Your Flareup Isn’t Random.

When it comes to pain or injury, flareups can feel a LOT like setbacks, especially when they seem totally random.

"I was making so much progress, then I just bent over to tie my shoe and now I can't move."

I hear this all this time. And, I've been there.

But here's the thing a lot of bodyworkers and movement teachers won't tell you: Flareups are going to happen. It does not mean your body is broken and it's not a moral failing on your part. It's part of the healing process.

No, it's not sexy and it's not a good look, marketing-wise. But our nervous systems don't work that way. When you begin to change a movement pattern, your entire body has to adjust to that new pattern. Not just the knee or the shoulder or whatever is bugging you. The longer a movement patterns has been around, the harder your nervous system will fight to keep it until new patterns feel safe enough to become the default. It takes patience and consistency, but it's all part of your body's process of rebalancing itself.

And here's the thing: flareups aren't random. It takes a lot of neurological resources to make changes, which means things like stress or lack of sleep can trigger symptoms even if you're doing everything right.

The good news? With consistency, you can absolutely build resilience to those triggers. (Because avoiding them all together usually isn't practical.) 

For the last month or so, I've been keeping a journal for how my body feels during my movement practice and recording any external factors. I quickly realized my pain was undeniably higher if I had poor sleep the night before, had more than two drinks of alcohol, or was under external stress.

This is the kind of stuff we talk through in the online community, InnerSpace, an 8-week program to help you move better and restore your relationship with your body.

If you want to try your own movement journal, here are a few prompts I put together to get you started. You don't have to do it every day, but I recommend at least three days a week before a movement practice.

Journal Prompts:

Where am I experiencing pain in my body right now?

What is the intensity of this pain (on a scale of 1-10, 1 being a minimal amount of pain and 10 being the worst imaginable.)

How was my sleep last night?

How am I doing emotionally? Make a list of anything that is weighing on you.

Did I drink enough water today?

What was my movement like the last 24 hours?

Are there any other external factors influencing my experience in my body right now?

And if you want to dive deeper into building resilience and trust in your body, InnerSpace starts March 3rd.

You can read more or sign up HERE.