Part 2 — How I Recently Pushed “Reset” on Some of My Biochemical Pain Triggers
In part 1 of my post on pushing “reset” for some of my own biochemistry, I shared with you a little bit about my relationship with coffee and alcohol. You can read that earlier post here: How I Recently Pushed “Reset” on Some of My Biochemical Pain Triggers — Part 1
But with my goal of releasing old biochemical stressors and patterns, the coffee/alcohol factor wasn’t the only thing I ended up exploring during this recent reset. I also decided unexpectedly that the news (and by extension, social media) had just become too much.
I’ve never felt the need to limit my exposure to news before now. My gains, from connecting with all forms of media, have usually been much bigger than any drawbacks. Vacating my social media feeds was also very easy because I don’t feel personally vested in any of it. Most of it is purely for business.
It was not quite as easy to stop TV and radio. I was amused to notice how reflexive it was for me to grab the remote first thing in the morning! I had to unplug my TV. I also had to change my radio alarm settings to a station that did not serve up news — not easy to find. I ended up with a classical music station which made me feel like I was 10 years old again in my parents’ home.
When I first decided to take a break from all media, I didn’t even really know what it was that I needed a break from specifically. After a few days of not checking in, I noticed what relief I was feeling. For the first time in ages, I felt a freeing distance from the pressure of: doing more, doing faster, doing better, all of which seems to come from constantly seeing what’s going on in the world and with others.
It’s not that I was comparing myself with all the doers and achievers (although there is naturally some of that). For me, it was more about the constant reminders of all the things that need doing and teaching and helping and sharing. Seeing the needs, wanting to do it all and more, but not being humanly able to — that is my particular source of stress and it’s what was adding to a feeling of overwhelm when I already have a never-shrinking to-do list.
My Why
With the additional silence in my day from this news break, there was decreased outside pressure that I hadn’t even realize was there to the degree that it was. I started feeling like I was living inside my day rather than living in the potential of the future and all those plans about how to be better, do more and do it faster tomorrow, next week, next year… It can be really nice to look around and notice what is here and now and rediscover contentment with it. It’s been too long since I’ve done that. When we just look at what’s immediately in front of us from minute to minute everything slows down and is less frantic internally
The therapeutic impact of focusing on the here and now reminds me of the theory of “flow” coined by a Hungarian-American psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. He wrote about how being intensely immersed in an activity can provide a sense of enjoyment that some people refer to as being in “the zone”. The only way to be intensely immersed in something is to focus on the here and now. Imagine how much more joy there could be if this were a daily and routine experience?
On the surface, what I thought drove me to this unplanned break from news (in addition to coffee and alcohol) was my writing project. In order to meet my deadline for the planned release date of my second book, I really started feeling the need to making quicker progress. In order to do that I was seeking less outside noise from the things that interest and distract me and renewed focus. I got this, but I also got pleasant reminders of what brings me a sense of flow. Writing is one of those things.
Realizations
I have to admit, avoiding news was a much more challenging transition than I thought it would be. When I started this break, it was on a whim - I didn’t have a set timeframe in mind. But then I noticed how reflexive it was for me to turn on the TV, and after unplugging it, stashing the remote and switching radio stations to news-free music stations, I resolved to go back to it only once that reflexive impulse to check in with the world dissipated.
Since social media is such an unintended source of news these days, that was an important thing to avoid as well. Initially I thought I was missing the feeling of connection with friends who are not geographically nearby. But then I realized (with a big ol’ hand to forehead) there’s still email, text and phone calling. By intentionally communicating with one friend at a time, I was reminded of what real connection really feels like.
A little less importantly, but irreplaceably, I did notice how much I rely on professional groups on Facebook. They are a great resource and help me stay current with developments in my line of work (especially during this age of the pandemic). But not much else felt missing to me without news in my life.
As I’m writing this, it’s been 3,1/2 weeks and I still haven’t decided to return to media just yet. I’ve decided I’ll resume my social media long before I go back to full network news and public radio.
Chemicals of Pain
It’s not like there are chemical “on” and “off” pain-switches in the body, but since you might still be wondering “What does any of this media / news break have to do with pain?!”, maybe we should take a minute to look at some of the brain and body chemicals at play.
As I’ve already explained, what I was feeling that made me want to step back from news simultaneously to my break from alcohol and coffee, was a type of stress from the pressure of not doing enough, not being enough, not fast enough, not amazing enough. That kind of stress can trigger a biochemical shift similar (if not identical) to the shift caused by eating or drinking stimulants and depressants (like coffee and alcohol).
Two major brain and body chemicals that factor into the biological pain and inflammation dance, are dopamine and serotonin. These guys (chemicals referred to as neurotransmitters) can set us up for pain when circumstances are just right (or wrong depending on your point of view). It’s a bit of an oversimplification to only refer to these two chemicals, but the dance they do with each other, illustrates one connection between how our body’s management of emotional stress can collide with the experience of pain.
This diagram below is one that I put together for my first book in The Everyday Pain Guide series, Put Out the Fire, with illustrations by Sandy Johnson. It portrays the relationship between dopamine and serotonin to show what can happen during prolonged periods of either inflammation or stress or both.
This is just the tip of the iceberg in regards to understanding how emotional stress alone can contribute to inflammation (and therefore pain) anywhere in the body and why stress-related pain is very real and can be so hard to shake.
(You’ll find this and over 100 more visuals: diagrams, drawings and photos in Volume 1 of The Everyday Pain Guide.)
Your Reset
I want you to start thinking about your own serotonin and dopamine rollercoaster.
What are your chronic and silent sources of stress?
How can you better limit your exposure?
Are there ways that you can offset the impact from unavoidable stress?
The answers to all of these questions can start to help you find serious lasting relief from many kinds of persistent and nagging daily aches and pains. Volume 1 Put Out the Fire will give you a good start down this path.
Please don’t accept pain as your new normal. You’re not just “getting old”. Aging does not have to equal pain! I see the proof of this every day with my patients.
Stay tuned for next week’s post about 3 Mistakes People Make When Trying to Fix Their Biochemistry.
