by Anonymous, Newrybar, Australia
I am a 26 year old woman and I am currently working on a psychology thesis at university, looking at self care practices among students and the relationship with stress. Since my teenage years I have felt a lot of anger. I have come to be aware that this anger comes from not truly being me in many everyday situations and with a range of people in my life. This can bring me much sadness, for I haven’t allowed myself to be me, the best thing ever! This anger has been expressed in my body as hardness, including arthritis in my right hand and tightness in my jaw.
I recently had my four wisdom teeth removed and therefore was unable to clench my jaw while the stitches healed. As I went about my daily routine I noticed I couldn’t do simple things like open a jar, whisk eggs, wash my hair, text a message on my mobile, the list goes on, without clenching my jaw. This was great, for I hadn’t been aware how often I clenched my jaw. I noticed I clenched my jaw when I got out of bed in the morning, not on waking but as I went to start the day. When I initially wake I feel lovely, but as I get out of bed I am clenching my teeth in anger and therefore starting my day that way. In other words, I am angry before I go to situations or meet people because I know I will not allow myself to be me in that setting. This is something I continue to work on. Opportunities like having my wisdom teeth removed have been a great chance for me to be more aware of how I go about things in my daily life.
Whilst allowing myself time to recover, I noticed that I didn’t need to say as much as I previously did. As my jaw was very tender I tried not to talk as often and to my surprise found I could still communicate effectively, if not better, with fewer words. I was choosing my words wisely and really taking time (probably only a second longer) to respond, instead of responding in babble something that I think I should say. This was not just isolated to the actual words I said, but also when meeting someone I didn’t feel I had to be something for them because I was using all my energy to focus on being gentle with myself and in this I realised the world will be ok even if I am not being something for it. This was a huge thing for me, for previously (and yes, still working on) I thought the world needs me to play a different role for different people, to make them feel good about themselves or keep them in their comfort zone. Thankfully this does not work, for it takes a lot of my energy.
Prior to working on living an esoteric life (with the assistance and support of Universal Medicine) I would not have allowed myself to stop and learn from such an experience as the removal of my wisdom teeth. The day before the operation I had a session with a Universal Medicine practitioner to honour myself that the next day was going to be a big day for me. After the operation, I kept a healthy balance of taking Panadol, but also not numbing myself too much, so that I went about my day being aware that I needed a lot of rest and little physical movement. If I had had this procedure done two years ago (before coming to Universal Medicine) I would have fought needing to rest and probably would have deemed the whole experience a nuisance.
My experience has helped me understand how medicine, which includes self-care, can be practised all the time. Ideally self-care should be a natural activity, but we tend to let things in our life get in the way. It may have taken having my wisdom teeth removed to learn how often I clench my jaw, but I think this is wonderful. Looking at it in such a way can allow us to become more responsible and aware during times that would normally be seen as a painful nuisance and just something we do or have to get over. If we allow it, it can be so much more.
Medicine and Serge Benhayon 
I can so relate to what you have shared here Anonymous
‘I tried not to talk as often and to my surprise found I could still communicate effectively, if not better, with fewer words. I was choosing my words wisely and really taking time (probably only a second longer) to respond, instead of responding in babble something that I think I should say.’
I used to babble on about nothing in particular just to fill the space; I would say things and then wonder where the urge came from to say them. Becoming more aware I realised the babble wasn’t me but a stream of energy I was calling in to cover the nervous tension I was constantly feeling.
Jemma, I can relate to the clenching of the teeth and I thought I was the only one who used to do this. But I’ve observed this in others around me and how can I tell? Their face seems relaxed and yet a muscle along their jaw line is twitching and spasming. So if this is tense, what about the rest of the body?
I loved how you shared that before Universal Medicine, the operation would have been a “nuisance”, it kind of feels that you were underserving of self care and self nurturing. And since Universal Medicine, your perspective has been to bring self-care to the forefront of life. This needs to be bought to children’s awareness from an early age, how would life look then?
Our body has a beautiful way of offering us insights into how we are living so that we have the opportunity to be more aware and make different choices.
I am currently healing from a fall, where I landed forcefully on my jaw, but thankfully it wasn’t broken. In the last two months of the healing process I too have learnt so much about how often I tighten my jaw and also how I eat. The pain when tightening my jaw has been a great reminder to release the built-up tension and to then ask why I am so tense. It has also been a time to examine what I eat, why I eat and how I eat, while I progressed from soup with a teaspoon, to mashed food and now to ‘normally’ prepared food. It doesn’t take to long to be painfully reminded what I am doing when the pain radiates through my jaw, but I don’t want to have to be reminded, but instead be so consciously present that I don’t set the pain off in the first place. Prevention is definitely more preferable to needing a cure.
Ingrid, it took a stop moment for you to appreciate your jaw and what a marvellous thing it is for us and our bodies.
The jaw is obedient and responsible for speaking, laughing, chewing, tasting, swallowing, it can show a person they are loved, it can show a person they are sad, it feeds the body, it can speak a universal language – smile and the list could go on. It is a part of the body that needs to be treated with equal love and respect, like the other parts, so why aren’t we appreciating it even more?…
Ingrid I often have a tight right jaw and it was explained to me several years ago that it is because I’m not expressing the fullness and power of me. I can relate to this as I have a tendency to hold back in life. It fascinates me that our bodies are constantly communicating to us all we have to do is listen and take heed.
Thank you for sharing how you embraced the learning on offer with the removal of your wisdom teeth. It is sad how often we feel we have to mould ourselves into something else to be acceptable to others and revealing how your body showed you this so clearly in your recovery from the procedure. I am finding life becomes simpler the more I am just myself with others and not trying to play roles that are actually exhausting for all concerned.
Helen how many of us mould ourselves into something else to be acceptable to others. I have done this for most of my life and it is only in the last few years I have started to build a relationship with myself. I can feel a lot of hardness in my body from life times of trying to protect myself. I fell for the illusion that this was working but with more awareness in this lifetime I know I fell for a lie.
We do let things in life get in the way of pretty much everything and not allow ourselves space to receive and appreciate what we are being shown in full. Life is actually so rich and full of blessings.