It’s happened before. One morning I woke up and found bumps under my chin. I thought I had the big c-word. I got it checked and it wasn’t what I thought it was. After a round of antibiotics, they were still there. I asked my doctor what it was. Surely he could diagnose the problem, right? The honest answer is…he wasn’t sure.
He told me all my vitals looked fine and he honestly wasn’t sure what was causing the bumps under my chin. He told me to rest and take some time off. But who can do that in today’s society? I tried. I tried to rest after work and do less exercise during the week. I focused on relaxing and taking care of me by eating the right things and slowing down. Slowly, those bumps went away. Yet, I still had no explanation for why they showed up in the first place.
Life went on, but I kept wondering about those funny little bumps. The fact that I kept wondering, made me do a look-back on what was happening before they showed up. That’s when I made the discovery – I was stressed out beyond my means. When they appeared, I was working 40+ hours a week, trying to start a business, trying to be a good Captain for my Relay for Life Team and trying to keep up with the things I had to do in my home. I was doing too much. Period. End. Because I was trying to be everything for everyone, I ultimately was failing in all areas of my life. I was spreading myself way too thin.
For quite a while, I took care of myself and learned how much was too much for me. I learned to say no. But as humans naturally do, we go through cycles. We start saying yes to things again because we get that feeling of FOMO. And low and behold, those funny little bumps came back.
I noticed them this morning when I woke up. And I knew exactly what it was and why they were making their presence known again. Recently I’ve had a TON on my plate. I’ve got my admin job at the realty office, trying to be a good Captain for my Relay for Life Team, running a successful business, maintaining the house, looking for a new car, going to physical therapy and playing on my women’s soccer team…it’s a lot. And again, I’m trying to be everything to everyone. Let me tell you, it’s not working…
Where do I go from here? Well, there could be a few paths I take.
- I could go to the doctors and get the bumps check. This might be a good idea, had it not happened previously. Lymph nodes are not something to mess around with so if this was the first time, you bet your bottom dollar I’d be making an appointment today. If you have this happen and don’t know what it is, call the doctor ASAP!
- I could rest up and see what happens. This is a good idea too. Clearly my body is telling me something. When your body is off and needs something, it will tell you. You could see signs in many ways that a message is trying to get through. Keep your eyes peeled and your ears open.
- I could rest up and do what I know works. Since this has happened before, I know I need rest. That is the first thing I need to do. The good thing, I have a little extra ammo in my pocket this time. This morning when the bumps showed up, I added a little extra something to my coffee – Frankincense. And they’ve already gone down! WAHOO! Tomorrow, I’ll repeat the process.
Stress isn’t something to mess around with. People say there is good stress and bad stress, but I’m not so sure. All in all, stress can be a killer. If you’re in a position like me, listen to your body and get the rest you need. No, the rest you DESERVE!!