Have you ever been in a situation and realized it wasn’t the right one for you?

Did you stay in that situation longer than you should have?

(Are you STILL in that situation?!?)

Me too!!

[Insert flashback music] In one of my dental cleanings several years ago, the hygienist noted that a pattern on my tongue likely meant I was grinding my teeth at night. Me, the wise savant, shut that line of thinking down immediately.

No, I don’t.

– me, of limited wisdom

Fast forward several years to a 44-year-old man, scared shitless by the pandemic, not making enough money to support his family. (Me…it’s me.) I started a digital agency in February of 2021 and soon after I joined a program to turn that agency into a niched-down, one-service business. At the beginning of August, I doubled down and joined the accelerated (more $$$) group in order to make all the money super fast. (If you feel the hairs on your neck standing, yes.)

A couple of weeks later I was on the phone with a prospect. After hanging up, I started to feel a pain in the back of my head. “No worries, I’ll take some ibuprofen and move on with my day.” That was 9 months ago. And what was a pain in the back of my head has become a chronic tension headache.

“But what does that have to do with grinding teeth?”

– you, of unlimited wisdom

Right, so…turns out, I do grind my teeth. We were staying at an Airbnb earlier this year and after sleeping in a tiny bed, my wife said, “Hey, I heard you grind your teeth last night.” Son of a sonuva.

And now we wait. After seeing a naturopath for 8 months, my chiropractor, different massage therapists, a ROLFer, and my dentist, I am still having daily headaches. My best hope is for the lab to hurry up with a night guard for my mouth, hoping that the grinding will stop, the muscles will relax, and the headache will go away.

But wait, there’s more! What is this low-pitched ringing in my ear? Tinnitus? Is that you, old friend? Might be. Waiting on the ENT team to schedule an appointment. I know, I know! The excitement is palpable. But, like me, you will have to wait.

The other thing I’m working on, is getting out a the situation that started this all in the first place. That’s a story for another day.