I usually carry my stress in one spot. It's on the inside of my left shoulder. I discovered this tendency of mine while on internship as the spot would ache for about 24 hours as I held mine and what I perceived to be the collected stress of the congregation. Often I'd have lunch with two dear people after the last service and about mid-way through the meal the pain would subside and I'd breathe and be able to move a bit more freely.
Yeah. Healthy, I know.
The ache is back today. During that period in my life I could easily tell you exactly what things were sitting in that spot. Today it's a little fuzzier. A finished sermon (two hours before preaching) would help. The confidence that there's enough food for tonight's pot-luck would help. Some clarity about life in general (HA!) would help. And I guess by writing this, I'm hoping that whining about it on my blog will help!
Yeah. I'll see how that goes.
5 comments:
I have one of those too--on my right shoulder (well, I usually think of it as "under my right shoulder blade").
I envy your ability to tell which things are causing it...I normally have only a vague sense, then figure it out when it goes away.
here's to a little stress-relief...
That sounds awfully uncomfortable.
I've noticed that when I'm really upset about something, my arms hurt. For me, it's really helpful (albeit uncomfortable) because it helps me pay attention to what I'm feeling. Which is not something I'm very good at.
I have the same thing. I now get a monthly massage, and that helps a LOT.
I get a stressed feeling across the top of my back I think of as my yoke. I've found that lying down for ten minutes when it starts helps more than saying to myself that I'll lie down after I finish the next task.
RE: potluck. Leave it to chance or good fortune or to the spirit. If there isn't enough food, so be it. Next time the people will figure out that they have to pitch in more.
Funny, mine is right below my right shoulder blade. It even makes a "knot" that you can feel. I never knew stress had that effect on other people too.
Learn something every day.
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