Category: Personal Development

Perseverance: You are Capable Of More Than You Think

My Second Marathon: Less Than Ideal Physical Conditions, But A Great Lesson In Perseverance

My Pittsburgh marathon experience recently was a success, and I am proud to say I finished!  I think any race finish is a success!  Unfortunately, my time was not what I had hoped (I had hoped for an improvement in time from my first marathon).  My health was challenged by an untimely bout of viral gastroenteritis (stomach  virus) the day before.  Obviously less than ideal conditions.  I am pretty sure I caught this from my cute (but full-of-germs) children, or one of my patients, or a bit of both.  The afternoon before, I recall feeling a little punky, and then slowly but steadily, became exhausted, nauseated, and became a close friend to the restroom for unnatural products from both ends.  I rested for good solid few hours that afternoon, and then slept for 12+ hours the night before.

My little runner and tumbler, one of my motivations when the going gets tough.

Facing Doubt and Learning to Push Negative Thoughts Aside

I awoke at about 40-50%, less nauseated but also unfortunately a bit behind on my fluids.  I ate nothing and had minimal fluid intake the night before, obviously not what I planned to do.  I tried to gently hydrate and ate a minimal breakfast that morning.  And I anticipated a great challenge ahead.  I had several nagging thoughts of, “well, maybe I can stay home and sit this out.”  But 3+ months of work were weighing on my mind.  So many 1-3 hour runs early in the AM 6 days a week spent pounding the pavement.  So much time spent away from other hobbies and pursuits, and away  from my family.   I used this thought of time investment as inspiration, and pushed the negative thoughts aside.  Instead, I strived to think to myself “I worked hard.  I feel okay today, not great, but okay.  I will use this as an opportunity to see how far I can push myself, safely, but I will push myself.”

It was certainly a challenge on my body and mind, but I am glad I did indeed push myself.  I did great the first hour or two, until my early morning Tylenol unfortunately wore off, and some dehydration and discomfort really settled in.   The last two and a half hours was a bit rough, but I took it 1 mile at a time.  And I am very proud to say I made it to the finish line.

I think this was a great lesson to myself on perseverance and seeing how far I can truly go.  And to not limit myself based on perceived notions of what I am capable of.  Stop listening to boundaries and restrictions, both that I set for myself, or what everyone else tells me.

I am so appreciative of my ability to push through the pain and discomfort, and finish.  My finish time wasn’t stellar (4:40:22), or what I expected (I had hoped to set a personal record by about 10-15 minutes), but given all the challenges with the preceding virus/illness, I am proud of what I did.  And proud of my grit and determination to push forward and not stop, in spite of pain and challenge.

I think going forward in my life as a mom and doctor, I feel huge  waves of confidence in what I can do.  I am not perfect, and I don’t have all the answers for my kids or my patients.  And I will never be so overconfident to say I am perfect and all knowing.  But I realize some dogged determination and perseverance can carry me through a lot in life.  By not giving up, I was able push through, improve, and reach a new level of performance and success.

An Unfortunate Injury: Forced Break and Forced Rethinking of My Health Priorities

I also unfortunately suffered a foot injury about a month after my marathon. This was probably a reflection of overtraining, not taking enough time of rest after my race, and not admitting when I need to take a break.  It took a good 4 weeks to recover.  I can tell you, I missed exercise, and missed running.  I missed having my body whole and healthy and pain free.  Just walking, climbing steps, and jumping would elicit a bit of pain.  I missed my solo runs, as this was my time of reflection, my “me” time away from others.  As an introvert, I realize some solo time is crucial for recovery and rejuvenation.  Though I’d hate to admit it, the time away from running was also good for me.  I gained more time with my family.  I was able to fully heal my body. And crucially, I gained more time to sleep.   I am realizing I need to guard my sleep time and stop depriving myself so much.

I read a great book, Why We Sleep, by Matthew Walker a couple of months ago, and I highly recommend this comprehensive review of what sleep is, why it is vital, and how to use it to our advantage.  This book, coupled with my injury and forced break from early morning runs, made me rethink my routine and how I was treating my body and my health.   Sleep is crucial.  It is not for idleness.  It is not for lazy people.  It helps your mind and body recover.  It helps solidify learning and healing.   It improves your immunity.  It improves your vitality and creativity.   The book goes into great detail, but those are some wonderful takeaways I gained from my study of the book.    The book also discusses dreams, insomnia, and why typical insomnia treatment with sleeping pills is not always ideal.  I found it a very interesting read, very detailed and very scientific.

