Living With Pain

I haven't been sleeping well the last few nights. As I was walking in to work this morning, I realized I haven't been feeling "well" for several weeks. First, it was my allergies. Then it was my shoulder/elbow. What is scary is that I am too busy to take care of myself. I'm sure my allergies has transmorphed into a sinus infection. There is no reason why I should be taking pills and using nasal spray on a daily basis. I should not wake up at 3:00 AM with a major sneezing attack.

I was taught at a very early age to "play through the pain." I was a tom boy and played a lot of sports, and was always sporting bruises, cuts, strains, etc. and usually with pride. The only way I earned a trip to the emergency room was if the bleeding wouldn't stop or a bone was showing. Sprains, strains, pulled muscles, etc. were treated at home with aspirin and ice. So it's no wonder that, even though I feel crappy and I'm in pain, I don't do anything about it. This is how I was taught to treat my body. I don't think I'd cry over every hangnail or stubbed toe, but I need to listen to my body when it tells me it's not feeling well. And I need to do something about it. Having said that, I am going to try and get into my doctor's this week to get some antibiotics to treat the sinus infection. I'm also going to make sure I see my chiropractor to take care of my shoulder/elbow. I refuse to go on vacation in pain!

Time for my staff meeting. It's the first since we've gotten the new leader here in the office, and I'm actually pumped. The previous leader, with whom I did not get along, didn't believe in staff meetings, so while my team knew about initiatives and new programs, the other half of the office did not. This is going to be the first of many I am sure.