Wherever You Go, There You Are – Life Lessons Continued

“Wherever you go, there you are”
Thomas A Kempis, circa 1440

Another Life Lesson from 20 Years of Being in Practice

The quote, “wherever you go, there you are” has taken on a life of its own in my household. If you are one of my regular clients, you probably know that my husband had been asking me to move to New Hampshire for several years now. He was wildly unhappy in his job and truly thought that moving to New Hampshire and getting goats and chickens would solve a lot of his problems and unhappiness.

So, we tried it for six months during the pandemic. Not the goats part, but the NH and chickens part. My husband thought that he was happy for those six months, but truthfully, I had never seen him angrier. And I myself became angry having to chase these chickens around and clean up chicken poop. Those days certainly won’t be featured on the highlight reel of my life!

We ended up moving back to Dedham in the Fall of 2020 and I found myself telling my husband repeatedly, “wherever you go, there You are”. I don’t think I am allowed to say this in my house anymore, but I actually don’t need to. My husband quit his job this past summer and has not once mentioned moving out of Dedham.

This message is not about quitting your job, although, after sharing Rosie’s story, a few clients have told me that they were inspired to do just that. This message is about if not now, when? If you don’t actively seek out happiness now, then when will it happen? If you don’t let go of the things causing you pain, how can you expect to feel better? Because a geographical change and chickens won’t solve your problems if they truly stem from anxiety and depression.

When new patient comes through our door at Dedham Acupuncture, regardless of what they put on their intake form as their main complaint (back pain, TMJ, headaches, hormonal challenges) it almost ALWAYS stems from stress, anxiety, and depression. Clients always ask, “Do you treat anxiety or depression?” I always think “When don’t we?” It’s always woven into our treatments. Always.

After I put the needles in, I often tell clients to let their minds wander. During the treatment, problems may come up in their mind that don’t normally ruminate with them. Many clients often wonder why these thoughts, memories, or emotions show up during our treatments. The answer is that Acupuncture puts our brain into an altered state where we can actually decompress. Our brain will often present solutions to our everyday woes and problem that we don’t give enough attention to, and it can be quite profound.

So after 20 years of practice, my message is this: try to support yourself where you are right now. Give yourself some time and space to allow your brain to process what it is experiencing. Always being on the move or conversely, not getting off the couch, doesn’t give your brain the space that it needs to process. And I can personally assure you that moving to a new state and getting chickens isn’t the answer either.