A few weeks ago, I woke up with a stiff shoulder. Hmm, that’s not unusual, I thought. I’ve had a frozen shoulder, so the tightness didn’t seem to phase me. A week later, my back froze up on me. I literally could not lift myself out of the bed. I had to turn my body and slide onto the floor and try to figure out a way to straighten myself up before I peed on the floor…I know too much information, but the truth. A few days later, my left eyelid started twitching…what the heck!

And then, during my mindless scrolling, I came across a quote that placed all my aches, pains, and twitches into perspective –

“Worrying is like worshiping the problem” – unknown.

I re-read the quote and thought, is this what’s wrong with me? Is this what is attacking my shoulder, back, and left eye? Is this all stress-related?

I took a deep breath and thought about my current circumstances and several conversations that left me uneasy and thought, yup…it sure is. I have taken on the stress of the conversations, internalized them, and pushed them as far back in my psyche. I thought I had it all under control, but I did not. I had them swirling around in my mind…sleeping them off at night and waking up to them first thing in the morning. I was carrying them around with me, and as the days progressed, my body started to show systems of the stress. How do I know this? Well, as soon as I began to recognize what it was and started to have the necessary conversations, my symptoms began to dissipate. My back was released, my eye stop twitching, and my shoulder loosened up considerably.

Why do I share all these details with you?

I believe many of our physical pains are manifestations of the stress we carry daily. There are a plethora of things to worry about and stress over. Unfortunately, worrying and stressing does not improve the circumstances. It creates illness that can be paralyzing on some days.

I knew that in order to feel better, I had to change my thoughts. I had to shift my mindset. Did my challenges go away? No, but how I think of them and speak about them has. I cannot fret over things that are way beyond my control, but I certainly can adjust my thoughts about what is right in front of me.

So, if you are going through some physical pain that was caused by an external injury and has an identifiable marker, your pain is understandable.

BUT, if you wake up with a headache, backache, shoulder tightness, neck pain, rash, or exhaustion, and you know for a fact there are no underlying reasons, I would challenge you to try and shift your mindset. Shift your response and reaction, re-set your thoughts, and re-assess your decisions. It can be as simple as that.

As we come to the last quarter of the year, re-assess, re-set, and re-assign the things in your life that are no longer serving you. Acknowledge that you have done your best, but most importantly,

Remember the miracles and release your mind.

It’s time to start feeling better!

(I am not a medical doctor, so if these pains persist, I highly recommend you see a medical professional)