Return to Running, But Learning Balance

I have returned to running this past week.  I craved the activity and ability to get my heart rate up.  My foot hurt slightly but fortunately has gotten stronger and less bothersome as activity is ramping up.   I am learning to adapt my schedule and change things around.  I have tried running later in the day at times, so I can protect my sleep time.  I am unfortunately quite a bit of shape, but I know I can regain my ability.  And given my persistence and success with my “less than ideal” second marathon, I know I can push myself further than I think.  I am learning to look at boundaries and limits, everywhere in life, and analyzing them to see if I can knock them down creatively but aggressively.

Growth Mindset, Thinking of How Many Blessings I Truly Have

I am eager to continue to grow, reinvent myself, and make myself better.  (If you haven’t read anything about a Growth Mindset versus Fixed Mindset, I encourage you to do so.   This is great way to look at the psychology of growth.  One great resource is here.)  I hope I can continue to set an example for my family and my kids.

During my run, I used Aaptiv (a great way to have a trainer in your ear during your workout, breaks up the monotony!), and the trainer described a great way to overcome a desire to stop. And that is: think of someone who can’t exercise.  Run for them.  Exercise for them.  Persist because of them.  Keep running and don’t stop, for they cannot do what you are doing.   I felt like my run was more like a prayer and meditation in their honor.  I found this truly inspiring and a great way to keep going.  And I plan to carry this forward to everything in life, I think that is a great lesson that translates everywhere.

There is so much to be grateful for in life that I often take for granted.  I am healthy.  I have a beautiful, loving family.  I have a roof over my head.  A stable career.   Free time to pursue my passions and hobbies.  I am able to continue to grow and improve.  I have way more to appreciate and think positively about, and a lot less I should complain about and dwell negatively upon.

My family: my priority in life. 2 of 3 smiling faces ain’t bad. (I don’t envy the hard working photographers out there. Getting the “perfect shot” is pretty darn hard!)

Perseverance and Gratitude: Tools for Success and Ways to Battle Pessimism

Positivity and gratitude, I believe, will carry me forward in the future.  I know more challenges and set backs will come up, in my running, in my career, and in my family.  But I will think about my successes in the past, particularly my success in pushing through a painful, uncomfortable, imperfect marathon situation.

I will keep those lessons with me, and they will fuel me with inspiration and hope.  And I will think of all of those I encounter, particularly in my life as a physician, who are so gracious and open to share their own challenges, with their personal lives and with their health.  I think this will help reframe my pessimism.  Instead of dwelling on all I do not have, I will work on focusing on my blessings and all the wonderful things I do possess.

Time Goes On: Learning to Say Goodbye

Life is Short

Learning to say goodbye is never easy.  We are asked to say goodbye in many different ways in life.   Some examples I have seen in my own life: Saying goodbye to my family every morning as we go our separate ways for work or school.  Letting go of items or possessions that no longer serve a purpose.  Saying goodbye to patients after my residency, as I moved on to my attending position.  Expressing condolences for my older patients who have passed away.  Saying goodbye to patients who have moved away, destined to establish with another physician.  Accepting the fact that everyone and everything around me is getting older and time never stands still.  I think the hardest example of this is accepting that my children are growing up.

This little gal is no longer just a crawler but a runner, jumper, and climber.

My Children Are Growing Up

My daughter is no longer a baby.  (But don’t get me wrong: she will always be “my baby” in my heart.)  Physically, she is taller and leaner.  Looking back at pictures from a couple of years ago, I see she has lost her baby fat. She refuses my help many more times than she used to.  She is starting to learn how to read.   She likes to tell me about her day.  She will be turning five in a couple weeks, and will be going to kindergarten this fall.   She still wants me to tuck her in every night and read a bedtime story to her,  and I cherish this. I wonder how quickly the next several years will go.  When she becomes an independent teenager, I will likely miss those moments she needs me so much.

Blink, turn around, and they are already so much older. Hard to believe this was 2 years ago.

