Day 15 Question to Ponder

Yes, I must admit that my pain has been moving around. The nerve pain is quite sporadic, and seems like it could attack nearly any part of my body at random times. I've also experienced quite a bit of stomach pain over the last day or two, though I have heard there is a virus going around which causes stomach pain.

However, I have noticed that the muscles in my shoulders and back get very tense when I am stressed. Sometimes I get pain in the lower back, then it goes away. Other times the muscles in the middle to lower end of my back get rather tense and tight. It's amazing how much it changes and moves!

The most challenging issue I've been facing lately has been my fatigue. I have stopped working completely, even though I kept trying to work, and my managers kept reducing my hours and days. Eventually it just got too much, and I could barely even keep going after two hours. I felt like I would collapse!

I feel relieved that I can finally rest and focus on recovery.

…

As I've been exploring my emotional issues, I've become aware that my anxiety levels are very high and they are playing a key role in my chronic pain and fatigue. I now know that they are triggering my autonomic nervous system and causing it not to function properly, which affects many different parts of my body.

I am beginning to work on dealing with my anxiety, and I have found some useful Christian guided meditation and relaxation recordings online. So far I've found them quite helpful. I also really like lying down and listening to quiet, soothing worship music. This helps me to rest, and it's useful when I don't have the energy to do anything else.

In addition, I've been watching recovery stories of people who have overcome chronic fatigue/fibromyalgia, and they have all confirmed my understanding of TMS. In each story the people mention how important it was to change their mindset, and many people mention how they use relaxation, meditation, prayer, visualising and spiritual practices to change their thought patterns.

I have to admit that in the last week I had started to feel a bit hopeless, but now that I'm getting back into the recovery program I'm feeling better and much more hopeful again. It helps to remember that I will get better, no matter how long it takes. And there is so much I can learn from this difficult journey.

I'm also deeply thankful that I can go through this now, as I'm 23 years old and don't have any major responsibilities. I feel blessed that I can learn to overcome TMS at this stage, and I don't have to worry about a spouse, children, or other big responsibilities at work. I know this will give me the keys to deal with any major setbacks that could occur in the future.

 

Laudisco, you are indeed fortunate to have discovered TMS and this community so young.
I discovered both two years ago at the age of 82 and it has made me a much healthier and happier person.

I too found myself pain-free after practicing TMS healing techniques such as relaxation, meditation,
deep breathing, mindfulness, visualization, and prayer.

Be patient, stick with the SEP and other helps you find in the subforums and you will heal, too.

I am going to post a new thread today in which I tell about YouTube videos I came upon that
are helpful in getting to sleep, relaxing, living in the moment, etc. Hope you will take a look at it.

 

Yes, after seeing my family and friends suffer with chronic pain or TMS-related issues for years, I realise I am so blessed to discover this at my age. As frustrating as it is to have a health issue at a young age, I've come to realise I have a great advantage compared to many other people.

Thanks for your encouragement to stick with it! It helps me to keep persevering, especially when change seems slow.