“Stress shortens your lifespan.” ~ Bryant McGill

Photo by Burst on Pexels.com

I try not to stress over things.  My mindset for many years has been that worrying won’t change a thing.  If I can make a difference, then do so, if not . . . hunker down and weather the storm.  Try to find the best of any situation, and roll with it.

Unfortunately, my body does not always take the same tack.  I am always vigilant, observing, at the ready and as such this is partly for my job.  While I can usually relax my body by sections at will, there are times when the muscles in my back and shoulders will knot themselves into pretzels.  Especially on the right side, there is almost constantly a knot — partially from scoliosis and now the uneven length of my legs, but partly from stress.

When I have a headache, I usually awaken with it about 3 am.  I can feel the knot near my shoulder blade.  I lay in different positions, trying to find that one most conducive to relaxing my muscles.  I use the heated mattress warmer much like a heating pad to help my body relax.  I stretch.  I bend.  I bow.  I kneel.  The Salon Pas patches are my friend, plastered to my back and shoulder.  The healing today came by lying flat on my back on my yoga pad, pressing my lower back into the floor and eventually reaching my hands up over my head to open the chest.

Eventually, with the stretching, I add in coffee, Tylenol Arthritis and if needed, an ibuprofen.  Whatever it takes to make it to where I can concentrate throughout my day.

I credit my friend Kevin and the book, “Yoga for Runners” for giving me basic moves that I can do to relax my body.  It is amazing that the simple act of controlled, slow breathing can help the body relax as well.  What a great feeling, though, when you can literally feel the body relax as you slowly breathe and stretch.

Muscle tension . . .no thank you!