Day 31 - Taking Care of Myself

I really resonated today with Dr. Shubiner's article on why women seem to have a greater incidence of TMS; see quote below. My neuralgia symptoms stopped the day I spontaneously stated to myself, " I am taking care of me now." The past week has been gruelling with enormous pressure to deliver and perform under very demanding circumstances ...which I did at the highest level of excellence, in commitment to my clients and the people who are counting on me. Result: Yesterday, after nearly 4 weeks of being TMS symptom free, I had a couple of small episodes, and realized that I had not been taking care of me. So I stopped and chilled and journaled and committed to a different pattern in the future. This is a truly important realization for me, that I need to put myself in the equation of my life,and not only is it imperative to do so - it is critically important for my ongoing health and recovery.

"I have often noted that women with MBS are more likely to be more self-critical, self-blaming, feel more obligation, have a stronger sense of duty, worry excessively, take responsibility for external problems, be more caring about others, and be less likely to do things for themselves. I have found that when women take more time for themselves and begin to do more things for themselves and learn to “say no” sometimes to the needs or demands of others, their MBS symptoms rapidly improve."

 

I am going to write that down in my notebook. "I am taking care of me now."

Yes, I have every trait you listed. Thanks for posting to remind to do this.

 

Hi Ami:

Yes - this is a TMS personality trait. It obviously set you back for a moment, but you found the way out. I have a lot of stress myself and take time for "me" in the morning and late afternoon. I simply don't answer the phone and try and relax. I could be doing more in terms of journaling, and may start again.

I think your Dr. Schubiner quote is great - and a good reminder.

BG

 

Hi Ami. Absolutely agree that we need to take time for ourselves. Sometimes I find I need to give myself permissio to do this! It is truly rewarding though.

-Lori

 

I had one of those "Aha!" moments as I read Dr. Schubiner's article tonight. Here's the quote that resonated with me:
"Girls may grow up close to their mothers and therefore may have inadvertently 'learned' that headaches and abdominal pains are common medical conditions in their family."
OMG! My mother would retreat to her darkened bedroom with back pain, and even seemed to use it as emotional blackmail. I've always consciously strived to handle pain differently; I keep going no matter what. But tonight's quote made me realize that I internalized the lesson that pain was more "acceptable" than feelings--hence my TMS.
Holy smokes! I feel like I've just been hit in the head with a brick.

 

This is powerful for me too. I remember my Mother putting her arms on our shoulders after my baby brother died. She told us we had to be strong!!! All my life I have had to be strong. Expressing any type of emotion was not being strong. I agree 100% with your comment.. internalizing the lesson that pain was more acceptable than feelings, than disagreement, than anger----TMS here I come....