A Bag of Peas
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Ashley Osier
MA, HHE, CPS, CSMT, CAMT, CAYT, CWHP
Being thankful seems like such a small thing and yet some situations seem to so easily throw a wrench into my ability
to be thankful.
SO...as I sit writing with a bag of frozen peas on my neck, I am thankful for the numbing power of ice. HA!😀 I know it is temporary, but repeated, pain symptoms usually resolve sooner than later, and I do like efficiency. So ice and more ice is my current story and I'm gonna stick to it. Well and maybe some Biofreeze, acupressure, stretching, 3-Lock Mountain, and deep breathing. I have been working on my YouTube videos for counter-pain strategies and am praying that it is helpful to those who are experiencing chronic pain. What a blessing to take my unpleasant experiences with chronic pain and use it to help others. It brings meaning to a body response that doctors can find no use or purpose.
Speaking of which...as I consider the purposelessness of the "Gate" at the base of the skull that does not close with chronic pain, I am left to consider the other seemingly purposeless things that happen in life. For example, people who are born without arms and legs. Why would God let this happen? Doesn't He know that these children are bullied? Doesn't He know that it puts a tremendous burden on the parents, siblings and other people around them? How could anyone be thankful in such a situation?
And then there is Nick...
Nick Vujicic.
He is one of my go-to people for inspiration when I am exhausted from managing chronic pain.
He is one of my go-to people for inspiration when I am exhausted from managing chronic pain.
He had to live 24 years before he found out that he was created with a purpose. It seems that his parents always knew he was created with a purpose and thankfully so...at least I am thankful he realized it. His story is amazing and I encourage you to watch his video...more than once or twice...and to share it with anyone who feels deeply discouraged, hopeless, purposeless or who wonders why God allows bad things to happen to good people.
So...what does this have to do with a bag of peas? Well, sometimes a bag of peas is not just for consuming. Sometimes a bag of peas is meant to be put on a sore neck to reduce inflammation. Or sometimes it is used to write about in a blog to help someone else use it to reduce pain in their body. Maybe its sole purpose is to remind someone that peas is a vegetable, hmm. Peas are sweet, delicious and green, :).
Sometimes the messy parts of our life have more purpose than just being a mess. We can use our mess or pain or illness, to become stronger, help someone else or just remind us that we are human and not a robot. We can also use our mess to learn from so we don't repeat it in the future. Be encouraged. You were created with a specific purpose in mind that will give meaning to your life if you act on it and wait patiently for God to work. Just like Nick did.
Do you have your own bag of frozen peas? What are you doing with the mess in your life? Is it going to be a time for growing and maturing or is it a time for stewing and brewing? I want to encourage you to take 20 minutes to stew. Stew hard for those 20 minutes and after the timer goes off, be done with it and take charge of your day the best you possibly can given your circumstances and resources. I started doing this exercise when I was thirteen and found it to be incredibly helpful. I know it won't be easy for a lot of you. But I want to encourage you to try. If you need to rest or take a 10-20 minute cat nap because you are exhausted, be thoughtful to do so. Your body and mind will recharge and thank you.
For my chronic pain sufferers, I will be coming out with more videos on additional counter-pain strategies, so make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel. They are all FREE. Pain causes our body to contract and tighten, which can create long-term postural discrepancies. We want to decrease our pain as much as possible, so make sure to implement as many counter-pain strategies as possible (that work for your body right now). You can check out my latest video HERE or go to the playlist HERE for my current counter-pain videos. Since I have been managing chronic pain for 40 years, successfully, I have a very long list of counter-pain strategies to share. If you have some of your own, definitely share those with me in the comment section below.
For my stress bunnies, remember that stress does not help us to maintain good postural habits. So I want to encourage you to build your counter-stress toolbox. Figure out what strategies work best to counter stress in your life so you can decrease feelings of hopelessness, anxiety, depression, anger, or overall feelings of confusion. I will be putting a list together soon to post, so stay tuned. If you have counter-stress strategies you find work really well, make sure to share those with me in the comment section below. I would love to hear about them.
Lastly, I would love to hear about the inspirational people in your life. Who do you go to for inspiration? Is it someone you know personally, someone from a story you read, a public figure? Let me know in the comments.
Lastly, I would love to hear about the inspirational people in your life. Who do you go to for inspiration? Is it someone you know personally, someone from a story you read, a public figure? Let me know in the comments.
I hope you are able to find ways to be thankful in your day!
Happy Posturing (inside and out),
Ashley
The Posture Specialist
YouTube Channel: theposturespecialist.com
Instagram (@theposturespecialist)
Website: eastwestsomatherapy.com
Facebook Q & A Group: The Posture Specialist Q & A Group
Facebook Group: Business Facebook Site
Ashley Osier is a holistic health educator and therapist, stress management therapist, corrective posture and corrective exercise specialist, an acupressure and massage therapist, stretching, massage, acupressure, and self-acupressure instructor and creator of the Point Release™ Technique and StretchFit™ Method. She specializes in working with stress management, injury prevention and pain relief, therapeutic stretching for individuals and couples, and posture awareness. She also offers coaching in nutrition and support for women going through divorce. Appointments can be scheduled by contacting her at ewsomatherapy@gmail.com.
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