It's been a tough week. One of the "highlights" was my visit to the dentist. So I decided to practice deep relaxation while the dentist's drill bore into tooth #30 (third from the wisdom tooth on the lower right) to fill a long crack that threatens the entire tooth.
Just for a change of pace, I've been trying a change in my daily meditation. Instead of laying down and listening to instrumental music on Pandora or Accuradio, I've been listening to guided relaxation apps on my iPhone. So as my dentist, Marvin, shot novacaine into my mouth, as my muscles ached from holding my jaws wide open for 45 minutes, as Marvin pressed with all his might to force the bonding agent into the crack, I asked myself, "Where do I feel tension? Which muscles need to relax?"
It was almost tongue-in-cheek, but who knows where my tongue was with all that novacaine. It was a challenge. "Can I do this? Can I notice whether my feet are tensed up? My shoulders? And--even more challenging--if they are, can I relax them under these conditions?" This was more fun than focusing on the sound of the drill and my aching jaw muscles.
It seemed to work. For whatever reason, my legs were relaxed. Most of the tension was in my shoulders, arms, and hands. And I was able to let go of the tension. The whole thing helped me get through the event. It distracted me from the pain. Gave me something to do. And a small sense of accomplishment.
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