But lately I've been waking up in the morning in pain: Every part of me aches. I don't even want to get out of bed.
At first I attributed it to skipping my exercise routine; then to excessive physical activity. But last night I finally figured it out: stress.
I wear my stress around my neck and in my shoulders, as many people do. But a few times over the years, it's escalated into an emergency trip to a massage therapist because my jaw locked up. On one such occasion, the massage wasn't enough. So I went to a dentist to see if I had some scary infection or other dental-related problem.
And that was when my teeth told their tale of nightly horrors: I was grinding and clenching them to the point that I had substantially changed my bite.
The dentist fitted me with a custom guard to prevent further damage and to shift my bite back into place. (By the way, my dental insurance plan saw this as a vanity procedure and wouldn't help pay for it.)
I've not worn the guard all the time, but I still have it. So I put it in last night before bedtime and Voila! This morning those aches and pains have vanished!
Of course, this doesn't mean the stress has vanished—only that it can't cause collateral damage.
Waking up with one problem solved is a great way to start a day. Now if I can just write the perfect cover letter to get that job . . .
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