Pain in my neck

by Brittany Geragotelis

The other morning, I woke up with the biggest pain in my neck. And no, I don't mean Matt (hahahaha, just kidding, Matty!). No, I woke up and had the most intense, uncomfortable, debilitating pain up and down my spine. I'd never felt anything like it.

Just holding my head up straight hurt. No amount of maneuvering made it feel better. I downed Advil like it was chicklets and eventually broke down and bought some Ben Gay. I suffered through doing that weird, in order to move my head I must move my body thing, to ensure that I didn't have to move much, and thus endure more pain.

People's first question to me was, had I slept weird? And sure, I might have slept weird (although I don't remember on account of being asleep and all), but my neck didn't hurt as soon as I came to in bed. It actually started growing gradually as I was doing my hair and makeup. So, as I tried to come up with an explanation for my ailment, it dawned on me.

STRESS.

It's been proven time and time again that emotional stress can manifest itself in physical ways. You have a nasty fight with your significant other—and then promptly get a cold. You're worried about how you're going to pay your rent and your credit card bills—and suddenly you're getting blinding tension headaches. Or you go through a particularly tough week at work—and suddenly you can't move your neck.

When I took an honest look at what my emotional state has been over the past week, it's like there are blinking neon signs pointing to the pain that's shown up in my neck (and now my shoulders).

So, what can I do about it? Well, for starters, I'll keep taking Advil to bring down the inflammation and will continue to slather on the Ben Gay to numb the pain. But I've still got to do something for the emotional issues that are causing the stress in the first place. And that's where things like meditation and positive-thinking come into play. Although it's hard to think so when you're in it, things are always bound to get better and have a way of working themselves out. It also helps to put things into perspective: I'm healthy; pretty darn happy; I'm in a relationship that is totally fullfilling and will be moving in with Matt soon; at the end of the day, I'm proud of the magazine we put out and I get to impact young people's lives in a hugely positive way; I'm writing a new book that people are excited to read; I have amazing friends who continue to inspire me on a daily basis; my family are my #1 fans and I feel the same way; and today, I have gifts that make me uniquely qualified to help others around me.

Ahhhh, I can feel the pain in my neck subsiding already.
:)

5x5,
B.