Note: The information herein is for educational purposes only. The contents of this article should not be used to give medical advice or to prescribe any form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, directly or indirectly. Should you use any recommendations in this article for yourself or others, the author, compiler, and publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Dear Stacey,
I have been diagnosed with tennis elbow. I don't want to have surgery and don't have time for it. I am not very fit physically and don't play tennis except for one to two times a year. What should I do?
—Robert, Atlanta, GA

Hey Robert,
You have tennis elbow because you don't want to swing forward in different directions, and one direction in particular. This is not really about tennis, although it will prevent you from playing tennis. In your case, you don't even play tennis very often, and the doctors may refer to it as elbow tendonitis.

You need to take time for yourself a lot more often and nurse your elbow. Your elbow is your guidance in this matter. If you do not think you can take time for yourself, then you will be forced to when you have surgery.

Since you are further along in this dilemma, it will be helpful to clear away the underlying beliefs about why you cannot take time for yourself, as they seem to be deeply rooted. One belief is that you cannot take time for yourself because if you do, the world will crash in around you and nothing will get done. Clearing that belief will help you in all areas of your life. Take lots of time for yourself first, and then see what happens.