I have a difficult time dealing with all the insanity in the world. Some people or activists give us their daily dose of how bad it is, and who is to blame. But they do so without providing any solutions. I can't stop the genocide in Gaza, the war against the Ukraine or the fact that Rumpelstiltskin (It's my name for Him) is actually going to run for president when he should be in prison. But what I can control is being kind to my family, friends, co-workers, volunteering in our own communities, in other words things that I can control. That is why I wrote, Freedom is the only worthy goal in life. It is won by disregarding things that lie beyond our control. My blog is on Kindness and compassion, Zen Buddhism, The Tao from China. I get trolled, but who cares.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: THE STARFISH
A man was walking along a beach in a well-known tourist destination, Varadero, Cuba and there were literally thousands and thousands of stranded starfish that had been swept in on the tide and soon to die. He noticed a man (me) in the distance who was throwing them back into the water, one at a time. As he approached me, he said, ‘But there are so many. You can’t possibly make a difference.’ I simply threw another out and said, ‘Made a difference to that one.’
Hi there, Dr. McBride, sorry to hear about the neck-pain-saga. This is a short note to offer another tool to consider for your belt of options.
In the past, I provided consultation in the area of workplace ergonomics. That was my gateway, however, my mission after discussing chair, desk and computer height setup, was to dial into the underlying problem. At least in my humble opinion, excessive sitting/standing and repetitive, unabated movement patterns often lye at the core of the problem.
The tool to consider is simple and won’t add time to your busy schedule.
A) Every hour spend 1’ in “prisoner pose”. Standing, hands interlaced behind your head, pressing your elbows back. Trying to engage the rhomboids and trapezius muscles (moving shoulder blades towards the spine). Head and face neutral, breathing deeply. This will stretch the often tight anterior muscles of the pecs, delts, serratus and rectus abdominals, while strengthening many of your postural muscles.
B) Band rows, This one can be done in conjunction with the above and will literally take 1’. Get a resistance band, anchor it in the hinge side of your office door, perform a set of rows, along with shoulder retraction, 12 to 15 repetitions.
Neck, shoulder, arm and anything connected to those... yes. I do think it's our techy world.
But I think one of my best barometers is my gut. When I feel discomfort in my gut, I need to tune in and listen: is it that I've been eating more dairy than I should, or not enough fiber... or is it age-old anxiety...something coming up that needs to be addressed emotionally, or perhaps with a long walk to get the extra energy out.
At this point, I try to sit quietly with one hand on my heart and another on my stomach and try to listen.
Wow, I identified with this so much! I have been dealing with neck pain since 2016! Started as an occasional thing that would flare up hours after intense workouts, to a daily annoyance and then caused enough lack of sleep to make me start missing work and relying heavily on NSAIDS. But appointments with a masseuse, acupuncturist, trigger point injections, and finally improving my diet by decreasing inflammatory foods, using relaxation techniques, doing stretching, yoga and PT exercises have decreased it to an occasional annoyance and better nights (and days!)
I hold my stress in the exact spots you do. I have a little roller ball I use when it gets particularly bad. Wondering if you’ve looked at the work of Dr. John Sarno regarding how to calm the brain’s messages of pain to the body? Sarno is dead, but his writings live on and his teachings live on: check out Dan Buglio’s YouTube channel Pain Free You. Hope you feel better soon!
shoulders, lumbar spine, left SI joint. Since retiring 18 years ago I've learned what you're preaching: daily PT cobbled from many different sessions, cardio, gym,and yoga several times a week, reading, journaling, and watching the ETOH, salt, and sugar. Much better shape than when I retired.
Greetings from the southern tip of Africa. Great article Lucy ; as someone who has chronic shoulder issues ( not helped by hitting a land mine in an armored personnel carrier) , your analysis makes excellent sense.
I hope you are well and happy; we are but living through interesting times.