My son, too, is a precocious 2 year old.  He is constantly vying for independence. He likes to tell me all that he sees around him.   It is kind of neat to revisit the world from a toddler’s eyes.  Nature has so much beauty and wonder that we adults take too much for granted.  He likes to have as much control of his day as possible, and lays out his demands confidently. This includes insisting on wearing  particular clothing for the day, choosing his own meals, and wanting to turn on and off the light switches himself (though he is not quite tall enough and requires a lift from mom).

I can still recall both of my children being tiny infants, requiring constant care and attention, with their only mode of communication being cries and shrieks.   Now they each have their own little voices and thoughts, and their own emotions and opinions.  Where did the time go?

Being Thankful

Seeing my kids grew up so quickly has made me more aware of how short time on this earth can be. Instead of focusing so much on the past or future, I am trying to enjoy the present. Tied with this, is the concept of gratitude.    I strive at the end of every day to think of three things I am thankful for.   Invariably, my answers involve relationships, my family, and my health.  This mindfulness practice has fueled my desire to be more focused on the present moment.  I see every day in my life as a mom and a physician how fleeting  time can be.

I think looking back on how far we’ve come is a useful exercise.  It is hard to say goodbye to the past, and with that goodbye, to admit that life has changed.  Sometimes I think I forget how quickly time passes and take a lot of things in my life for granted.  Purposefully and deliberately looking back at the past allows me to properly say goodbye to things that are no longer present.   I’m able to express appreciation for how much I have in the present, and take stock of all of my blessings.  And I enjoy imagining how things will look in the future.

Handling Emotions – Nurturing Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence, EQ

I read a wonderful book, Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman, a few months ago.  This book was recommended during a continuing education workshop I recently attended.  And I greatly recommend it to anyone else who hasn’t read it yet.

I wish I had read it sooner, particularly as it relates to raising my kids, particularly as it relates to toddlerhood. (Terrible 2’s and the classic toddler tantrums are a perfect example of how poor emotional control can manifest when faced with negative emotions.   Not something that adults should really be doing, though I admit sometimes I want to.   And I don’t think I am the only one.  Strong emotions can really inhibit your self control sometimes.)

The book, Emotional Intelligence, outlines what emotional intelligence is, and why is is important.  I admit this was a relatively new concept to me. But one that is intuitive and vital for all aspects of life.

A brief definition of emotional intelligence, or EQ, is the ability for someone to recognize, harness, and express one’s emotions, and recognizing how emotions a person feels can affect relationships and how one interacts with others.  Not easy to do, but something very important to fit in with a society where we greatly benefit from teamwork and working with others.

Two Pathways for Emotions

A concept I found really pivotal in the book is that the brain has 2 pathways when it comes to processing emotions.  One pathway goes through a slower pathway that travels through the cortex, or higher reasoning part of the brain.

The faster pathway, which can be thought of as an evolutionary protection mechanism, goes from the thalamus straight to the amygdala.  This is what makes you have your “fight or flight” response to a perceived threat (which may indeed not really be a threat).  The second fast pathway is what drives me to startle and feel fearful when I hear a loud noise, or feel my cat brush along my leg when I don’t realize she is there.  Afterward, with the help of my higher cortex, I reason out why I had the response I did.

I can see how this drives me to often react unhealthily to stress in my daily life.  Just realizing this has helped me become more self aware of my actions and thoughts.  And forgive myself for occasional bad actions.  I am nowhere near perfect, but I think just understanding emotions and emotional intelligence better helps calm me and drives me to be better.

Childhood Development and Emotional Intelligence

The book also describes emotional intelligence and how it develops in childhood.  I kind of think of this as the key concepts kindergarteners learn.   Listen.  Share.  The Golden Rule – Do unto others as you would want to be done to you. After reading about the concept and analyzing my own life and the lives of my children, I see how vital this concept really is. And how hard it can sometimes be to control.  IQ or “book smarts” as I like to think of is something that is geared toward in our modern school system.

But to really thrive in life, I see that  having just book smarts is not enough. People smarts (and emotional smarts) will actually get your further (and create a happier, more fulfilled life).

