Chronic Pain

a dark drawing of a mostly featureless figure holding their head low as they grip their arms, which are reddish and wrinkled like tightly pulled fabric. the figure appears despondant with a cloud of smoke looming behind them.

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Medium/Style: digital, 2D, shaded cartoon with lineart

Notes: I started experiencing what one could call chronic pain in college with migraines, but I was able to kick that symptom with treatment as soon as I actually got it, so I didn't really start saying I dealt with chronic pain until the muscle tension that seemingly began when I got tennis elbow didn't go away after the injury healed. worst of all, doing stretches at home and eventually physical therapy actually made the pain show up in other parts of my body!

in 2022, I felt a lot worse than I do as of posting it here (September of 2024). I still get muscle tension and knots, but I've learned to let it go and continue about my day, knowing that it isn't a sign of injury that is telling me to stop doing what I'm doing.