Carolyn– Fatigue, Constant Headaches, Overwhelming Stress
This week’s healing story has me reflecting on the way feeling better in our bodies helps us show up differently in our lives for ourselves, our families, and our communities.
”Carolyn” came in feeling pretty miserable. She had terrible back, neck, and shoulder pain, and was sleeping really poorly. On top of that, she was having near-constant headaches that were a 6 (out of 10) pain level most of the time, sometimes worse. She was exhausted. She had just made the international move over here, had little ones to take care of, and was beyond stressed. I could imagine just how HARD life was for her, living with that kind of pain and depletion every day, while feeling responsible for her precious littles.
Although her youngest is two years old, I noticed that Carolyn had a very common breathing pattern for postpartum women– breathing high in her chest, rapidly, and with some effort. This is often the first thing I notice when someone lies on my table, and must be addressed ASAP! Usually, it’s just a matter of helping the stomach and liver move back down into the abdomen a little more, to make room for the diaphragm to lower, allowing deep and easy breathing. The change is always immediate, and it’s fun for me to see– every single time! This breathing pattern can also contribute to neck and back pain in a significant way, so it’s really common for women to have these issues postpartum.
I worked with her neck, back, and shoulder, and I also used gentle CranioSacral techniques to calm her nervous system, and balance the movement of cerebrospinal fluid in her head.
Carolyn left looking like she felt much better, and I was very hopeful for her. When I saw her a couple of weeks later, she looked even better! She told me that her sleep had improved, and that she had much less pain in her neck and back. When I asked about her headaches, she looked surprised, and exclaimed that she had forgotten about them completely! (It’s so wild to me how quickly we forget about problems when they go away– the headaches had been plaguing her for months!)
She also commented that her energy had really improved, and she didn’t feel so overwhelmed with unpacking and setting up her home, and taking care of her family.The improved energy was coming from a few places– much easier, deeper breathing, a calmer nervous system, and the absence of constant headaches and body pain. Although we still had some other issues to work on, I felt so happy for her. I know that feeling better makes a huge difference to her whole family, as well!
It’s such a good reminder that taking care of our own pain and getting help when we are suffering is good for EVERYONE, and never selfish.
