Just a few words on stress and Christmas and being in my 50s.

Christmas and pre-Christmas was intense this year.

It was all pretty much work related things that come at this time of the year.

But what was new was that I discovered a new way my 52 year old body is responding to stress, and it involves pain. I had my suspicions about the new pain and one evening I spent some time praying it through and that together with a bit of Lauralea's massage helped ease it a bit.

It was there constantly in the background until the Christmas Eve service was over. I was kinda wondering if that might happen, given that I see that night as my last busy responsibility before I take a few rest days.

Its really very interesting to me how our bodies are so interconnected. The physical, spiritual, emotional etc. are connected to each other so tightly that yes you can get over your flu and feel better spiritually, (well duh). But similarly you can get counselling for that bad relationship and see your physical health improve, and pain disappear.

Yes some days a headache is just a headache, but if you start feeling unwell each time you are going to visit someone, well there may be clues there to face.

It's good to know and to learn these things about oneself. 

But this is new, and it might be how my 52 year old self deals with life and stress. But I don't like it. I can't live like that when work gets so crazy.

I thought this week would offer me a more relaxed time to rest up and get things back in their places again. But sudden events in the life of the church, year end deadlines, and needed committee meetings, etc. have me going hard at it again.

It was a good Christmas and I am grateful for the space there was this year to rest a bit and get past the health difficulties. Now, knowing these new things about myself I need to look around and find new ways to live in the midst of stressful times, and it seems learn new ways to process stress. Again.

Didn't I just do that in my early 40s?

;-)