1. That tingling feeling running down your arm at random times. It’s exciting! It’s tingly! (Hey, we take it where we can get it, right, ladies?)
2. I keep waiting for J.K. Simmons to throw a drumstick at me.
3. Nothing, actually. There’s nothing funny about whiplash.

Sigh. It’s been a little over two months since the car accident that totaled my beloved minivan and I am struggling to get back to normal. It’s been tough not being able to work as much every day as I need/want to–apologies again, to those of you waiting for an Easy as Pie update, which I promise will return in August!–since I can only manage a few hours a day on either the computer or the phone. I can’t pick up things for my kids as easily or often as we’re used to, or carry my little guy to bed when he falls asleep. I had no idea when I stepped out of the van, shaken and with a black eye but happy to be otherwise unhurt, how long the recovery from whiplash would be.

I am just now, slowly, getting back into a Jazzercise routine (and thank goodness for that, because I came close to buying a 1980s Jazzercise record in a pawn shop the other day, just to have some Judi Sheppard Missett in my life). I think as I’m approaching middle age, those regular aches and pains are just part of the deal, but so is the fact that it takes longer than you’d expect to heal from an injury, especially one hits a part of your body where you were already weak or compromised.

Which brings me to the one silver lining of this whole deal: posture. Having neck trauma will–if nothing else–alert you to your unhealthy posture and sitting habits. Being a writer means I spend LOADS of time in front of either my desktop or my laptop (or phone in a pinch!), head and neck bent, shoulders slumped. I’ve tried to modify this over the years, taking frequent standing breaks and using speech recognition software, along with trying to keep my arms and shoulders strong. But still. When you have sharp pain as a corrective, you really notice your bad habits. The number of times lately that I’ve felt pain in my neck and shoulders, only to realize I was hunched over like Quasimodo with a smart phone… Well. I’m working on it.

I’m doing physical therapy, medical massage, chiropractic… and stretching regularly, soaking in epsom salts. I have a cervical traction pillow for my neck which kind of freaks the kids out and makes me feel like Joan Cusack’s character in Sixteen Candles. I also bought one of those posture corrector thingys that looks like the world’s smallest backpack on huge straps, but I haven’t tried it out yet. I’ll keep you posted!

What about you guys? Have you struggled to recover from an injury? Or worked to correct your posture? What do you recommend?

And again, I apologize that I’ve gotten a wee bit behind on Easy As Pie. Updates coming soon!

MJ Pullen

M.J. Pullen is a distracted writer and the mom of two boys in Roswell, Georgia, where she is absolutely late for something important right now. Her books include quirky romantic comedies and playful women's fiction. She blogs erratically with writing advice, random observations, and reflections on raising very loud kids and dogs. Join her Distracted Readers newsletter list for updates, free content, giveaways and more.