On pins and needles
As I lay facedown on the massage table with nearly two dozen needles in my neck and back, about a million thoughts went through my head. They ranged from how did I get here to I can't believe I have so many needles in my neck and back to did she really just say that?! Welcome to my inaugural acupuncture visit! To reveal my mind's inner workings, I'll unpack those questions one by one.
"How did I get here?" Well, that's an easy one. As I write about in my upcoming book, Own Your Story: Empower. Connect. Create Change, being diagnosed with a chronic condition has opened my mind to try new things. I've seen a functional medicine expert, stepped outside my fashion comfort zone, and now, tried acupuncture after hearing rave reviews. Two years ago, if someone asked me if I'd try acupuncture, I'd have said: "Voluntary needles?! Heck no!!"
"I can't believe I have so many needles in my neck and back." Yeah, it was a lot of needles and I'm not a huge fan of needles. Beforehand, I told myself that if the first few hurt too much, I'd pull the plug. But here's the thing: they did hurt because I carry so much tension in my jaw, neck, and shoulders. The pressure points were begging for relief. So I grinned and bore it, and after a few moments, the needles felt... amazing. It's more proof positive that getting comfortable being uncomfortable allows magic to happen. My jaw has never been more relaxed!
"I can't believe she just said that." In the consultation prior to treatment, the acupuncturist told me that according to Western standards, I am healthy -- even including the lymphedema -- but by Eastern standards, I have a weak constitution. (I know, right?) But here's the thing: I fixated not on WHAT she said but HOW she said it. She delivered this message exactly how I typed it above.
It would have been so easy for her to stumble over the message or to couch it differently. As I wrote about last week, having difficult conversations is, well, difficult. The easy way out would have been something like: "Here's the thing... you're super healthy. You're great! Don't even worry about your chronic condition. So this may sound nuts, and you may not agree, but I think, well, I believe that maybe according to standards of Eastern medicine, you aren't as healthy. Like, maybe some would say you have a weak constitution." Instead, she was direct, she made eye contact, she was kind, and she was clear. In doing so, she eliminated any awkwardness or difficulty. Respect!!!
As for being a human pin cushion? Personally, I loved it, but I totally understand if it's not your jam. I'm also not sure how acupuncture will work into my overall treatment plan, but I'm glad I tried it, I'm glad I made it through the whole session, and I'm glad I could nerd out over the acupuncturist's effective communication skills!
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