I am 25 year old, so up until recently, I have not been worrying about a thing. Majoring in architecture was a real full time job – there is school work, all those extra curriculum activities, occasional teaching, and of course having fun and doing some sport now and there. I had plenty to do, so I enjoyed myself and did not care much. I took my health for granted and I would only get a cold after my finals were over – never during semester! At the beginning, I thought what a perfect timing. However, the truth is, the amount of stress somehow blocked any possibility of getting sick in my brain. I could pull an allnighter and be fresh for the presentation the next day without driking coffee or taking any other (il)legal drugs. I would build up that amount of stress necessary to stay awake and top it all of, I would double my blood sugar. And I have survived – doing much better than just fine. I am not saying, this would work for everyone as it is a very unique approach. And do not ask me for advioce, how to put yourself into that agony. I did not have any certain ritual for it, it would happen for me naturally.
So, I have survived first years and did not even think about how. Looking back, I would probably do the same. However, with time I have realised my lifestyle was quite poor – considering my health. I have become aware, this cannot go on like this forever. The side effects have started to bother me – I hated shaking hands and not be able to sleep properly, e.g. I have found out, that I could go for several days in the following rhythm: I would work all day, then sleep between 1am and 3am – then wake up (sometimes I would wake up 2.59am before the alarm went on) and keep working, etc. But this way, only my eyes got a chance to relax for a bit, my mind was still on. On the other hand, it was pretty fascinating to me, from the biological point of view, how my body would work like that. More worried I have become when a dull chest pain arrived – this was in last two years. I have been so scared of getting a heart attack that I would put a HR belt on – during work, and sometimes during sleep as well. As my puls was only slightly risen, showing no arbnormalities, my concearn vanished. I have also been getting annual ECG for past four years, as a part of my annual check up at my GP. All in all, I was definitely not having heart attacks and I was able to calm down a bit. At this point, I am very happy I took at least that one duty seriously. [1] However, the pain was bothering me.
My body has survived five year of this torture and to put a proper end to my studies, I have decided to bike home. That final act of moving out of Cottbus this fall taught me few things, you can follow the story in section ‘Run and Rides/2015’. [2] On the second day, two fingers on my right hand started to stiffen and on fifth day an enormous pain striked my back. I thought, that must be those days sitting on bike. However, my condition did not improve ever since. So, I have decided to seek out a professional help and get a physio. I used to laugh at my mom, visiting her masseur every month and I did not understand how it can help. Nevertheless, desperate times call for desperate measures, right? From time to time, a friend of mine would give me a massage but it was more for relax. So, I got to this professional with small hopes / how can she help me. Things cleared out very fast! She started gently, and then worked her way in. After a half hour, I had tears in my eyes. In comic books, the characters see stars when they get hurt – I saw the freaking milkyway in the very last detail! Oh, even thinking about it now, I still get goose bumps. Despite the pain, it worked pretty well. My back is getting better, and I have discovered that those chest pains had been caused by tightened muscles as well. Unfortunatelly, these are located very deep and therefore it is very hard to release the pressure by external force. So, I have started to stretch more and I hope they will go away. The other thigg I have been surprised by was the assymethry of my body. If someone were to tell me, how clicking on mouse endlessly can get once’s back destroyed, I would not believe them. Now, it seems so obvious to me.
The last lesson I have learnt studying architecture, neglecting a body even at early age, will show sooner or later – and it is mostly ‘sooner’. I am only in my twenties, yet I have to start looking out for myself and make up for all those lost years. I was quite naive and up until recently I believed I am still growing up. However, I am already aging!
[1] Annual medical check-ups are compulsory in Slovakia if you are a blood donnor like me. Otherwise, you have to pay visit your GP once in two years.
[2] see the link
running architect.com 