ladysprite (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ladysprite) wrote2011-06-01 11:29 pm
ladysprite) wrote2011-06-01 11:29 pm
Entry tags:
Taking Care Of Myself
The most frustrating thing about getting over a hangup, or a fear or anxiety, is the embarrassment and general feeling of foolishness that comes when you realize, in retrospect, just how ungrounded your issues actually were.
That said, I honestly think that the best thing I've done in the past several years, in terms of my physical health, is get over my objections to massage therapy. I'm still grudging in my acceptance of it, but I can no longer deny that it helps, and I'm willing to accept that it's not quite the selfish waste of money I thought it was.
After nearly two weeks of nigh-constant headaches bad enough to leave me in tears, I broke down and scheduled myself another massage at the local parlor. This is the second time I've resorted to that as headache therapy, and... as much as I hate to admit it, it works. Better than anything else I've tried, from hot and cold packs to Tylenol and ibuprofen to backrubs-from-friends. It may not be an instant cure-all, but it takes the pain away for a little while, and makes it a lot easier for everything else to be effective.
And... I like this place, and the people who work there. It doesn't make me feel uncomfortable, or creepy, or needlessly decadent. It just feels like another way to help fight headaches and the nightmares that come when I fall asleep in pain.
So I went, and it helped, and I've even swallowed my pride and my objections and signed up for a monthly plan. With any luck this will help beat the tension down to a level where I might be able to feel my shoulders again, and the headaches will become a thing of the past.
And yeah, all of you guys who told me to get over myself and just accept this as appropriate can now say that you told me so. It still bugs me, and I still feel like a wastrel spendthrift, but... it's working.
That said, I honestly think that the best thing I've done in the past several years, in terms of my physical health, is get over my objections to massage therapy. I'm still grudging in my acceptance of it, but I can no longer deny that it helps, and I'm willing to accept that it's not quite the selfish waste of money I thought it was.
After nearly two weeks of nigh-constant headaches bad enough to leave me in tears, I broke down and scheduled myself another massage at the local parlor. This is the second time I've resorted to that as headache therapy, and... as much as I hate to admit it, it works. Better than anything else I've tried, from hot and cold packs to Tylenol and ibuprofen to backrubs-from-friends. It may not be an instant cure-all, but it takes the pain away for a little while, and makes it a lot easier for everything else to be effective.
And... I like this place, and the people who work there. It doesn't make me feel uncomfortable, or creepy, or needlessly decadent. It just feels like another way to help fight headaches and the nightmares that come when I fall asleep in pain.
So I went, and it helped, and I've even swallowed my pride and my objections and signed up for a monthly plan. With any luck this will help beat the tension down to a level where I might be able to feel my shoulders again, and the headaches will become a thing of the past.
And yeah, all of you guys who told me to get over myself and just accept this as appropriate can now say that you told me so. It still bugs me, and I still feel like a wastrel spendthrift, but... it's working.
no subject
If someone comes up and gives you a playful slap on the shoulder, and you react *really* badly, saying it hurts, that's a bit silly, if you're perfectly average... and if you don't have a horrible case of sunburn on that shoulder. But if you need to heal from a horrible case of sunburn, your reaction isn't all that bad.
Of course, a sunburn is easy - everyone can be sunburned! A sore spot on the psyche can induce all kinds of guilt, as if one is supposed to have a perfect, spotless psyche.
Second, money exists to make you happier. Sometimes, it's to make you happier insofar as you have a roof over your head or food in your stomach. Other times, it's to make you happier because you have a happy-making product or service. You never want to spend rent or food money on luxuries, but money you're just holding on to, that's not needed, doesn't do its job of making you happy. Thrift can be good - saving up money so you can do something you *really* enjoy, rather than letting money slip away. But unless spending actually makes you unhappier than not, well, that's why people try to earn money - for nice things, to have or experience.