RSI

Repetitive Stress Injuries are injuries to musculoskeletal and nervous systems typically caused by repetitive tasks or pressure on certain areas of the body in the same position for extended periods.  The more common ones we hear about today relate to excessive computer use and not breaking static positions.  You rest your hands on the desktop thus putting your fingers in awkward positions while typing, or maybe you mouse with your hand in a position such that you have pressure on a nerve for extended times.  The typical symptoms of RSI are tingling in the hands or maybe feeling numbness.  If RSI is not addressed early, there can be significant risks and long-term injuries.  I recall a person on one of my projects that ended up with nerve damage in both wrists and elbows from RSI.  She ended up having surgery on both wrists and elbows and was out of work for over three months.  It’s serious stuff folks.

As I was thinking about RSI this morning, I was thinking of the various RSI conditions we encounter on the emotional and mental sides.  We stay in jobs that keep us in a state of emotional turmoil, which in turn gets carried down into our personal lives.  We stay in relationships we know are unhealthy, which ultimately keep us stressed, depressed, frustrated, or angry.  Doing the same thing, the same way over and over expecting a different result is the classic definition of insanity.  If certain situations or people cause you emotional/mental discomfort on some level, you could be experiencing an emotional/mental RSI.  Like physical RSIs, emotional/mental RSIs will progressively get worse and cause further injury if they are not addressed.  Our body has some of the best warning signs and indicators of RSIs on all level, if we just learn to listen and pay attention.  Break your static positions.  Being numb or in pain is no way to go through life.    RSI – Relax, Smile, Improvise!