On astronauts, deceptive language and positive stress
Can stress be positive? Yes, in some context and to some degree.
Astronauts share something in common with post-menopause women: high risk of osteoporosis. Why would those fit, young people on a healthy diet end up with osteoporosis? Our bones need stress. The gravity force applies that stress 24/7, but in space, bones are deprived of that stress and rapidly lose density.
Stress in the physics and anatomy language means that some force is applied. When you stress the tissues, they grow resilient and anti-fragile.
The same is true for your entire organism. When you exercise, you ''stress'' your respiratory and cardiovascular system. That's how it becomes more efficient.
Your ''bad wrists'' or ''funny knees'' often need a bit of positive stress and some doses of discomfort that will ultimately make them more resilient.
The problem is that you might be convinced that stress will damage you.
Maybe the doctors have given you a diagnosis to describe your condition. That's what doctors are for, after all. If you're over 40 or 50 years old, you most likely have something that can be classified in medicine as ''pathology''. But this diagnosis does not necessarily explain the pain and almost certainly does not condemn you to suffer it forever. When the doctors predict the course of your condition or the healing timeline, they rely on the accumulated experience of thousands and thousands of cases. That’s the statistical knowledge. Your case might be different from what is usual or average.
Lots of people have ‘‘pathologies’’ or ''degenerations'' and don't realise it! Those might be calcifications or degeneration in the cartilage or herniated discs. Experts estimate that more than 80% of adults older than 55 have osteoarthritis, even if some of them never experience symptoms. Just 60% of people with osteoarthritis have symptoms they can feel. Medical News reports that 3-15% of people have tendon calcification. Similarly, according to the Mayo Clinic: ‘‘Many people have no symptoms from a herniated disk. For people who do have symptoms, the symptoms tend to improve over time.’’
Patients often get very attached to the diagnosis and the image proof of something abnormal or broken. In a sense, they become their diagnosis, totally identifying with it.
Often, the power of language makes it worse. It matters how the health professionals talk about your diagnosed condition. And what language do you and your surroundings use to describe how your body is. Terms like ''slipped disc'' or ''wear and tear'' aren’t just anatomically incorrect - they also convey a harmful self-image. The image of the irreparably broken and inherently fragile body. The disc cannot slip! Some of the jelly-like body of the disc moves millimeters beyond the vertebrae that sandwich it. Just think for a moment: how much movement do you imagine when you hear slipped disc?
Before you know it, you start believing there is a long list of things you can never do again.
The constant ''You can't do this!'', ''Don't do that!'', ''Be careful!'' at the back of your head brings anxiety and even hatred towards your body. And that really doesn't help with healing.
It's so easy to self-shackle yourself without even noticing. Last autumn, I taught a private session to a group of women over 70. One of them doubted whether she could do any of the exercises, as she had ''bad feet'' and ''pain in the spine''. She had a diagnosis that in her mind explained why this class wouldn’t be a good idea. I assured her she could opt out of any movement or position that wouldn't feel right. But guess what? She did the entire 90-minute session without skipping anything! And without any pain. The major restriction was her fear.
If you expect the pain, it will hurt more. Neuroscientists have researched this phenomenon in depth. The brain is perfectly capable of conjuring up pain just from its expectation. Bah! When you’re told a poisonous ivy was applied to your skin, you will get a rash. Yes, your body reacts to what your mind BELIEVES is true!
When you fear the pain, you tense up and move unnaturally, hyper-cautiously. You stop breathing preparing for the worst. Pain becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
So yes, you can load your knees wrists, or spine - but be compassionate.
There is a difference between pushing yourself over the edge when you do too much and building up that resilience within your window of tolerance for this moment.
When you first attempt to move, you might feel a slight pinch. Don't give up. That pinch might be gone after a few slow, gentle repetitions.
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How do you navigate that positive stress as you move? Check out my YouTube video with a sample you can try out NOW.
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