However, I’ve been battling a seemingly endless war with my wisdom teeth. I heard horror stories about other people and their painful teeth, and for a few months now, I have struggled with this excruciating pain. Surprisingly, I also listened to an equal number of stories that ended with, “I had no problem with my wisdom teeth because they grew in perfectly fine.”

Holding on to the hope that my battle would reach a more peaceful conclusion, I prolonged getting my teeth checked. I prayed my story would end with “I had no pain at all.”

This was not the case.

Part One: The Introduction to Pain

The first part of my fight started with minor pain, which worsened over months and evolved into a constant, aching, throbbing sensation. I’ve been trying to find the words to describe this feeling. However, there’s nothing worse than dental pain. It resides in the corner of agony all by itself.

Part Two: The Impossible Solution

You’ve probably figured out how this fight ended—with my wisdom teeth once again winning. The second part of my fight entailed trying to find the perfect over-the-counter medicine to ease my discomfort. There is nothing in this world that can ease these aches. You’re probably listing medications you’re certain would work: Tylenol, Excedrin, Ibuprofen, Motrin, etc. Trust me, I tried them all and without fail, the pain persisted. Even two doses of Motrin combined with two doses of Tylenol every 4 to 6 hours wasn’t enough to give me relief.

Part Three: The Wisdom Teeth Win

The third part of the fight ended up just as you probably predicted— I had to see an orthodontist, who told me that my wisdom teeth were severely impacted and I would need oral surgery to remove them.  Therefore, I was referred to a specialist—an oral surgeon.

Thinking my fight couldn’t get any worse, the surgeon told me that my wisdom teeth were infected, and I was instructed to take oral Penicillin.

That brings me to where I am now. I look back at where I first started – hoping my story would have a joyful ending – and question if there is any way to change the narrative. I’ve shed an endless supply of tears, become accustomed to daily headaches, and returned to my dietary roots: eating baby food—all because of my wisdom teeth.

The Remedy to It All:

As I write about the worst fight of my life and prepare for oral surgery, there are a few things I’ve found that have made my battle a BIT easier:

• Drinking hot liquids: Cold liquids usually made my pain worse. However, tea, coffee, and hot drinks offered my teeth a calming sensation.
• BC Powder: At one point, the pain was so bad that I pulled over to the nearest gas station and stumbled upon this powder and have used it ever since! Applying the powder directly on my teeth and drinking water with the powdered medication helped with my intense pain.
• Getting rest: There were times NOTHING worked, and I had no choice but to sleep. Sleeping in a position where I wasn’t laying on my teeth helped a whole lot!
• Seeking professional help: Yes, I hesitated in getting help from a professional. However, I wouldn’t recommend that you follow my example. It pays to tackle your teeth head-on and immediately, so you won’t end up in a battle similar to mine! 

The post “Going One On One With My Wisdom Teeth” appeared first on Medika Life.

Oxford Languages’ definition of forgiveness begins like this: “[To] stop feeling angry or resentful…”

Forgiveness is one route — and only one of many routes — to releasing anger. And anger, when kept inside, can perpetuate symptoms like anxiety, depression and chronic pain (more on that later.)

But in my experience, forgiveness is NOT the only route to healing. And if we feel pressured to forgive, it can have a very damaging effect on our recovery. For many of us, we absolutely need to take a different path.

Anger is a threat response. Its goal is to neutralize a threat and restore us to safety.

But the hierarchical culture that we live in has conditioned us to suppress our anger. We’ve been taught to turn the other cheek and accept boundary violations and injustices, big and small. We’ve been taught to do as we’re told, not as we feel. We’ve been taught that anger is bad and forgiveness is good. We’ve been taught that forgiveness is the only acceptable way to release anger. And I’m sorry-not-sorry, but this is just baloney.

When forgiveness comes naturally, it can be a wonderfully cleansing and healing experience for the forgiver. But when forgiveness is pushed as a way to get rid of anger, it becomes just another way of suppressing anger. And when healthy anger is habitually suppressed, it distorts into a destructive force that either eats us up inside and fuels chronic symptoms, or comes out in externally destructive forms that harm others and decrease the safety of our society as a whole.

By contrast, when anger is expressed in a constructive way, anger is capable of fueling life-serving and even life-saving actions. You know that story of a mother summoning super-human strength to lift a car and save her child? That is an epic example of what healthy anger can do. Anger, in its wholesome form, is a protector.

To heal from symptoms (and to heal as a society!) we need to reconnect with our anger in a healthy, life-serving way. And we need to practice healthy ways of expressing and releasing anger so that it doesn’t stay trapped inside of our bodies. We need to offer anger constructive ways to perform its intended purpose: to protect us from threats and restore us to safety.

Often, the reason we still feel angry is because we still feel under threat — from a person who’s still crossing our boundaries or an internalized belief that’s still harming us or an environment that’s not healthy for us.

And while we can’t always change the people or environment around us, we can turn towards establishing safety — within ourselves and our immediate social connections.

Forgiveness is not the only way to feel a sense of peace and release our grip on anger. Other ways include:

• Set firm, protective boundaries with people whose words and behaviors are harming us. This neutralizes the threat and restores us to safety and peace.
• Reject internalized beliefs that are self-blaming and replace them with beliefs that serve our well-being.
• Surround ourselves with people who have our best interests at heart. Engage their mutual support in protecting ourselves from those who wish to harm us.
• Recognize when our immediate environment or relationship is unsafe and get support in finding safer environments and relationships.
• Recognize when past stresses and traumas are distorting and diminishing our sense of our own agency in our current environment. If we are in an accepting environment, recognizing our own agency and speaking up for ourselves can make our environment feel safer!

What do you think? Does any of this resonate with you? Do you have a different perspective? I’d love to know!

Sending warmth, encouragement and infinite belief in you,

💖 Anna

➡️ If you need support with chronic pain and anxiety, take my FREE QUIZ called “Why the *bleep* am I still in pain?!” so I can help you get some clarity.

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