I plan to read more in the future about Emotional Intelligence as it pertains to children,  and how it can impact my children as they develop.  I am trying more and more to help my children name their emotions.   And I have analyzed how good my children are at recognizing emotions, in me, in themselves, or others.  The fast pathway of the brain I think can easily pick up on negative versus positive emotion. But it takes a bit more learning, experience, and thought to see what exactly that emotion is, and what to do about it.

My daughter easily reads annoyance or tiredness on my face, but sometimes says “why are you mad?”  This is a good (but embarrassing) reminder to adapt my facial expression (but also my own feelings and thoughts) to better suit my interactions with her.  And I try to take this further when talking with my other family members, coworkers, and patients.

Like I said, I am still a work in progress (but aren’t we all).I plan to continue to develop my own skills in emotional intelligence.   I think I have always intuitively recognized that emotional intelligence is vital to good relationships and success in the real world.  And as I raise my young kids, I hope I can help them better recognize and harness their emotions, so they can be happy, loved, helpful members of society.

Digitalization of Society and Its Relationship to Emotion

Though our society is becoming more digital and fragmented, there remains a great deal of emotion in our lives and that will never change.     Think of how a brash, “thoughtless” comment on the internet can make you feel sad, anxious, or angry.  When you engage your higher learning centers in your cortex, however, and start to look at possibilities of what the other person was feeling, you can realize why you, in reaction, felt how you did.  For me, naming that emotion helps me disengage, and often forgive the comment. And not to take things to heart, particularly if that is more harmful than helpful.

Self Care and Its Importance to Emotions

If I am tired, stressed, or overworked, my emotional reserve to control myself goes out the window.  This fact has made me focus more on self care – sleep, stress reduction via hobbies and time away from work, eating well, and exercise.

If I have a good nights sleep, I think I make better cognitive decisions.  But my emotions are also calmer.  This I think is a good example of how EQ and IQ can overlap and interact.  And how the mind, the body, your emotions are interdependent and intertwined.

Nurturing Emotional Intelligence in Others

Like I described above, I am trying to help my kids navigate the tumultuous world of their internal emotions. But I also hope to set an example, for my kids and for everyone else I interact with, including my patients.  I see a lot how emotions can create rifts in families and relationships  Looking at things from afar, it is easy to judge and think about how sometimes silly these fights can seem.  But delving into conversations with my patients, and truly spending 10-15 minutes walking in their shoes, I see how things get a bit murky and difficult.  I recognize that emotions, thoughts, and facts get intertwined.  And how hard it can be to forgive.  But how powerful and freeing it can be to forgive and let go.

Parting Thoughts

I hope to continue to be vigilant in recognizing emotions, not just in myself but in everyone around me.   To do this well, I believe it first takes recognition of this idea, and self study.  I plan to read more books about this, particularly how it pertains to childhood development.  There is a lot more I can learn about it.  I am steadily recognizing too that good self care (rest, nutrition, exercise, play) is vital in ensuring I have good self control and am setting myself up for success in managing my emotions.

Just like every skill in life,  this takes practice.  I am trying to train myself to not let the fast emotional pathway control my reactions, and instead work constantly to engage the slower, higher thinking pathway.  This will lead to better outcomes and less regrets.  Since learning about Emotional Intelligence and how the emotional centers of the brain work, I  am more explicit in  naming my own emotions and learning how they drive me to act.

As a parent, I am also seeing how this naming of emotions is crucial in helping to calm my children if a tantrum arises and they are not getting their way.  It eases misunderstandings and miscommunications.  My kids feel “heard.”

Happy smiles.

As a doctor, I am striving to use my understanding of emotions to choose words and actions that are more beneficial to everyone around me.    I believe it has helped me better see those around me, particularly my patients, in a new light. I feel better able to comprehend their emotions, and how emotions impact their choices in life.  And I feel it has improved my communication skills and ability to understand what others are communicating to me.  I think and hope this practice will help me to continue to grow and improve, as a doctor, a mom, and a human being.

Measuring Self Worth

I stumbled across a website about a year ago, and it really got my thinking.  The website was the “Value of Time Calculator” on www.clearerthinking.org.  I believe it took me about 20-30 minutes to do this exercise in total, but it was well worth the time invested.  And like I said, mind opening, and the thought exercise still impacts me today.  It led me through several questions to get a dollar amount to tie to an hour of my time.  And suffice it to say, I valued my time way more than I thought I did.

