In a Sink or Swim World, Become a Gold Medalist in the Breaststroke
Each one of us struggles at one time or another. No one goes through life without challenges, even those who look like they have it “all together”, don’t go unscathed, they have just figured it out how to swim. They tackle the situation, use positivity, and keep pushing forward until they make it through the other side of pain and tribulation. Through our challenges we are given the chance to grow and find ourselves. We build character and an appreciation of the good times.
Challenges don’t pick and choose the time they come into our lives, we need to be ready to rock and roll with them when they show up. We need to be in our top form, mentally, emotionally, and physically, so we can handle them with strength, confidence, and grace.
In today’s podcast I share my journey about the most recent physical challenge that turned mental and how I pushed through and rose to the occasion. As hard as today was, I made it! While I struggled, I got a glimpse of my character and my weakness in my armor. It was then that I had to dig deep to find myself and the power I held to compete, and win.
What are you struggling with right now? What has you on your knees, begging for help? Whatever it is, know that you are not alone and that you CAN swim.
Odd as it may seem, when you’re struggling sometimes the best medicine is to redirect your attention elsewhere and do something that makes you feel good.
This week I want you to find something to challenge yourself with, something attainable but tough. Find a non-profit you believe in and go to work at helping them by raising funds and/or awareness while challenging yourself to get out and get active.
There’s nothing better than exercise and fresh air to make you feel better and alive.
So, get after it. You are a rockstar and ready to shine!
Pain is a tricky thing. Each of us experiences pain multiple times in life. It comes and goes. It happens when we have an accident, when we’ve had surgery, and sometimes it is invisible to the people around us. It is always very real to the person dealing with it. Pain is different for each of us, too. Some of us have a low tolerance for pain while others may not even register it- I have a friend whose son fractured a bone in his foot and the pain never registered to him!
There is no normal to pain OR pain relief. Each person has to figure out what they can tolerate and how to handle their pain when it hits.
While this sounds like a bummer because no one else can truly help you through your specific circumstance there are ways to help yourself that works for most people. I’m talking about building up your mental game.
Being outside in the sunshine and fresh air has so many health benefits both physically and mentally.
It’s important that you find a way to navigate through your pain. Be patient with yourself, too, there will be good days and bad days. Sometimes just recognizing the fact that there will be bad days, days which you can’t seem to handle the pain anymore, will help you have grace with yourself when you feel lost, stuck, or like throwing in the towel. Don’t let those moments defeat you. Use them to fuel you to keep moving forward. Stay as positive as you can and distract yourself, do something you love, to push through those weaker moments, just remember that we are human and we will fall short, every now and then, from handling our situations. If you feel like you have been knocked down, that’s ok, we all do at some point or another, but pull yourself up by the boot straps, and keep moving forward. Last week I wrote about the Chinese proverb: Get knocked down 7 times, get up 8. That’s what it takes to become stronger. Change your thinking. Don’t give in!
Dr. Roni Prucz, my amazing plastic surgeon who performed my TMR surgery in December 2020
This week I want you to write down your positive messages to yourself on post-it notes or notecards, and place them where you look everyday or in places where you struggle.
If you struggle getting out of bed in the morning then put them by your bedside. Statements such as:
“You can do this!”
“I will NOT quit!”
“Today is going to be great/better!”
“One step at a time”
Use these messages to yourself to motivate and not give up. You could even ask someone in your circle to write short affirmations for you to help as well. Just keep the positive vibes going. Send yourself messages of love and grace to yourself, and use them in times of weakness.
Do you throw your hands up in defeat or do you reach deep down and find the strength to carry on?
Do you belittle yourself into an out of control spin or do you use words of affirmation and pull yourself up by the bootstraps?
I have been realizing, of late, that I am struggling with motivation. I think the move did me in and I’m still recuperating from the physical battles I had to overcome with packing and unpacking a home. My body has been aching more and my residual limb, well, let’s just say we are trying to come to terms with what I want to do and what it is capable of doing.
I have pushing myself to get out the door and put my walks and exercise time in, only to find that my physical game is struggling, which then plays into my mental game. This past weekend I went for a long walk with my husband, only to find that my limb really didn’t have it in it to walk as long as I wanted to… but I pushed myself and my mind won. However, that wasn’t the only win that day. I walked the longest I had walked in my new socket- 2 miles, but I also pushed myself into an opportunity to see where my mental fortitude lay. This is how this podcast came about. I realized how much I talk to myself in the “heat of the battle”. My mind was speaking to my heart and my leg. I then asked myself why I go through this pain and hurt. What was I getting out of doing this to myself?
I learned a lot about myself as I walked in the 98 degree Arizona summer sun, pushing myself to go farther, to not turn around, and not to give up. I find that this is beneficial for me to see what I am made of, to work out the kinks in my prosthesis, and build my character and create positive moments in my life. Is it easy? Was it easy? Absolutely NOT! But as the saying goes, nothing worth earning comes from “easy”. We benefit more from a situation that is hard to get through because when we rise out on the other side we claim victory, and this is great for self motivation and helps us deal with the next hard moment, which is sure to come.
This was a moment of finding out what I was made of.
A 10K race just 1 year after amputation.
The question is, how are you handling those tough moments? Do you want to do better? Feel better? Look better? Then it comes down to your mindset and the way you talk to yourself. Positive self-talk is so important. We tell our kids to not put themselves down, when they screw up, but are we beating ourselves up when we fall short? It’s easy to say this to people when you realize what they are doing to themselves, but to practice what you preach can be tough and a hard pill to swallow. I realized the day after I did this walk that I had a really hard time with the pain and my usual exercise, and I started to get angry with myself, using negative words and being frustrated…. so easy to fall into that pattern. I saw that I was doing exactly what I said NOT to do and instantly changed my inner voice to a positive tone. Did it make it easier to finish, not necessarily, but I was better for it, and learned a lot about myself that day. I know that I can be physically strong but mentally weak and will struggle. These two go hand in hand. It’s time to change how you treat yourself and how you talk to yourself.
Listen in to this week’s podcast to hear how that day went for me, as I recorded in the midst of that moment. It’s raw emotion and the reality of that struggle and hear what you can do to help yourself the next time doubt and fear creep in to your mind.
This week I want you to really listen to your inner voice.
Are you speaking negatively to yourself? Putting yourself down and beating yourself up? Be honest. Nothing good will come from lying to yourself or being in denial.
Listen to your mind when you realize you’re battling something. What do you hear? More than likely you are negative. It’s really common to do that. We hate making mistakes, and sometimes we feel unworthy of where we are. Stop! Give yourself grace to fall, talk kindly to yourself and pick yourself back up.
This week practice positive self-talk. It’s time to ramp up your mental game so you can go out with confidence into this world and kick butt. There is no room for negativity. Love yourself for where you are now, set goals to where you want to be, and speak kindly and positively. You just might find yourself reach those goals quicker than you imagined you ever could.
