People who suffer from RSI usually work on assembly lines, in repetitive manual jobs or clicking on a computer all day. Not me 😬!

True story, I got RSI from using Tinder! 🤦‍♀️ Obviously, I can’t make that up!

At the time someone I was in love with had left me and I wanted an IMMEDIATE “replacement”. I was swiping like mad on the dating app hoping that my romantic life would quickly take off towards a new destination, leaving all my excess emotional baggage on ground.

What I learnt from RSI is that I can’t go very far without luggage. There is too much of me in it.

Like any ordinary human being, I researched possible treatment for my condition online, and by chance I stumbled upon a book by Pr John E. Sarno that includes RSI in the psychosomatic category. 😳 Could my physical pain be caused by psychological factors??

After freaking out a bit I realised that my symptoms were indeed inconsistent. They would only appear when I was using my phone to meet someone else, and not at work for instance, or when flicking through a magazine even though the movements were the same as my Tinder swipes.

Thinking about the psychology of my pain, and after connecting with my emotions, I realised that my wrist would hurt only when I was doing something that dragged me away from an incomplete grief. Facing grief is tough because it’s a point of no return, it’s the acceptance of an end, it means cutting ties with the past.

Looking back at my pain I believe that my body reminded me through tension in my wrist that I needed time to grieve, that I needed to drop my phone, drop the distractions and heal, properly. With the tears that only broken hearts can shed. 😭

I did cry (a lot!) and my symptoms disappeared on the spot, and never came back!

If you’re in pain, please always consult a doctor 👩🏻‍⚕️👨🏽‍⚕️.

To go further 📚:

In his book The Mind/Body Prescription by Dr John E. Sarno talks about the mindbody syndromes (or tension myositis syndrome – TMS). According to Dr Sarno (I’m quoting the back of the book) :  “Most neck and back pain,  migraine, repetitive stress injuries, whiplash, and tendonitises – are rooted in repressed emotions. ” You’ll also find information about Dr Sarno’s theory in the handout found in the Mind Body section of the Harvard RSI action group.