After this exercise, I I began re-evaluating the way I spent my time. Not just at work, but at home with my family, and in my free time.  Slowly, but surely, I saw how I was being effective or ineffective at home and at work.  I also realized that I am more valuable than I think.  Like many other people, I have lower self esteem than I should.  I think actually putting a “price tag” on an hour of my time is really valuable.    It still sticks with me now.  I think harder about paying for services, things that add value and convenience to me, so I can spend my time doing things I really want to do.  This is particularly valuable to me when it comes to my time spent outside of work hours.

During the exercise, the website will also walk you through the  steps of calculating your pay per hour, which I personally found to be difficult to face.  Getting a salary masks this from me.

An automatic payment comes into me each month, and I don’t have to really think how much I am paid each hour.  Actually seeing it spelled out via the exercise made me think more about how I spend my time outside of work, and as an extension of that, how I spend my money.

Throughout my life, and particularly in the last year, I have tried to slowly but surely find ways I can grow and become better.  I think this extends from my realization of my personal value, and how much I value my time.  I am not perfect and realize this is a lofty ideal, though I do value perfection.  I think Stoicism offers me one logical answer to fighting this dichotomy.   One tenant of Stoicism that I found powerful is the idea of a realm of control and a realm of concern.   And sometimes they do not overlap.  I take this to mean that one can recognize that some things are in your control, and a ton of other things are not.  Most of things in life, in fact, are not in your realm of control.   And one goal in stoicism is learning to accept this, and persevere in spite of this.   I think that the opposite of this philosophy is anxiety -constantly fearing how things are spiraling out of control, and making sometimes fruitless efforts to maintain a sense of control.

I have slowly but surely concentrated on two life goals after this “value of time” exercise.  One life goal is prioritizing my relationships, particularly my family and loved ones.  Life is truly short, and I, like many others out there, probably take the present for granted too often.  My children are growing up ridiculously fast.  I blink and take stock of my kids, via photos or videos, and I am amazed how much they have grown, physically, mentally, and emotionally.   I want to focus my energy and time on watching this process unfold, and be more present for them each step of the way.  Along with that, though, I have sensed that I must become less engrossed in my work, learning to meaningfully play and talk with my kids, and “turn off” my work mind.   And also literally turning off, the TV, the cellphone, and computer.  This digital, convenient world we live in is fraught with distractions.  So I strive to exercise my willpower, often daily, to truly focus on what is important to me.

My little travelers, getting bigger every day.

My second life goal is optimizing my own health.  I lifted the protective blinders on myself about a year ago. I came to the hard reality that I had been sinking into burn out in my work life, and was feeling unhealthy and unhappy because of it. I had also allowed myself to get a bit too one-dimensional, focusing too much on my career and job,  or allowing it to take over a lot of my energy.  And I was not spending enough of my time on everything else that should matter to me, including my relationships and myself.

This commitment to my own health drove me to focus on running, and to commit to my first marathon in October 2017, and then my second marathon in May 2018.   I enjoy running, and now that my thyroid illness has stabilized over the last 18 months, it has become both enjoyable and easier to accomplish what I want to do.   I am glad to say I have regained my 23 year old fitness level with my recent 5K times.  And I feel I can continue to improve.  The running not only gives me cardiovascular health, but mental health benefits as well. I think of my running sessions as a chance to burn off excess energy and process my negative thoughts.  It is a sort of informal cognitive therapy.

Slowly learning my drives in life, as inspired by Luca.

I have also improved my mental health and personal growth via dedicated personal reading.  I have read nonfiction and fiction.  I pick anything I find interesting .  Through practice and perseverance, I have also increased my reading speed.  I have become a steady patron of my local library.   I have also maintained an addiction to bookstores.  Audio books have also been a godsend, particularly on my long runs and commutes.A great free app I have discovered is called Libby, which connects to your library account and allows you to borrow digital books and audiobooks right to your device.  There are sometimes brief waits on popular books of several weeks, but I think that just adds to the anticipation.  I get books dropping into my account every so often, continuing my efforts to read more and more.

