I was apprehensive about this week as it was looking very busy and my husband is away for work, I’ve taught online 2 evenings this week, seen patients and then I’ve also had a sick child and it’s all been A LOT.
My nervous system was already a little overwhelmed with anticipatory anxiety of what was to come and then my poor daughter has felt so terrible she hasn’t been to school all week.
My emotions (stress and overwhelm) manifest physically as neck tension and headaches and as soon as my threshold window is full, I get pain.
A lady I was treating said to me yesterday “I went to a chiro once who says the same thing as you. That pain is more from the brain than injured tissue.”
“Absolutely” I replied. It’s what all healthcare practitioners should be educating their clients about.
After around 3 months, pain that is persisting is being driven by the brain. Usually when it perceives a threat to safety. When my nervous system senses stress or adversity coming up, it does me no favours and tenses up my neck and shoulders further, creating a head ache and neck discomfort. For many of the ladies I treat, it’s their abdominal and pelvic floor muscles that tense up.
I did a webinar this week for Physios on How the Jaw, Pelvic Floor and Lower back are connected. And how we can help. And shared how my favourite way to influence the nervous system is through improving breathing and addressing how the brain may be feeling stressed. I also talked about the importance of how as Physios (any hands on treatment providers) we need to be taking care of our own nervous systems and grounding ourselves to help the people we are treating. Our job as Physios is to help the brains of the people we treat to feel SAFE, so their brains can let go of the muscles they are sun consciously clenching which can contribute to pain.
I’ve recently been exploring somatic movements for my neck discomfort and been astounded at how much it’s helped me. And I’ve loved all the messages from those of you who have downloaded my free recording off my website and found it’s helped you too. My Somatic Movement for neck pain and tension audio recording is free to download.
I realised this morning that I haven’t had a headache all week. And was very surprised. On reflecting why while I was walking this morning, I think it’s been because I’ve been conscious of doing the “easy stuff that is hard”. I’ve gone to bed early (which has helped with being up in the night with my daughter), I’ve drink lots of water and eaten well. I’ve had a bath in the evening (soothes my nervous system), done my somatic neck movements, done yoga, a low impact work out and gone for a walk. I’ve seen some of my favourite ladies (for Physio or at yoga) and I knew my Friday morning could be slow.
Perhaps the biggest help though, has been having support from my wonderful housekeeper, without whom I would have been in tears.
We are complex and complicated beings, and nothing that is happening physically is ever isolated from what is happening emotionally 💜