We are all sailing in the same boat, Andrea. 🙂 Self-care seems to become important only when we experience pain or discomfort. Not a pleasant wake-up call I may add. Thank you for your kind comment. I appreciate you!

Would you believe me if I told you that I keep a spare Smiley in the house, Delia? 🙂 Having suffered from carpal tunnel syndrome myself, I know how painful it can be. One other tip that I can share and which works is to sleep with the affected hand on your pillow so that it is higher than the rest of the arm. It provides relief, at least it does in my case. Hope the other suggestions prove useful for you too!

Thank you Beverley! Always happy to meet a fellow Smiley fan! There are so many alternative health processes that one can use if one is aware of them. I remember when I had broken my leg and was undergoing physiotherapy in Minsk in 1993, the physiotherapist used very basic items to get my leg muscles working including a football and disc! I was up and about without crutches in less than 2 weeks. I love finding alternative solutions for big problems under medical supervision.

Thank you Tammi. I’ve been using Smiley as part of my exercise regimen to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome and have not had an attack since 2009. I found out about the use of stress balls for lowering blood pressure while doing some research for my mother. While there are caveats in all the reports that I saw about more research being required, I think it would work for normal cases as part of a stress management regime because stress does affect our blood pressure. Thanks for visiting my blog!

Sounds like the perfect time to let Smiley work it magic for you, Roslyn, especially since you also use your hands for work. It will relax your fingers and wrist as well.