I am back at the osteopath. I haven’t seen one for years. Somehow, despite having long covid and being aware of the systemic way that condition impacts my whole body, I fell into the trap of seeing certain conditions, such as the resurgence of my chronic headaches as isolated occurrences. How wrong I am.
So, this past week I have had a humbling lesson in systems thinking. Of course I know all things are connected. Looking at the interconnectedness of things has been the foundation of much of my work over the last 30 or so years. I just forgot that about my own body.
My headaches had returned with a new ferocity and increased stickability. The headaches make me smaller. Literally smaller. I shrink my neck and shoulders and somehow try to reduce the surface area of my body. This results in, you guessed it, neck and shoulder pain. So now I have a pounding headache, seized up neck and rigid shoulders…then it creeps down my spine…hence the osteopath.
Turns out the headaches are my body’s last resort. I have some inflammation ( thanks Long Covid) in the nerves in my left foot. This means I am walking with a bit of an odd gait and putting pressure on my right leg, this has thrown my hips out, which has put pressure on my spine etc ect. My poor old neck muscles were the last place to compensate and voila, crippling headaches. The good news: my headaches are waning, the bad news: I seem to have developed a new odd pain or strain in my right leg. Back to the osteopath today.
Everything is connected.
Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones,
Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones,
Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones,
Shake dem bones about
(The Playschool version)
In our modern capitalist times we seem completely incapable of remembering this. Or maybe as a society we know it but don’t want to acknowledge it. Sarah Wilson , along with many others has been writing and thinking about collapse over the last few years. What I like about her work is that it’s accessible to me ( it’s way easier for me to read and digest than some other thinkers) and I like that it takes a systems view.
For instance; she talks about climate activists wanting to address climate change so looked to reduce and remove fossil fuels from our systems, but fossil fuel is, as she puts it, "tethered" to our global financial systems. To have more clean renewable energy we need rare earths. Extraction of rare earths can cause habitat damage and water contamination and, to fit the costs of these elements into the existing financial models, can rely upon the enslavement and death of children, as with cobalt mining in the DRC. And on it goes. One tweak here, a giant rift there….
Everything is connected.
It’s all a giant game of Jenga. Just like our bodies. And forests and all living systems. The systems that work best are those where collaboration is key. For instance trees and undergrowth and animals operate together, not in competition but in collaboration to ensure the overall health of the forest. Oceans are not just bodies of water but interconnected webs of life and geology and energy. It’s only when humans get involved and take all the predators out or kill sea grasses or plant mono-cultures etc that the systems fail.
Everything is connected.
I hope that all this talk of collapse gains traction and that it leads to some old fashioned communication and collaboration. Because the other side of collapse is the rise of preppers and those who hunker down and aim to get the best out of it for themselves/their family/their people. That is, those who retain the current paradigm and dial it up even more! The opportunity to create a whole new system that is an actual living system based on mutual interdependence and connection exists…I don’t imagine I will be around to see the fruits of this new system, but I’d like to be part of bringing it into being.
Back to my own individual system. I am trying to get more out of my gym workouts…I suspect I am coasting and a bit lazy. My “near enough is good enough” motto means I might do 8 repetitions instead of 10, or work with a lesser weight if I have to wait in line for the weights I want. So I am working with a personal trainer. She wants more for me than I want for myself! Which I guess is a good thing. Her new routine for me involves, well… new things! I have to learn new ways of moving and holding my body and let’s just say I am struggling. If anyone has nailed the Romanian Deadlift and can give me instructions my mind and body can follow please reach out. I am sure I will get there one day but right now my body and mind seem disconnected and not operating at all like a single system.
Seeing an osteo, doing new things, getting another supportive person in your corner 💖💞👏 kicking goals!
Try the dead lift without shoes… and stick your bum out. But I’m sure your PT has said the same thing!