"Hope that the anxiety will come, that way you can practice and practice".

[HealingMe]

I’m going through a flare this week with some of the original symptoms that first led me to discover the work of John E. Sarno over two years ago. I felt inspired to share something vulnerable and honest after seeing a few recent threads from longtime members here talking about flares. I hope this might be encouraging, especially for newer folks in the community.

We can’t always know exactly what triggers a flare, but after sitting with it for a couple of days, here are a few things I noticed that may have played a role:

The news. I realized I’ve been checking it way too often -- right when I wake up and again before bed. Negative news tends to make me feel angry, scared, and out of control. I’m working on breaking that habit and limiting myself to once a day.

Changing misc. habits. I’ve been pushing myself to break a few small patterns I’ve avoided addressing -- being a bit more vulnerable about minor things, improving my sleep hygiene, and getting back into reading.

Health changes. I recently started focusing more on eating well and getting more structured/serious about strength training, which has been bringing me a lot of joy. Of course, the specific body part I'm focused on is exactly where my symptom decided to flare -- which is funny how that works.

Travel anxiety. Last month I noticed some lingering fear about traveling because of something that happened on a trip late last year. It wasn’t serious, but it scared me at the time. I reassured myself logically, moved forward, and ended up having a great time!

One thing this flare reminded me of is not to dismiss the “small” stressors, like breaking old patterns and habits, as our brain doesn't know any better. Our conscious mind may think they’re no big deal, but sometimes those are exactly the things worth looking at. They’re easy to brush off, but they can still stir up rage underneath the surface.

I’ve been doing this work for over two years now, and flares still happen, however they are quick passing. But each time is another opportunity to reflect and to remind myself that the symptoms are not dangerous, and go back to living life. When I read that Dr. Weekes' said "hope that the anxiety will come, that way you can practice and practice", I will speak plainly when I thought thought she was crazy, but I truly understand this now. It gets easier and less scary.

So what now? I'm taking it slow, reflecting, getting back in tune with my feelings, and simply riding it out. I created a ritual for the moments when I’m feeling pretty crappy. One of the things I had to learn the last couple of years was how to soothe myself, because for a long time that concept felt really foreign to me. It's one of those things that feels like a warm hug when I need it the most.

Cheers! Hope you all are having a good week!

 

[backhand]

I’ve been doing this work for over two years now, and flares still happen, however they are quick passing. But each time is another opportunity to reflect and to remind myself that the symptoms are not dangerous, and go back to living life. When I read that Dr. Weekes' said "hope that the anxiety will come, that way you can practice and practice", I will speak plainly when I thought thought she was crazy, but I truly understand this now. It gets easier and less scary.

Standing. Clapping. That takes a lot of courage to seriously contemplate, let alone practice fully.

As hard as it is to hear sometimes, as challenging as it is to do, and as often as I fail at it, I remind myself that I have to have the attitude that "I want to go through this pain" because it's more practice toward letting go of it.

More broadly, Nietzsche was the one who did the job for me. At a certain moment in his life, the idea came to him of what he called "the love of your fate" (amor fati). Whatever your fate is, whatever the hell happens, you say, "This is what I need." It may look like the worst thing possible, but go at it as though it were an opportunity to practice. If I bring love to that moment, not discouragement, I find the strength is there...eventually.

 

[HealingMe]

Standing. Clapping. That takes a lot of courage to seriously contemplate, let alone practice fully.

As hard as it is to hear sometimes, as challenging as it is to do, and as often as I fail at it, I remind myself that I have to have the attitude that "I want to go through this pain" because it's more practice toward letting go of it.

More broadly, Nietzsche was the one who did the job for me. At a certain moment in his life, the idea came to him of what he called "the love of your fate" (amor fati). Whatever your fate is, whatever the hell happens, you say, "This is what I need." It may look like the worst thing possible, but go at it as though it were an opportunity to practice. If I bring love to that moment, not discouragement, I find the strength is there...eventually.

Wow. This is incredible. Thank you @backhand.

 

[Lavender_lily]

@HealingMe I really like where you said "One thing this flare reminded me of is not to dismiss the “small” stressors, like breaking old patterns and habits, as our brain doesn't know any better. Our conscious mind may think they’re no big deal, but sometimes those are exactly the things worth looking at. They’re easy to brush off, but they can still stir up rage underneath the surface." This is a great reminder as I tend to try to find the "Big" life stressors and focus on them.

That is also my favorite Claire Weekes Quote Sending you a virtual hug to ride the wave of your flare.