Through all of these new focuses and priorities in my life, I am continuing to learn to value and accept myself.  I hate brags.  But I am learning to admit that too much humility is problematic and harmful, too.   I am slowly but surely learning to stand up for myself.  An overly zealous work ethic, though espoused and praised in our society, is also something that I am becoming to see as unhealthy and I do not worship this anymore.  Rest and rejuvenation are just as important for life as work and productivity.  And resting and playing regularly actually boosts my performance.  And makes me a heck of a lot happier.

 

All of this drive to change was inspired by the exercise of determining the value of my time.   And I continue to grow and change.  I have come to my own personal realization of how much I don’t know.  It is
humbling and inspiring.  I have learned that there is more to life than money and my net worth.    I am learning to become an “unbusy” doctor mom.  I am not a “supermom,” but I am a proud mom in a beautiful, loving family, and that is pretty darn cool.

The Power of Gratitude

Practicing Gratitude

This busy world is full of “To Do” lists and distractions galore.  One thing that has really helped me gain a different and happier perspective is the practice of gratitude.  My practice of gratitude is still a work in progress.  However, I find that the more I work at it, the easier it gets.  And the better I feel about myself and about those around me.

Rare moment of stillness as my children pose for the camera.

A few of the things I have started to do:

Physically writing down what I am grateful for. This helps use muscle memory and makes the items I am thankful for seem more real and hard to forget.

Thinking about things beyond my control, at the start of my day, and at the end.  This helps me to frame my day, and also keeps me humble.  I may feel like I can control a lot of things, but there is so much in life that is happenstance and chance.  This is not something to bring fear or unhappiness.  Rather, it should bring wonder each and every day.  So much in this life is a blessing.

Best effort at a selfie with the kids. And yes, my daughter, Maddie, is enjoying a cookie in between takes. Priorities, priorities.

Go to bed each night thinking of my family.  My family is undoubtedly the thing I am most thankful for.  I smile and laugh to myself recounting some of the craziness and silliness that has happened that day.  I try to capture some of this with photos and notes to myself.  But it is amazing how many little memories are built each hour, each day, and each week.  Time really does fly by.   Today is a gift, and I try to live more in the present, rather than dwelling on the past or fretting over the future.

Future plans: A Gratitude Journal

These are my simple starting points, that have at least gotten the ball rolling for me.  In time (perhaps as a New Years Resolution), I hope to start a gratitude journal.  That should be a more concrete way to record some of my thoughts and feelings. It should be fun to look back on things I may have forgotten.

Gratitude: Turning Negative Thoughts Around

For now, though, I think what I have started has built a daily routine that changes my perspective for the better.  It is easy to get down on things in the world and get down on myself when things are not going well.  This approach of gratitude helps reframe my thoughts in a healthier and more productive way.

Recent date night with my best friend and husband.  Definitely grateful for having him as my partner for life!

5 Steps For Overcoming An Injury

Conquering An Injury

We have all had an injury, be it physical or emotional.  My recent marathon training and first marathon included fortunately minor and self limited injuries – bruises, scrapes, strains, and sprains. In my day to day encounters with other people, disagreements and negative exchanges of energy crop up from time to time.  From these encounters, I have  suffered emotional bruises.  I have honed my approach to injuries over the years, and broken it down into 5 steps. My approach has helped me cope and thrive, and I am happy to share my approach with you here.

It’s a rough and tumble world out there! With fun comes a risk of injury.
  1. Acknowledge and name the injury.
  2. Come up with a realistic plan for rehab.
  3. Revisit your rehab plan regularly.  If things are not going as you expected, adjust accordingly.
  4. Return to your normal activities. Take a moment of gratitude for your return to normal activities, and your ability to heal from your injury.
  5. Troubleshoot why the injury happened, and strategize ways to avoid the same injury in the future.

1.  Acknowledge And Name The Injury.

This allows you time to comprehend and describe the injury to yourself. Physical injuries are often obvious. A scrape or abrasion of the skin.  An evolving bruise.  An ankle sprain causing pain and limping.  More complex, however, are injuries and hurt under the surface. Overtraining and burnout.  Hurt feelings. Disappointment at missing out on an opportunity. Anger when someone else has wronged you.

