About two months ago a very negative event in my career took place. Until then I was on an upward trajectory, doing quite well. Then, due to some things within my control and many not, the floor fell out and I was given a challenge I am still in the process of resolving. At the same time, I was suffering from seasonal allergies and came across an article about how grabbing the stem of a nettle plant regularly would resolve them. As an experiential person, I wanted to test this for myself. After a little preliminary research which confirmed that this was at least folklore, but possibly true, I figured I’d put myself and the nettle to the test.

Grab a clump of stinging nettle leaves and stems in your bare hands and you'll feel like you've been stung by a horde of angry ants or bees. That's because the plant is covered with short, hollow hairs that are poised like miniature hypodermic needles. Their swollen bases are filled with formic acid, the same stuff that causes the pain of ant and bee stings. Even accidentally brushing against the plant is enough to inflict stings, and the pain could last a whole day. -https://phys.org/news/2017-05-nettles-assets.html

For the past month, every day, I have gone out to grab the nettle. One of the great aspects of living in Ireland is I’m surrounded by Urtica Dioica. In fact, there’s even a very lively set of it growing just off the side of my driveway. I love to go on morning walks as the fog slowly evaporates off the green hillsides near my home. Along all roads I can find nettle plants projecting their fine needle-like spikes toward me. Nettle is everywhere.

No matter what I’ve done for the past month, I’ve taken a few moments every day to reach down and clasp the nettle stem, brush its leaves with my hand, or simply run my arm across it. I’ve explored many ways of injecting my body with the histamines the nettle uses to protect itself. From fleshy arm areas to top of the hand thin-skinned portions, my right arm has been the test lab of this daily painful experiment.

What did I learn? Quite a bit. First, there are two kinds of nettle. The dark stem and the light stem. I didn’t bother to learn the names and different attributes of these as much as simply grab them to learn the difference. Dark stem nettle initially stings, but its tingling after-effects dissipate over the course of the day. Light-stem nettle initially stings as well, then disappears, to come back throughout the day and through the following evening as tingling and soft to pressure sensations of increasing nerve activity, if pressed. Between the two, the light-stemmed nettle lasts longer, has a stronger sensation, and makes me feel as if I’m getting a longer-term poisoning.

Second, I learned I have the wherewithal to grab nettle every day. Beyond the wherewithal, in fact, I came to enjoy it and derive some energy from the process. Initially, I was a bit nervous about it and would gently wrap my hand around the stem. Within two days I would energetically grab the stem, then rub my hand up on the leaves to ensure I get enough stings. Through the second week I would seek out multiple opportunities to grab every day. By the fourth week I feel as if I’m simply not getting the same results I did initially. My hand has built some strong skin over the repeatedly punctured areas.

Scars on my hand from the daily nettle grab. Each red dot is an injection point.

The tingling and other residual sensations still occur after a month of grasping the nettle, which surprised me. I figured the histamines would feel less potent over time. On the super plus side, I have no allergy symptoms whatsoever. It could be that the worst of the pollen is out of the air for the season. It could also be that my body has built-up so much antihistamines I’m a walking Zyrtek bottle.

As it comes to my career challenge, grasping the nettle every day has also served multiple powerful purposes. One, it’s allowed me to focus on an activity I can do every day to feel in control of my own experience. Two, it’s proven to me I can do something hard across a sustained duration of time. Three, it’s actually been kinda fun.

I’m not sure how my career challenge will turn out. Yet, I am positive I’ve learned I can do the hard things, even if they hurt, which is a great lesson no matter what I do to earn a living.