Over the last few months, I have developed an unusual condition that I have named a ‘Stress Cold.’
This ‘Stress Cold’ starts with me feeling the itch to move the muscles of my throat in a certain manner, which then triggers a runny nose and leads to continuous sneezing for a few minutes. If I pay attention to this condition, it seems to take on a life of its own and gets worse. It persists until I consciously decide to stop engaging with it or distract myself with another activity.
Of late, this mysterious condition has also begun to affect my sleep. Twice a week or so, I experience bouts of sneezing in my sleep and awaken as a result.
Recently, I was fast asleep when I developed one of these ‘Stress Colds.’ My husband Suraj was still up reading.
He shook me gently and said, “Are you alright?”
I was half-asleep and mumbled something that didn’t exactly make sense.
The sneezing persisted.
After a while, he placed his hand gently on my shoulder and asked again, “Are you alright? Do you need anything?”
At this point, I sensed a lovely flow of energy through his palm. He is not a Reiki practitioner. Yet, there was this sweet energy I could feel. The energy felt very comforting and reassuring. I believe anyone with an open heart can transmit healing energy to others. The frequency may be different from ‘Reiki’ but it is healing energy nonetheless.
This boost of energy helped me drift into restful sleep for a few minutes, after which I woke up. This time around, I was fully conscious and also had a wonderful feeling of well-being in my body, thanks to the surprise mini healing session I received!”
He said again, “Are you alright? You’ve been sneezing for a while now.”
I said, “I don’t understand what’s wrong! I can’t believe this condition has begun to bother me even while I am asleep. Something seems to be triggering me subconsciously.”
“Why don’t you do one of your energy healing practices before you head to bed? See if that helps?” he said.
I smiled and said, “Wow! You sure seem to know what will help me. Thanks a ton for reminding me to apply my own practices!”
I have now begun a bedtime meditation routine where I quickly tune in to my body and consciously release all traces of stress-energy before falling asleep. I got good results when I started off with this practice and enjoyed uninterrupted sleep. However, I plan to do it consistently for a few weeks and track my progress. This will help me see if this can be applied effectively long term.
I did not get into an analysis of what could be stressing me out. It could be any number of things, considering I have two energetic children to look after and lots of running around to do through the day. Stress cannot be avoided in life. However, it can certainly be managed effectively with all the wellness tools we have!
When Spirit Meets Science 