Stress and Chronic Illness

(Artwork by Kelly Watts 2012)

 

Lastnight as I was lying in bed preparing myself for sleep I began to have sharp pains in my left arm.  My Husband became worried and I am sure he thought it was a heart attack or something.  After a few minutes the pains went away... then my eldest son came in the room and wanted help preparing his Facebook birthday invitations... the pain came back.  Then my other son came in the room and was coughing... the pain worsened as I began to worry about him.

 

So, after that my husband and I prayed to God for help... my husband then knew it was stress related.  We prayed that God would show me what I was truly stressed about and that I could give it over to Him.

 

There were and are so many things... and stress = pain for me.

 

I do not mean to be this way but I think and believe that I am a chronic worrier.  Inside my brain is a little old lady sitting in a corner just worrying and worrying away (maybe if I art journal a page of what she looks like and what on earth she's so darn worried about I can finally let her go?)

 

 

^{Matthew 6:25} “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[e]?

That last question/verse... "Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"  makes me think a lot!  I would say that the majority of things I worry about are completely out of my control!

 

Will worrying about my Son's birthday party make the work of it any less? No.

 

Will worrying about my Doctor's appointment make it a pleasant experience? No. 

 

Will worrying about my husband putting his back out take his pain away? No.

 

It goes on and on and on and on...

 

Why do I worry so much?

 

Worry=Stress which = PAIN for me.

 

 

Is it that way for you too?

 

 

Let's for fun take a look at the word STRESS.

 

According to Dictionary.com this is the definition.

 

STRESS:  importance attached to a thing. 

Synonyms: significance, meaning, emphasis, consequence; weight, value, worth.

 

 

Stress is the importance WE attach to things... hmmm....

 

So when we attach importance to specific things and worry about those specific things, until those things are accomplished/achieved... we are stressed?

 

That's what I am getting from it anyway. (Just thinking while I am typing this out)...

 

STRESS tenses up our bodies, our muscles, our joints...  when this happens our bodies sieze up.

 

When that happens PAIN happens!

 

So to sum things up:

 

STRESS = PAIN

WORRY = STRESS = PAIN

 

STRESS = BAD

WORRY = BAD

PAIN = BAD

 

I'm so smart;)

 

So in all my smartness I am going to work on not being so darn STRESSED out!

 

I hope that you will join me in the effort!

 

Many hugs and many blessings fellow spoonies!

 

Sincerely;

 

Kelly Watts