Sister Act

Enjoying Wimbledon here and am currently watching a documentary on Serena Williams. She paints to relax, hates working out, expresses anger on court and keenly feels Grand Slam Stress.

Venus on the other hand suffers with Sjogren's Syndrome...

TMS thoughts?

***

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may tread me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

by Maya Angelou

 

Hi Plum. Your post reminded me of Andre Agassi's autobiography 'Open'. Right from the first page it screamed TMS. He says below "I hate tennis, hate it with a dark and secret passion"... His book is a wonderful read.

 

Amazing poem...

 

I think a lot of professional athletes have TMS. The stress, the perfectionism, the need to please........

 

Tiger Woods is a prime example. As soon as his family life went to hell, so did his golf game. And he suddenly just can't stay healthy anymore. Not to mention he had the type T personality from the beginning, always pushing himself to the max, being his toughest critic, never being good enough.

 

Also there must be anger over the lost childhood with the constant practice and being pushed by their parents.

 

So many celebrities have TMS

 

Plum, thank you so much for this post!!
I have been harassed by my neighbors, and can't go out on my 1 acre property to walk or meditate or decompress and my vitals got worse and my neurological issues got worse. I thought of this post and decided not to quiver in a corner, and to get mad and take action. I called the sherrifs dpt anD made a report and had them talk to the neighbors. My vitals have become more normal, and I think the neighbors are putting up a higher fence to solve the problems. (I had even found another home for my dog if I had a heart attack over this issue). It works to get mad and take action, not let it simmer inside..
Love you lady!

 

Serena Williams also had a bunch of random health issues so I'm not sure it's a clear black and white thing between them.

 

It's very interesting because my mom suffered from Sjogren's Syndrome and (while it's not my business to diagnose others), I've always suspected it was a form of TMS. My mom was one of the very few people who was supportive of my TMS journey. She was so happy for my success with it and even took one of Dr. Sarno's books to her book club. Unsurprisingly, it did not receive a warm reception at book club.

I think she accepted that at least part of her Sjogren's Syndrome had psychological roots. But sadly, she never got all the way there.

In my limited experience, it seems that auto-immune problems (like Sjogren's) are more challenging to get rid of than pain issues (YMMV). While I was able to shed my pain problems years ago, in recent years I've struggled with Post Exercise Fatigue Syndrome. It's a relative of chronic fatigue... which is considered in part an auto-immune disease.

I want to add that I am seeing real improvement recently. I've been diligently working Alan Gordon's Pain Reduction for a little over a month and applying it to the Post Exercise Fatigue Syndrome. I cannot recommend it highly enough to anyone struggling.