Stress? Me?

Yesterday I went to a neuromuscular pain specialist to deal with an ongoing problem that I have. I had a hip replacement about 10 years ago and I have a tendency to have the entire hip/pelvic area lock up or just get very very tight and achy. I pull muscles easily in that area. I pulled a muscle in my back a few days ago just trying to change the sheets and it took me a couple of days to recover from that. So frustrating!

I hate being this way because I want to be an active person. I want to take long hikes in the mountains and I want to take a long bike rides with my husband. I do those things but occasionally I just can't. It hurts just to walk up the stairs. Or walk across the room.

When this neuromuscular pain specialist was working with me he said that my core seemed to be the issue and that it was probably caused by stress. And I'm thinking, stress? Are you kidding me? I don't stress! My husband had the same response when I told him. “Stress?” He said. “Not you!”

I am a person who takes good care of herself. I relax with good books. I take naps if I need them. I take lots of big vacations and many mini-vacations. I'm pretty good to myself.

But when he told me that, I realized I actually do have a couple of stressors in my life. I have this blog with a deadline every Monday and Friday and I also have a book that is currently being presented to a publishing copany. I was very slow finishing the proposal. I should have sent it in a month ago and I'm a little down on myself because I didn't. I am the supreme procrastinator. And procrastination can cause self-condemnation which in turn creates stress.

I asked this specialist what I needed to do to stop this problem I'm having. He's not a psychologist so he did not give me the answer I was looking for. Basically he told me to massage at the source of pain and stretch a lot. Aargh!

So I've been giving this some thought. If my body is reacting to stress then I need to address the areas that I stress about and I need to address why I stress. What is the cure for stress? It's not to get rid of the jobs or the tasks you have that seemingly create stress. Because  I absolutely love my writing jobs. Without a doubt I feel called by God to do these jobs.

It's my attitude towards myself that needs to change. How do I do that? For me, a child of God, I recognize that in order to have the correct attitude I need to be in His Presence. When I am there, basking in His love, it resets the way I see myself. I am a beloved, cherished little girl of the Creator of the universe. And He is continually at work in me and through me even when I can't see it or feel it. I need to rest in His arms. And in that position, go about doing what He has called me to do. But do it with an attitude of rest and trust instead of constantly beating myself up because I don't have things done in the time I thought they ought to be done.

The bonus to this is that when I truly see myself as precious to God, then I'm able to see others as precious to Him. I treat them as precious beings. When I'm impatient with myself, I'm impatient with others. When I'm angry with me, I'm angry with thee!

Time in His Presence, getting my head screwed on straight is invaluable. The cool thing is that He knows exactly how to fix me. After all, I'm His. He created me. He fully knows and understands me. And He can fix me.