Dear Patient,
Last week a patient was telling me about a recent uptick in his anxiety. “I have so many good things happening now,” he said, “But my anxiety has gotten worse.” Another patient reported an increase in her muscle spasms after the resolution of a longstanding family conflict.
This reminded me of being in acupuncture school, when I would often get sick after exams. It was like my body lost the ability to fight off anything, even the weakest of pathogens, after weeks of intense pressure. I’d be in bed for days, miserable and worn out.
When a life situation improves, we expect to feel better. But sometimes the opposite happens. A burden is lifted, a long-awaited piece of good news arrives, a threat passes —and we feel worse.
When you’re weathering an intense period, your body does whatever it takes to keep you going, ignoring everything extraneous to the particular threat at hand. Once the threat passes, your body is exhausted, but it still has work to do. Think of it as your body clearing a backlog of help requests. Be gentle with yourself. Be patient. Your body will catch up to your newer, better circumstances in time.
Love and gratitude,
Your Acupuncturist
Yup - like when I get sick on the weekend or during a vacation...when I can finally "rest"