I think a lot of people struggle with similar issues, and I think a key reason is our modern lifestyle. We live with stress, we sit too much, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves and we simply live lives that are not very natural. Meaning far away from how we used to live thousands of years ago. I am a believer and practitioner of a simple life, no stress and trying to do things the natural way, and this really works well for me.. :) Thanks for sharing
Dr. McBride thank you for the incredible honesty that you share with us each week. Truly hope you continue forward giving yourself grace and kindness during this latest journey in life! I have panic attacks/high anxiety and will feel it in the center of my chest. Stretching, walking, breathing, knitting and reading usually will help. It’s hard and I am grateful I have a wonderful therapist too!
Hi Mary Ann. I love that quote, especially because there is so much violence and chaos out there, that it can be overwhelming. A lot of 'activists' give us our daily doomsday update, and who or what to blame for all this, but they never have a solution . You probably already know this but I get two reliable news services from Dan Rather and Team Steady and Robert Reich. They work tirelessly to give us the facts. If you are interested in my blog, I am researching Child Poverty in Affluent nations. To subscribe is free and always will be- but I won't be publishing anything for a while so here is my personal link to my blog, so you can read at your own leisure.
When you get to my blog site just hit Archives and you'll have access to everything I humbly try to do
Here is the link https://ancientwisdomtraditions.substack.com This should give you full access. If you want to subscribe, fine but don't worry about it. I just want to offer a little sanity in an insane world,
Thank-you for your kind words. I really appreciate that. Subscribing to my blog is free and always will be. Right now I am working hard researching the causes of Child Poverty in affluent Nations, Like the U.S. So here is the link to my blog, so you can read whatever interests you. When you get there, hit Archive and it will give them to you in chronological Order.
My link is https://ancientwisdomtraditions.substck.com Like I say if you want to subscribe, that helps a bit getting my articles at the Home Page. But you don't have to. I want to help people. Colin
The problem of the ‘busy mind’ seems to be a product of our Western culture. Not all people everywhere, live so much in their heads. The following exchange is from Gail Godwin’s book, Heart which chronicles the renowned Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Jung’s encounter with the Native American Chief ‘Mountain Lake’ of the Taos Pueblos in New Mexico in 1932.
Jung: ‘I was able to talk with him as I have rarely been able to talk with Europeans’. Chief Ochiway Biano (Chief Mountain Lake) must have sensed a kindred spirit in the Swiss doctor, because he was so candid with him:
Chief Mountain Lake: ‘See how cruel the whites look; their lips are thin, their noses are sharp, their faces furrowed and distorted by folds. Their eyes have a staring expression; they are always seeking something. What are they seeking? The whites always want something. They are always uneasy and restless. We do not understand them. We think they are all mad.’
JUNG: ‘ Why do you think they are mad?’ MOUNTAIN LAKE : ‘They say they think with their heads.’ JUNG: ‘Why, of course’, says Jung, ‘What do you think with?’
MOUNTAIN LAKE: ‘We think here, indicating his heart.’
For him who is not in love with life
There is the anxious burden of doubt
And the lone fear of solitude.
For him there is but death.
Love Life, and your Life will know of no corruption.
Love Life, and your judgement will uphold you.
Love Life and you will not wander away
From the path of understanding. Chief Mountain Lake, Arapaho Nation
An Algonquin native guide was leading a Jesuit priest through the forest on the way to visit the lands of the Chipewyan nation just south of Lake Superior, where the priest was anxious to spread the Good News of the Gospel. Suddenly the guide stopped dead in his tracks, turned and asked the priest:
‘‘Would I still go to hell if I never knew about God and sin and hell?’
The priest hesitated and replied, ‘No, not if you never knew.’
Perplexed, the native guide whispered, ‘Then why did you tell me?
Congrats, good Dr… You have done in a blog post a better job than many authors have done in hundreds of page of writing on fundamental care of your skeletal infrastructure. Well done.
