A few days back, I posted a Thread about how my meditation session resulted in a decrease in tension in several muscle groups, with the pelvic region being among the lesser affected ones. This prompted 2 replies by @atma.love with some very interesting content.
Here is the Thread so that you can see the context (I'm using an Ecency link because it's not showing up through InLeo's link). I wanted to share it in a post so that it would have more amplified viewing, since it may have a benefit for others who come across it.
For those who are wary of terminology such as "chakra" or religious concepts... I urge you to look a little bit deeper because there is useful content that's universal here, and I'll relate this to my own experiences.
One of the topics which stood out to me was that of fear, particularly of change. I had stated in the past that I'm adaptable to change... well, it occurred to me that I can be adaptable to positive - and even neutral - change, but when a negative change comes around, I lose my composure completely. My perception and handling of the negative changes amplifies its effects on me. I let it take control over me, and to a large degree, that's a result of a fear of losing my power over my own ability to control my future. Is this something to be feared, or something to be embraced? I'm not quite sure, but I do know for a fact that my current approach has been not only counterproductive, but destructive. It's essential that I'm honest with myself about this.
This leads to another point - the stress that I experience as a result of succumbing to this fear. My family's health has been a major source of stress for me over the past year or so, and my prostatitis symptoms happened to be at their worst when my family's health was worsening. Not to mention, I'm still dealing with the constant stress of my job / residency training. Coincidence?
Let's consider something that's widely acknowledged: when we're stressed, our muscle tension increases - not necessarily in one specific area. Tension headaches are the most common manifestation of this, given that the thin muscle at the back of the head tends to tighten during stressful times. Indeed, physiologically, our flight-or-flight response tenses other muscles as well, but we're typically able to untense them during relaxation periods. When there's chronic stress, the tension continues for an extended period of time, the muscles can get used to their state of tension. They become hypertonic.
Hypertonicity in the pelvic region can most certainly be a manifestation of chronic stress. One of the questions I was asked by my urologist, as well as his physician assistant, is whether I'm stressed. I didn't mention my family's problems, but I did mention my job. They know without a doubt that it's a tremendously stressful job. There's a good reason they asked this question: stress tenses up muscles, including in the pelvic region, and this can lead to genitourinary symptoms.
These are takeaways that I find consistent with the text that @atma.love provided. There is scientific and philosophical backup to some of the concepts mentioned there. Hence, it's certainly worth reading with an open mind. Don't dismiss it - you might discover something about yourself!
Now, I will mention that there are some more specific factors which I've identified as possible causes for my symptoms, which wouldn't be mentioned in a text as general as the one @atma.love provided. During my job, I frequently sit for extended periods of time (which is not great for the back or for the pelvis), and I had many instances when I couldn't use the restroom for the entire day (which led to very hypertonic pelvic muscles, and a sensitive bladder, because I was holding in urine). All of my colleagues also had such instances, although I don't know whether they ended up with chronically hypertonic pelvic muscles. At any rate, in this sense, my job directly caused me harm.
This is not something I permit to happen any longer. If I need to use the restroom, I will use it. There are few instances where I might have to hold it briefly, but I will no longer do it for an extended period of time. My health matters infinitely more than this oft-thankless job.
Another point that was briefly touched upon in one of his comments - eating and fasting. That's an interesting one. I'm actually currently trying to gain some weight (primarily muscle), hence I mentioned that I'm going to eat, eat, eat. However, during other periods, such as when I intend to optimize my body fat percentage, I do extend my fasting times and decrease my calorie intake.
Indeed, I've been able to fast for extended periods since I was in high school. For whatever reason, I started training myself at that time, and now I'm able to easily go 14 - 16 hour periods without feeling significantly hungry (unless I've had a very busy, draining day that expended a lot of energy). It's been beneficial during my residency, during which I've had some shifts that left me no time to eat or even use the restroom.
So for now, I'm in the midst of a "gaining" period. Due to my rough schedule in March, I'm likely going to be cutting back during that period and decreasing my body fat percentage very slightly. Then, in April, I'll resume building once again.
One point worth noting: in my recent years, I've felt at my worst when my body weight dropped under 140 pounds (at a height of about 5'7.5"). When I maintained myself above 140 pounds, even if I was in a fasting state, I felt significantly better. I promised myself that I would never drop under the 140 pound mark again.