 

[HealingMe]

Thank you friend. I’m glad you are here! @Lavender_lily

 

[Bonnard]

I’m going through a flare this week with some of the original symptoms that first led me to discover the work of John E. Sarno over two years ago. I felt inspired to share something vulnerable and honest after seeing a few recent threads from longtime members here talking about flares. I hope this might be encouraging, especially for newer folks in the community.

We can’t always know exactly what triggers a flare, but after sitting with it for a couple of days, here are a few things I noticed that may have played a role:

The news. I realized I’ve been checking it way too often -- right when I wake up and again before bed. Negative news tends to make me feel angry, scared, and out of control. I’m working on breaking that habit and limiting myself to once a day.

Changing misc. habits. I’ve been pushing myself to break a few small patterns I’ve avoided addressing -- being a bit more vulnerable about minor things, improving my sleep hygiene, and getting back into reading.

Health changes. I recently started focusing more on eating well and getting more structured/serious about strength training, which has been bringing me a lot of joy. Of course, the specific body part I'm focused on is exactly where my symptom decided to flare -- which is funny how that works.

Travel anxiety. Last month I noticed some lingering fear about traveling because of something that happened on a trip late last year. It wasn’t serious, but it scared me at the time. I reassured myself logically, moved forward, and ended up having a great time!

One thing this flare reminded me of is not to dismiss the “small” stressors, like breaking old patterns and habits, as our brain doesn't know any better. Our conscious mind may think they’re no big deal, but sometimes those are exactly the things worth looking at. They’re easy to brush off, but they can still stir up rage underneath the surface.

I’ve been doing this work for over two years now, and flares still happen, however they are quick passing. But each time is another opportunity to reflect and to remind myself that the symptoms are not dangerous, and go back to living life. When I read that Dr. Weekes' said "hope that the anxiety will come, that way you can practice and practice", I will speak plainly when I thought thought she was crazy, but I truly understand this now. It gets easier and less scary.

So what now? I'm taking it slow, reflecting, getting back in tune with my feelings, and simply riding it out. I created a ritual for the moments when I’m feeling pretty crappy. One of the things I had to learn the last couple of years was how to soothe myself, because for a long time that concept felt really foreign to me. It's one of those things that feels like a warm hug when I need it the most.

Cheers! Hope you all are having a good week!

This is such a caring and beautiful post--thank you. Several lines really hit me, so I'm going to take the liberty of pulling each out and commenting!

I felt inspired to share something vulnerable and honest after seeing a few recent threads from longtime members here talking about flares.

Yes. More of this.
Longtime members can't be isolated and alone when symptoms and really difficult stuff shows up.
And, let's break the assumptions that if you've got Beloved Grand Eagle after your name, you're not only cured, but you're basically retired from doing the work and wouldn't have the time anyway b/c you're re-writing Sarno's early books.

The news.

Enough Said.

One thing this flare reminded me of is not to dismiss the “small” stressors

For me, that small stuff adds up. I have a tendency to ignore minor symptoms when they show up, and it's never gone well when I've done that. A couple times it took a while, but it would always get a lot worse and be harder to deal with.

One of the things I had to learn the last couple of years was how to soothe myself,

How important--and it's so different for each of us.

Of course, the specific body part I'm focused on is exactly where my symptom decided to flare -- which is funny how that works.

That's my experience. I've had a bunch of versions of that happening.

 

[HealingMe]

This is such a caring and beautiful post--thank you. Several lines really hit me, so I'm going to take the liberty of pulling each out and commenting!


Yes. More of this.
Longtime members can't be isolated and alone when symptoms and really difficult stuff shows up.
And, let's break the assumptions that if you've got Beloved Grand Eagle after your name, you're not only cured, but you're basically retired from doing the work and wouldn't have the time anyway b/c you're re-writing Sarno's early books.


Enough Said.


For me, that small stuff adds up. I have a tendency to ignore minor symptoms when they show up, and it's never gone well when I've done that. A couple times it took a while, but it would always get a lot worse and be harder to deal with.


How important--and it's so different for each of us.


That's my experience. I've had a bunch of versions of that happening.

Thank you so much, @Bonnard. I appreciate your thoughts.

 

[Mani]

You all are so amazing!

I wish i could copy paste all your experiences into my brain.

I am still shocked anytime i see improvement — as if im not worthy.

 

[Diana-M]

You are so worthy, dear @Mani!

 

[Bonnard]

You all are so amazing!

I wish i could copy paste all your experiences into my brain.

I am still shocked anytime i see improvement — as if im not worthy.

That's the beauty (one of so many!) in all of this. You ARE worthy. We all are.

Each of us has our own experiences that are worth sharing (need to be shared, really) so others can get the help they need. We help others and help ourselves at the same time.

There are folks out there who will relate to your experiences, @Mani. And maybe not so much to others on the forum.