Physician heal thyself? Getting myself back on track

Rehabilitation, training, getting back to health, getting strong - whatever we call it, it takes time. And patience. But it doesn’t have to be difficult or complicated.

At the beginning of this year, my energy levels were rubbish, I had very little work, and my mental and physical health both felt very low.

Step one, set a couple of (simple) goals for the year. Not even that, for the next six months. My goals? Eat better and move more. That was it - that basic, that simple.

Moving more:

There is a very simple 1km walk around our block, which can be easily extended by adding in extra roads, so that was my baseline, trying to achieve at least 1km most days. We are now regularly walking 3-4km as our baseline, and on longer walks manage anything from 6km to 12km.

I used to do a short yoga routine every night before bed. I got out of the habit and have never really got it back, but I thought, how about switching that to mornings? And a week ago I settled on a ‘sun salutation’ yoga flow. You’re supposed to do at least five rounds. On day one I managed one. But on day two I managed two. I got to five on day five, just to prove to myself that I could, and now I will do whatever feels comfortable - yesterday two, today just one. It’s not a competition. It’s about feeling comfortable and doing what I can manage, and today is a slow day, and that’s ok.

Eating better:

For my birthday last year I got treated to a whole year of The Doctor’s Kitchen app. It’s wonderful. The recipes are so tasty, and you feel great eating them. And you can filter them by whatever it is you are focussed on (for me, lower my cholesterol and improve menopause symptoms - which is quite all-encompassing in itself).

Part of eating better is making changes in simple ways, so actually that started with breakfast - porridge with added proteins (hempseed, flaxseed, chia seeds, peanut butter). For lunch, I try to keep adding a little protein where I can, so I’ve ditched the thick slices of cheddar on crackers (dairy isn’t great for me) and replaced with seedy bagels, marmite and hummus. Or even better, when I’ve had the time to batch cook, a couple of TDK’s egglets (my name) - little egg muffins filled with sun dried tomatoes, broccoli and onions… Yum!

By and large, I try to cook from scratch (although I don’t go as far as making my own pasta!!). But I don’t always have the energy to do that. Sometimes we just have a pizza, or ping macaroni cheese. It’s not ideal, but that’s how it is sometimes. And if my breakfast and lunch are good, then the occasional lazy dinner doesn’t affect the balance too much.

So here we are in mid April, time for a quick review.

In terms of my goals, I actually have moved more, and am (most days) eating better.

And in terms of how I am feeling? Definitely improved, but much further to go. And that is to be expected - I am not disappointed in that.

We don’t heal immediately, it takes time. And having the patience to work with yourself at the right pace makes that healing process more effective. Enough of a push to keep progressing forwards, but not so much of a push that you exhaust yourself or feel like giving up.

My big challenge is this, though: how do we plan - and pace - the rehabilitation of our mental and emotional health?

I know how physical rehab works. That sort of pacing I am quite good at. But how do we achieve the same gentle, steady progress with our emotions, our feelings, our energy?

I am trying to manage that by being kind to myself, by trying to treat myself with the compassion I would show anyone else. I am delighted to have found the energy recently to start working on new business projects. To reach out to new potential clients, to work on social media engagement, to grit my teeth and market my business. But I am constantly surprised at how exhausted I feel after each interaction. The emotional energy I put into selling myself drains me way more than any physical exercise.

The answer is that I don’t know how to pace this part of my rehab. All I know is that taking each day as it comes, doing what I am able, and being kind to myself when I don’t have the energy to do more, seems to be working. I am better now than I was three months ago, and hopefully in three months time, I will feel even better.

Rehab/training/whatever you want to call it is a slow process. Work with it, don’t fight it. And of course you don’t have to work alone. My partner walks with me. My friends are fantastic at encouraging me and boosting my energy. My sister is amazing at supporting me, especially when I am at my lowest.

Find the people around you who can help boost your energy and support your growth, whatever it is you want to achieve.

And if that achievement is physical, why not give me a call - Get Moving, Get Stronger might be just what you need.

#clinicalmassage #getmovinggetstronger #mentalhealth #easyrehab