The intro lyrics “Get up, stand up” by Bob Marley come to mind when reflecting on what I am about to write…lol!
My business requires me to spend about 99.9% of my time in front of my laptop. That is approx. 8 to 10 hours a day sitting – which is already a lot.
However, since joining Steemit, I have basically doubled those hours as I do most of my writing in the evenings, so with a brief break from sitting in the early evening whilst I see to dinner, lunches, homework etc. I am back in the sitting position again from about 5-7pm and then again from 8pm through to who knows what time – normally around 1am.
That is approx. 17 hours out of 24 that I am sitting hunched over a laptop with a mouse in my right hand. And if I am not in front of my laptop, then my mobile is in my right hand.
The Hulk has NOTHING on my right shoulder muscles lol! I am certain I resemble something like this these days... lol!
Now, bearing in mind that I have endured long hours in front of computers for about 17 years now – I have NEVER experienced the type of pain that has crept up on me in the last two months.
It started with neck pain which over a period of a month has just gotten progressively worse – to the point of not being able to fully look left or right – my family are now calling me BatMan. Hahaha
Then slowly but surely, the pain worked its way down my spine – reaching a point of the most agonising lower back pain I have ever experienced and knots in-between my shoulder blades.
The only way I can think to describe the pain, is that it feels like I have been compressed into a sardine can – or run over by a bus… it is so agonising that I have started to find that I literally CANNOT sit anymore – because I feel like I am going to spontaneously combust due to the frustration caused by the pain.
Despite the fact that we ALL know how bad lengthy periods of sitting is for our bodies, most of us continue to do it! – Sadly, I am now in a position where I am asking myself “WHYYYYYY did I do this to myself?!”
I have reached a point where I can actually no longer sit for more than 5 minutes at a time. In fact the only place I get a little bit of reprieve when sitting is on the toilet - and not for the obvious reasons haha!!!
That’s a pretty bad point to reach. Lol
Not only am I in a constant state of pain, but I have also created quite a predicament for myself, because I have client deadlines to meet etc. and, well – I need to work! So…..
Since Friday, I have opted for a “standing desk” which is amusingly located in my other office – the kitchen haha!
So, sadly – I have learned my lesson the HARD way and will now have to alternate between standing and lying for the next little while. Pity I can’t suspend my laptop from the ceiling and work like that lol!
A heads up to all my fellow steemians… don’t make the same mistake I did… and on that note...
No, really...
STAND UP!!! lol
Until next time...
Much Love from Cape Town, South Africa xxx
