1 week in ...

Well I finished 1 week of the Ed. Program. This past Tuesday I travelled to Chicago to get a diagnosis from a TMS physician. I wanted to be sure my self diagnosis was on track and I wanted to be able to firmly dismiss worries I had about my spine. Well that went smoothly. Yet, Wed-Sat were somewhat trying. I have times when my back was as sore as ever and others when it felt fairly good. I am beginning to make a transition from thinking all the time about my back and how it feels to thinking about my emotions. I find this difficult however when my back is really sore. I think the journaling is helping. I am eager for week 2.

 

Tom,
Congratulations on your diagnosis! Hopefully that will help you stop concentrating so much on the physical. Learning how to concentrate on your emotions can be a difficult transition, especially if you're used to thinking a lot about your body (health anxiety) or analyzing your emotions instead of FEELING them. It's better not to spend too much time staring at the calendar, though I know what a temptation that can be.

I wish you peace and success on your journey.

 

Hi Tom
I completely agree with everything Gail said above, especially the part about staring at the calendar! As difficult as it is to remember to think about your emotions when you're really sore, try thinking about that soreness as the reminder to do focus on the emotions. Even though the intended purpose of the pain is to distract you from the emotions, I have found it to be very effective for the reverse. I think of the pain sensations as little reminders that there is something going on in there that actually deserves my attention. Maybe that can work for you also.