I have a difficult time dealing with all the insanity in the world. Some people or activists give us their daily dose of how bad it is, and who is to blame. But they do so without providing any solutions. I can't stop the genocide in Gaza, the war against the Ukraine or the fact that Rumpelstiltskin (It's my name for Him) is actually going to run for president when he should be in prison. But what I can control is being kind to my family, friends, co-workers, volunteering in our own communities, in other words things that I can control. That is why I wrote, Freedom is the only worthy goal in life. It is won by disregarding things that lie beyond our control. My blog is on Kindness and compassion, Zen Buddhism, The Tao from China. I get trolled, but who cares.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: THE STARFISH
A man was walking along a beach in a well-known tourist destination, Varadero, Cuba and there were literally thousands and thousands of stranded starfish that had been swept in on the tide and soon to die. He noticed a man (me) in the distance who was throwing them back into the water, one at a time. As he approached me, he said, ‘But there are so many. You can’t possibly make a difference.’ I simply threw another out and said, ‘Made a difference to that one.’
Hi there, Dr. McBride, sorry to hear about the neck-pain-saga. This is a short note to offer another tool to consider for your belt of options.
In the past, I provided consultation in the area of workplace ergonomics. That was my gateway, however, my mission after discussing chair, desk and computer height setup, was to dial into the underlying problem. At least in my humble opinion, excessive sitting/standing and repetitive, unabated movement patterns often lye at the core of the problem.
The tool to consider is simple and won’t add time to your busy schedule.
A) Every hour spend 1’ in “prisoner pose”. Standing, hands interlaced behind your head, pressing your elbows back. Trying to engage the rhomboids and trapezius muscles (moving shoulder blades towards the spine). Head and face neutral, breathing deeply. This will stretch the often tight anterior muscles of the pecs, delts, serratus and rectus abdominals, while strengthening many of your postural muscles.
B) Band rows, This one can be done in conjunction with the above and will literally take 1’. Get a resistance band, anchor it in the hinge side of your office door, perform a set of rows, along with shoulder retraction, 12 to 15 repetitions.
Best, Martin jones
THANK YOU, Martin! Great advice from the best of the best!
Neck, shoulder, arm and anything connected to those... yes. I do think it's our techy world.
But I think one of my best barometers is my gut. When I feel discomfort in my gut, I need to tune in and listen: is it that I've been eating more dairy than I should, or not enough fiber... or is it age-old anxiety...something coming up that needs to be addressed emotionally, or perhaps with a long walk to get the extra energy out.
At this point, I try to sit quietly with one hand on my heart and another on my stomach and try to listen.
I love that, Eileen!
Wow, I identified with this so much! I have been dealing with neck pain since 2016! Started as an occasional thing that would flare up hours after intense workouts, to a daily annoyance and then caused enough lack of sleep to make me start missing work and relying heavily on NSAIDS. But appointments with a masseuse, acupuncturist, trigger point injections, and finally improving my diet by decreasing inflammatory foods, using relaxation techniques, doing stretching, yoga and PT exercises have decreased it to an occasional annoyance and better nights (and days!)
Great to hear you’ve made progress, even if slow and imperfect!!
I hold my stress in the exact spots you do. I have a little roller ball I use when it gets particularly bad. Wondering if you’ve looked at the work of Dr. John Sarno regarding how to calm the brain’s messages of pain to the body? Sarno is dead, but his writings live on and his teachings live on: check out Dan Buglio’s YouTube channel Pain Free You. Hope you feel better soon!
Love it. And thank you!
Many body parts..C1-2 stenosis,
shoulders, lumbar spine, left SI joint. Since retiring 18 years ago I've learned what you're preaching: daily PT cobbled from many different sessions, cardio, gym,and yoga several times a week, reading, journaling, and watching the ETOH, salt, and sugar. Much better shape than when I retired.
You said it!!
Freedom is the only worthy goal in life. It's won by disregarding things that lie beyond our control.
Colin
Greetings from the southern tip of Africa. Great article Lucy ; as someone who has chronic shoulder issues ( not helped by hitting a land mine in an armored personnel carrier) , your analysis makes excellent sense.
I hope you are well and happy; we are but living through interesting times.
Cheers , Larry
All the best to you, Larry.
