“I admire your discipline,” said a friend, referring to my extremely strict, narrow Crohn’s diet. But there’s nothing to admire, because it’s not SELF discipline. It’s being subject to a brutal, sadistic “disciplinarian” that punishes the hell out of me if I make one false move. If you had this taskmaster you’d be “disciplined” too.
(Not a $150 Drawing, but looks like one.)
I have Ehler Danlos Syndrome and scoliosis from that (that didn’t get diagnosed until I was in my early 20’s). I developed back pain in my 40’s and I tried all sorts of things including acupuncture, chiropractic, etc. I found that yoga is what works for me.
Some people may think I have great self discipline, that I have such a reliable yoga practice (although no, I don’t do yoga daily) but I’ve just found that if I go a week without doing yoga – a class’s worth – I start to wake up in pain.
It’s simple, at that point. Sometimes the obstacle is the way.
I love this picture. It’s exactly how I feel about my intestines punishing me for any deviation from the strict diet I’m on, whether deliberate or accidental (it makes eating out a terrifying prospect).
I have a long list of disorders which conspire to mean that I absolutely HAVE to have good posture; do my physiotherapy exercises; stick to a highly restricted diet; and refrain from activities (such as going anywhere by plane) which would aggravate my cardiovascular disorders; or do anything to stress my joints due to EDS and my arthritis (joint dislocations are no joke, even if it’s possible to relocate them without having to go to hospital).