Most people I know have a funny attitude about fitness. They know it’s important, and they want to lose weight, build strength, and enhance their flexibility … but when the scale doesn’t have any amazing news after a week of gym visits, they get frustrated and wonder if it’s worthwhile.
We’re impatient creatures. We know we need to change, and we want it to happen right away. It may have taken decades of minimal activity and unhealthy eating to get where we are, yet we believe a magical diet and a daily stroll should correct everything in a week. But deep inside we all know it won’t. It took many months and many years to reach this point in life, and it will take additional time and perseverance to get to where you want to be.
The same concept applies to healing, whether we’re referring to physical problems or the emotional toll created by situations beyond our control. We’re never satisfied with how long it takes us to heal. Days after a stomach bug, we’re frustrated that we haven’t recovered our energy. Long after we twist an ankle, we find ourselves nursing it. Getting better – really healing – takes time.
An effective way to support yourself as you heal involves several steps:
- Create space needed to pause doing and thinking for a self check in.
- Acknowledge and value how you’re feeling. No need to fool yourself. Your feelings are valid. Some believe there are good and bad feelings – we said feelings are neutral, like indicator lights on a dashboard – just letting us know what’s happening and that there might be something that needs addressed.
- Be sure to pause long enough to feel. Too often, we mask or numbs our feelings or try to busy ourselves to pretend they’re not there. Again, if we’re going to heal, pausing is needed.
- Lean in to the process. This isn’t going to be a quick fix or something that involves minimal effort. You need to approach it with genuine commitment and curiosity about yourself.
- Establish your self-care measures. When fear begins to taunt your use mindfulness activities and self compassion in response.
- Do these steps sound cliché’? Do they feel too “out there” and not practical enough to really make change? If so, we recommend getting help in this process. Having a professional counselor help you develop strategies that make sense for you can make healing easier. You may not need ongoing therapy, but a session or two may get you started on the right path. Contact us to arrange a convenient time.
Ps. If you want to do the work and want to do as much as possible, consider scheduling an intensive. Intensives are personalized treatment plans that allow you to skip the wait by giving you faster access to the change you want with a shorter timeline. Contact us today.
Ginger Boyce worked in clinical research before deciding to teach trauma sensitive yoga and movement as a way to help incorporate mindfulness and mind body connection.