I think a lot of people struggle with similar issues, and I think a key reason is our modern lifestyle. We live with stress, we sit too much, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves and we simply live lives that are not very natural. Meaning far away from how we used to live thousands of years ago. I am a believer and practitioner of a simple life, no stress and trying to do things the natural way, and this really works well for me.. :) Thanks for sharing
yes indeed
and you are welcome!
Dr. McBride thank you for the incredible honesty that you share with us each week. Truly hope you continue forward giving yourself grace and kindness during this latest journey in life! I have panic attacks/high anxiety and will feel it in the center of my chest. Stretching, walking, breathing, knitting and reading usually will help. It’s hard and I am grateful I have a wonderful therapist too!
THank you for sharing this - and for the words of encouragement !!
I love the “pain in the neck article”. We can all relate. Keep up the good work.
Hi Mary Ann. I love that quote, especially because there is so much violence and chaos out there, that it can be overwhelming. A lot of 'activists' give us our daily doomsday update, and who or what to blame for all this, but they never have a solution . You probably already know this but I get two reliable news services from Dan Rather and Team Steady and Robert Reich. They work tirelessly to give us the facts. If you are interested in my blog, I am researching Child Poverty in Affluent nations. To subscribe is free and always will be- but I won't be publishing anything for a while so here is my personal link to my blog, so you can read at your own leisure.
When you get to my blog site just hit Archives and you'll have access to everything I humbly try to do
Here is the link https://ancientwisdomtraditions.substack.com This should give you full access. If you want to subscribe, fine but don't worry about it. I just want to offer a little sanity in an insane world,
Kind regards Colin
Thank-you for your kind words. I really appreciate that. Subscribing to my blog is free and always will be. Right now I am working hard researching the causes of Child Poverty in affluent Nations, Like the U.S. So here is the link to my blog, so you can read whatever interests you. When you get there, hit Archive and it will give them to you in chronological Order.
My link is https://ancientwisdomtraditions.substck.com Like I say if you want to subscribe, that helps a bit getting my articles at the Home Page. But you don't have to. I want to help people. Colin
The problem of the ‘busy mind’ seems to be a product of our Western culture. Not all people everywhere, live so much in their heads. The following exchange is from Gail Godwin’s book, Heart which chronicles the renowned Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Jung’s encounter with the Native American Chief ‘Mountain Lake’ of the Taos Pueblos in New Mexico in 1932.
Jung: ‘I was able to talk with him as I have rarely been able to talk with Europeans’. Chief Ochiway Biano (Chief Mountain Lake) must have sensed a kindred spirit in the Swiss doctor, because he was so candid with him:
Chief Mountain Lake: ‘See how cruel the whites look; their lips are thin, their noses are sharp, their faces furrowed and distorted by folds. Their eyes have a staring expression; they are always seeking something. What are they seeking? The whites always want something. They are always uneasy and restless. We do not understand them. We think they are all mad.’
JUNG: ‘ Why do you think they are mad?’ MOUNTAIN LAKE : ‘They say they think with their heads.’ JUNG: ‘Why, of course’, says Jung, ‘What do you think with?’
MOUNTAIN LAKE: ‘We think here, indicating his heart.’
For him who is not in love with life
There is the anxious burden of doubt
And the lone fear of solitude.
For him there is but death.
Love Life, and your Life will know of no corruption.
Love Life, and your judgement will uphold you.
Love Life and you will not wander away
From the path of understanding. Chief Mountain Lake, Arapaho Nation
An Algonquin native guide was leading a Jesuit priest through the forest on the way to visit the lands of the Chipewyan nation just south of Lake Superior, where the priest was anxious to spread the Good News of the Gospel. Suddenly the guide stopped dead in his tracks, turned and asked the priest:
‘‘Would I still go to hell if I never knew about God and sin and hell?’
The priest hesitated and replied, ‘No, not if you never knew.’
Perplexed, the native guide whispered, ‘Then why did you tell me?
Congrats, good Dr… You have done in a blog post a better job than many authors have done in hundreds of page of writing on fundamental care of your skeletal infrastructure. Well done.
Thanks, Jared!