Anacrusis: Picking Oneself Up After A Bad Time
Today I cried in front of my chiropractor. It’s true and I’m only a little bit embarrassed.
The past few days I’ve been in a lot of pain because of my back. After going through chemotherapy and radiation for blood cancer, and then catching Covid a few weeks later I was in bed for about half a year and royally screwed up my back. Even now I have a lot of pain. This week has been so bad I was afraid to drive.
Feeling better after a cry
Well, I finally made it in this afternoon. My doctor started working on me and a few crick cracks in, my eyes welled up and I couldn’t stop the floodgates. I started apologizing and he was very nice and understanding.
“This happens more often than you’d think,” he told me while walking over to grab a tissue box. “Once a day at least whether from relief or emotions.” After I finally let myself cry I felt much better, and even started laughing. It made me think about managing to stay upbeat even through the stress we deal with as cancer patients and survivors.
Anacrusis: a term in music for upbeats after downbeats
Anacrusis is defined as “one or more unstressed notes before the first bar line of a piece or passage.” Ana being the greek word for up can also be used for upbeats following the downbeat. It’s a really fancy analogy for even after stressful events that make us feel down we can find ways to pick ourselves back up.
That’s not always very easy. In fact it usually isn’t. But the alternative is staying down there in the dark pit of despair and none of us want that. So what can we do?
Ask for help
In a way, I think my body forced my emotions out today because it knew I needed to. Doing so actually brought me hope. My chiropractor even went as far as writing me a doctor’s note so if I bought a new mattress I could get the taxes taken off. If I were up front and honest with him way earlier maybe I wouldn’t have had to feel as upset for as long. Asking for help makes us feel like a burden, but I think we underestimate people’s willingness to help. It’s ok to ask.
Happy distractions
We talk about distractions a lot on Facebook. I’ve watched so much YouTube during the past 3 days I’m getting sick of it but it has helped! It can even help me doze off sometimes. I’m trying to engage even more in small things I can do for my body. Exfoliating, moisturizing, face masks, scalp and hand massages, anything to help relax and take my mind off of things.
Cuddle
One of my main love languages is physical affection. Do not under any circumstances underestimate cuddling with your friends. This has changed my life. It’s so relaxing to snuggle under a blanket with my friends and turn on a movie. Most of the time we fall asleep on each other but then you get to wake up to warmth lol! Platonic intimacy is super important and has a lot of physical and emotional benefits! I also cuddle with my cat and stuffed animals too!
Taking myself out
Who said you can’t take yourself out on a date? Go a step further and learn your own love languages and new things about yourself! I’m trying and learning new things more lately, and I’m discovering a lot about myself I didn’t realize before! It’s nice, and can help me in other areas of my life.
There are so many ways to help bring light into your life, I think I might need to make a part two. What about you? How do you keep the gray clouds at bay?
Warm wishes! - Katelynn
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