5. Injury is a teacher
For the last few weeks, I’ve been off my regular running schedule with an Achilles injury. Not gonna lie it sucks. A lot.
A lot of maybe think how weird I am saying that. Who actually enjoys exercise?
However, personally, I think we all have activities and routines that enable us to keep ourselves stable and somewhat sane. Yours might be watching, ‘Keeping up with the Kardashians’, but mine is running.
So yeah I got injured and couldn’t run. All doom and gloom right?
You’d think so. Yet, when I reflect upon it this time has been really helpful.
I’ve never had to be so slow and focus on dealing with my mental clarity and wellbeing. Running just sorted it out for me. It was my secret sauce. My medicine.
The first week without my dash out the door, I literally felt like I was thrown into a black hole of chaos- I felt lost.
Part of my identity, the thing I had relied on so long to help me, was all gone.
And what replaced it...
Bad habits, video games, laziness, and the inevitable anxiety.
I hated it.
But then one day, amidst watching a motivational David Goggins video telling me how rubbish I was (he’s definitely not for the faint-hearted). I was struck with a bolt of motivation to make a change. I couldn’t be reliant on this one external thing to keep me stable in both my physical and mental clarity.
I needed to create a plethora of habits and routines that guarded me against going down this rabbit hole of self-loathing.
So introspective time was activated.
If I couldn’t run I had to come up with alternatives. So I went old school and devised a table in my notepad jotting down “things give me energy”.
There are so many things you could put down but these were mine:
Take time to reflect, journal, and read the Bible each day
Try to aim to read 50 pages of a book a day
Do push-ups, situps, and stretches every day
Write down what you're grateful for
Start a daily blog
This was not a to-do list. I had things I had to cover in various days- studying, house chores, meeting people, and so on- but that was separate.
For me, these 5 points were core things that would keep me stable. Not only this but they covered all areas of my life I wanted to grow in, and even if a day sucked but I covered these basics- I could be proud.
Removing a central thing that I had relied on so heavily in life was helpful as it pointed to the fact that I needed to be more holistic in my approach to life and have more options for how to work on myself and what to lean on when I wasn’t feeling good.
Also, the idea that I am limited is such a humbling experience.
I can’t obsess over things as much as I’d like to. I have to look after myself. I need balance (hence the necessity to have more than one core thing to look after myself).
Waves of gratitude and appreciation for running were a massive side effect too.
Not only for the sport but also life in general. Having this newfound stillness to simply sit and soak in ideas, be reflective, and think about the world.
Don’t get me wrong- I have found myself overthinking a little more than normal- but it has been a nice change of pace.
So I guess I’d encourage all of you to look to the positives in whatever season you are in- wherever it’s an injury, a time alone, or just adjusting to change (I know it sounds cheesy but give it a shot).
And for those who skim read blogs- being injured taught me:
I’m not invincible
I am so blessed
I can’t rely on one thing for my happiness and wellbeing
Going forward (and hopefully recovering soon) I believe having these core things alongside running is going to be the best approach. It’s not either-or. These core routines in our life also change throughout our life, yet, consistency is key. I want to be able to commit to these routines and become a slave to them, knowing they do good for me.
Injury sucks, but it’s a great teacher