Day 11 Day 11 - Advice?

I just read a success story by Armchair Linguist and parts of it really resonate. "I stopped having knee pain and my upper-back pain has receded a great deal. I still get it some, perhaps because it seems “legitimate” to me to be tense there."

This really resonates with me because I have the same thoughts. I have a hard time with the tightness pain because structurally it makes "sense" for me to get tight there because I sit most of the day. And sometimes I feel a little better after exercise, which only further tries to get me to believe it as a structural cause.

One of the interesting things that has happened to me recently is that I feel tight even when I know I am not. For example, there was a period of time when COVID first hit where I got really really tight (in my mind because I was lounging around the house all day) but in reality could have been because I was very stressed that my mom had COVID and was not doing well. I was so tight I had to sleep with an ice pack and I woke up crying in the middle of the night. I tried to do childs pose but was too tight to get all the way down and had to work at it. When I got past a fear of exercising then (a doctor recommended 30 min per day) I felt amazing relief. Almost instantly I wasn't tight anymore. I was shocked. But, as time went on - though I continued light exercise - I felt this tightness again, but this time it was different. I could do childs pose, and was arguably not tight, but i still felt tight all the time, and this is where I am at now.

I know I need to get past my belief of lack of exercise and long periods of sitting = tightness, and exercise = no tightness, but I gotta say it is challenging.

Would love to know if anyone has had a similar situation and has any advice.

 

Hello, I think it is normal for a little stiffness when sitting all day, but nothing to the level that it would be bothersome. We are made to sit and sleep a lot. Look at animals in the wild. A lion may sit around for days after a big meal. And any such symptom should resolve itself very quickly after moving around for a minute or two. You shouldn't need a lot of exercise, although that's obviously a great habit to continue for health's sake! I find myself with mild aches if I sit or lie in the same spot for a long time, but that is just from the pressure being put on the same muscle for several hours. It goes away quickly after changing positions.

With exercise, I think it is no different than physical therapy or other activities that can relieve TMS pain. The exercise gets your blood circulating, which can alleviate excess tension your body has. So, there is a "structural" element in how exercise helps. However, physically, I doubt you need the exercise to get rid of the tension. Something to think about...if you sit on the couch for several hours doing a hobby, watching TV, etc., do you feel tightness? Or, does it happen while sitting and working? That would be more good TMS evidence in addition to how you noticed the tension increased when your mom was ill.

For me, I am currently having a recurrence of indigestion. I had my usual bowl of oatmeal for breakfast this morning, yet my throat is burning like I just ate a giant burrito covered in habanero peppers. It took a long time for me to stop thinking "what did I eat?" whenever this symptom pops up. Back then, I had to remind myself that it was not what I ate, but rather just my brain reacting to stress. Now, I naturally jump to "what am I stressed about?" without considering the food. Ideally, you can get to the same place by making a point to remind yourself that stress is causing the symptom every time you wonder if you've been sitting too long.

You can't stop that doubting voice, nor should you feel like you're doing anything wrong when it's there. All you can do is consciously argue against it. Keep up the good work!

 

Really great advice!! I really think stress is the biggest factor for me and I’m currently experiencing an increase in pain so thanks for the advice to get me back into focusing on what is causing the stress rather than thinking structurally about the pain