What Do You Say to Yourself When You Have a Relapse?

Damn. I had been doing so well for so many months. Then WHAM. From nowhere. The pain started snaking its way back in. Was it the stress of a presentation I had to make in front of a prospective client? Was it the humidity? The unseasonal chill in the air? The baba ganoush?

My first reaction is to churn with anger. No. Not now. Go away. Damn you to hell.

But then I realize that the anger only riles up the neurotransmitters that fuel the pain. And besides, the pain is part of me, and there's no sense in raging against my self.

So, what do I say to myself to get through this episode? This may sound a bit crystal-headed, but it works for me. I say:

"All the healing forces in the universe pass through my body."

With each breath, I take in the surrounding molecules and the ones they have come in contact with, and the ones they have come in contact with, and the ones they have come in contact with - to the end (or the beginning) of time and space. It all flows through me. And some of it must be healing.

What do you say to yourself when you have a relapse (or when your partner does)?