THE PAIN WAS RELENTLESS and unforgiving! A week prior, I was a fit and healthy person before being completely bewildered by the excruciating pain of a diagnosed slipped disc in my neck!

The neurosurgeon advised not much could be done to rectify the pinched nerve running down my arm resulting in paralysis of two of my fingers. Having read articles about people becoming addicted to pain killers, I’d always rejected them as nonsense. However, when you experience pain on this level you will take anything to obtain relief.

After diagnosis, a colleague said to me, “This is a life lesson injury”. I was so furious that I wanted to punch her, but in retrospect there was a pearl of wisdom in her comment.  

The journey I have since had with my slipped disc has been an illuminating voyage of discovery.

Having always been a controlling personality type, this was an injury I could not conquer quickly and my frustration was intense. It has been said that if you have a problem you either throw time or money at it or both. I was prepared to do both.

Acupuncture, body stress release and chiropractic are some of the approaches I tried. The first two gave me relief and assisted in my recovery. But, I also looked at the metaphysical causes of this problem. There are many books written about connecting external pain with internal issues. Here are some that gave me much insight.

Heal your Body by Louise Hay - she talks about how our attitude to life can cause our ailments such as the neck representing flexibility in your life and stomach cramps equating to fear, and how healing affirmations can eliminate old patterns.

Biography becomes biology by Dr Caroline Myss  - speaking of how not only our environment but also our thoughts influence our health. Through our lives our bodies absorb all we offer and where we short-change our bodies, eventually something has to give.

Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton - a renowned cell biologist, he researches the way cells receive and process information which shows that a cell’s life is controlled not by its genes but by the physical and energetic environment. For humans, this also includes our thoughts.

Lessons learnt during my slowed down time

Compassion for others - I used to be like a rat on a treadmill with little time for others, besides focusing on my own success. This injury taught me to have genuine compassion for others and also to focus actively on my wellness.

Slow your pace in life - when your life is relentlessly frenetic you miss so much. This injury forced me to spend more time with my family and create more balance in my life.

Focus each week on your health - take tangible steps to maintain your health.

Allow flow in your life - it was a major blow to my ego that in the last year as I took a large amount of time off from work the business flourished and we ended the financial year with a record profit.

Besides what your body can teach it is critical to be an active participant in your health: Commit to making your health a priority, feel your emotions, breathe consciously, eat healthily, move your body, listen to your body, explore your creativity, focus on gratitude, nurture your relationships, laugh often and actively de-stress (watch a movie or listen to music)!

And most of all, to use that cliché of ‘life is a journey’ - Learn to actively enjoy every moment of your life!