually lead to illness. When you exhale air from your body you release carbon dioxide that has been passed through from your bloodstream into your lungs. Carbon dioxide is a natural waste of your body's metabolism.

2. Breathing Releases Tension
Think how your body feels when you are tense, angry, scared or stressed. It constricts. Your muscles get tight and your breathing becomes shallow. When your breathing is shallow you are not getting the amount of oxygen that your body needs.

3. Breathing Relaxes the Mind/Body and Brings Clarity
Oxygenation of the brain reducing excessive anxiety levels. Paying attention to your breathing. Breathe slowly, deeply and purposefully into your body. Notice any places that are tight and breathe into them. As you relax your body, you may find that the breathing brings clarity and insights to you as well.

4. Breathing Relieves Emotional Problems
Breathing will help clear uneasy feelings out of your body.

5. Breathing Relieves Pain.
You may not realize its connection to how you think, feel and experience life. For example, what happens to your breathing when you anticipate pain? You probably hold your breath. Yet studies show that breathing into your pain helps to ease it.

6. Breathing Massages Your Organs
The movements of the diaphragm during the deep breathing exercise massages the stomach, small intestine, liver and pancreas. The upper movement of the diaphragm also massages the heart. When you inhale air your diaphragm descends and your abdomen will expand. By this action you massage vital organs and improves circulation in them. Controlled breathing also strengthens and tones your abdominal muscles.

7. Breathing Increases Muscle
Breathing is the oxygenation process to all of the cells in your body. With the supply of oxygen to the brain this increases the muscles in your body.

8. Breathing Strengthens the Immune System
Oxygen travels through your bloodstream by attaching to haemoglobin in your red blood cells. This in turn then enriches your body to metabolise nutrients and vitamins.

9. Breathing Improves Posture
Good breathing techniques over a sustained period of time will encourage good posture. Badbody posturewill result of incorrect breathing so this is such an important process by getting your posture right from early on you will see great benefits.

10. Breathing Improves Quality of the Blood
Deep breathingremoves all the carbon-dioxide and increases oxygen in the blood and thus increases blood quality.

11. Breathing Increases Digestion and
Assimilation of food
The digestive organs such as the stomach receive more oxygen, and hence operates more efficiently. The digestion is further enhanced by the fact that the food is oxygenated more.

12. Breathing Improves the Nervous System
The brain, spinal cord and nerves receive increased oxygenation and are more nourished. This improves the health of the whole body, since the nervous system communicates to all parts of the body.

13. Breathing Strengthen the Lungs
As you breathe deeply the lung become healthy and powerful, a good insurance against respiratory problems.

14. Proper Breathing makes the Heart Stronger.
Breathing exercises reduce the workload on the heart in two ways. Firstly, deep breathing leads to more efficient lungs, which means more oxygen, is brought into contact with blood sent to the lungs by the heart. So, the heart doesn't have to work as hard to deliver oxygen to the tissues. Secondly, deep breathing leads to a greater pressure differential in the lungs, which leads to an increase in the circulation, thus resting the heart a little.

15. Proper Breathing assists in Weight Control.

If you are overweight, the extra oxygen burns up the excess fat more efficiently. If you are underweight, the extra oxygen feeds the starving tissues and glands.


16. Breathing Boosts Energy levels and Improves Stamina

17. Breathing Improves Cellular Regeneration

18. Breathing Elevates Moods
Breathing increase pleasure-inducing neurochemicals in the brain to elevate moods and combat physical pain

How to Breathe properly?

In order to breathe properly you need to breathe deeply into your abdomen not just your chest. Even in the old Greek and Roman times the doctors recommended deep breathing, the voluntary holding of air in the lungs, believing that this exercise cleansed the system of impurities and gave strength. This certainly is of great value to you in your work in the world. Breathing exercises should be deep, slow, rhythmic, and through the nose, not through the mouth. The most important parts of deep breathing has to be regulating your breaths three to four seconds in, and three to four seconds out.


1.Inhale through your nose, expanding your belly, then fill your chest. Counting to 5
2.Hold and Count to 3. Feel all your cells filled with golden, healing, balancing Sun light energy.
3.Exhale fully from slightly parted mouth and Feel all your cells releasing waste and emptying all old energy. Counting to 5.

Schedule your deep breathing exercise just as you would schedule important business appointments. Set aside a minimum of two 10 minute segments of time everyday although you can begin with two five minutes segments if you prefer.
Honouring yourself enough to schedule time with yourself is the first step in mastering stress. Tend your relationship with yourself and your relationship with life and with others will be enriched and deepened accordingly. Remember to share with your children and all your friends and loved ones so that they too can reap its untold benefits.

- See more at: http://www.onepowerfulword.com/2010...p-breathing-and-how.html#sthash.P5qezjnY.dpuf

 

Luv these breathing techniques. When I get anxious, I've been practicing them, and they have been working. Thanks for sharing!

 

I love the sharing on tnis forum! I've also been finding these breathing exercises great and am actually remembering to use them when i feel anxious or am in pain. They also help enormously if i have insomnia.....almost guaranteed to relax me enough to fall asleep!