I recommend you take several minutes to yourself and ruminate over the injury.  What is it that you feel?  Why do you feel that way?  Do not simply think negatively and take a “woe is me” attitude.  “Well, I fell and now I have a big bruise on my knee.  What will I do now?”  Rather, better evaluate your feelings and response to the injury.  What are your collections of feelings causing you to feel badly?  What are the physical symptoms and emotional symptoms that you feel, and what was the sequence of events leading you to this?

Bad things befall all of us. Take a moment to acknowledge the injury.

2.  Come Up With A Realistic Plan For Rehab.

Physical injuries are no fun.  If you are training for a specific goal, they can seem insurmountable and goal ending.  However, do not take such a quick, pessimistic approach before fully analyzing the situation.  Where are you in your training?  How long will it take to recover or heal? Is there a way to cross train through the injury, in say 3-4 days?  How can you reasonably but safely return to your sport?

Emotional injuries are equally unpalatable.  It may be wise to take 5-10 minutes to yourself to think through and meditate over your feelings. Also yourself to privately feel what you feel, on your own time.  If you can, allow the feeling to burn out a bit before returning to your usual activities. Consider talking to those around you about what you are experiencing. Or consider journaling about your experiences right there on the spot or later in the day.  Come up with a time period over which to feel what you feel.

With a problem, particularly an injury, analyze the pieces and try to put them back together.

For example, on my evening after a “bad day,” when I get a moment alone, I allow myself 15-30 minutes to think through what happened.  I then try to push it down and use another 15-30 minutes to look toward the positives, and what I can do differently the next time. The next morning, if the negative situation returns to my mind, I set the thought aside and instead focus on my day ahead and think how I can do things better.

I find dwelling on the past too long, and what I cannot change, is harmful and counterproductive .  I have instead taken a strategy of setting a time limit on my thoughts, and then think more of the present and my future actions.

3.  Revisit Your Rehab Plan Regularly.  If Things Are Not Going As You Expected, Adjust Accordingly.

I try to do this every few days or every week as I am in my rehab plan.  It helps me assess my progress objectively, e.g. “I feel 70% back to normal. ”  I then see if I can adjust my return to full activity sooner or later than I expected.  This constant assessment and adjustment is helpful not just with injuries but other aspects of your life. For example, I use this when I assess my spending plans or my progress in paying off my debts.

As you “drive” through your plan, analyze the journey you have made and how far you have come. Make any necessary tweaks to your path to ensure success.

 

4.  Return To Your Normal Activities. Take A Moment Of Gratitude For Your Return To Normal Activities, And Your Ability To Heal From Your Injury.

When you feel ready, go ahead and make the leap!  Go back to the activity you enjoy.  Do not simply rush back into what you love. I find it helpful to briefly appreciate how I was able to heal and overcome the injury I had a few days or a few weeks before.  Practicing gratitude is a great habit, particularly when celebrating your accomplishments.

When you are ready and healthy, return to your activity with a vengeance (and a smile)!

5.  Troubleshoot why the injury happened, and strategize ways to avoid the same injury in the future.  

As a scientist and engineer, I like to analyze systems and why things are running the way they are.   I particularly try this analysis when things are not going smoothly.   For example, if you feel burnout and excessive fatigue, try to analyze why.  How much are you training? How much sleep are you getting?  Has your nutrition been satisfactory or poor?  Once I write down some of the factors that I feel led to the injury, I try to come up with ways to prevent a repeat injury.  In the example above, I would re-analyze my sleep patterns, and work to get to bed 10-15 minutes earlier each night until I felt more rested.

The Rollercoaster of Life

I hope the tips I have shared will help you as you work through your next injury.    Please feel free to share your own strategies for overcoming obstacles in your own life!

Life is full of ups and downs. Take time to enjoy the rollercoaster of life, and how you can make your experience better.

 

Improving Your Outlook

Looking on the Positive Side

I have been looking more consistently at the “optimistic” side of things lately.  And it has totally turned my day to day activities around, for the better!  Instead of dreading a long tedious day at work, I look at the positives, with each minute and each hour.  How can I help my next patient? What things can I learn from him or her? What makes this fellow human being interesting and valuable?  Also, I look inward every now and then and take stock in what accomplishments I have made.  Look at how far I have come!  Several years into practice, I now have the experience and confidence to make decisions that I would agonize over for several minutes.

What about all the Bad Stuff Out There?

I know, I know, you read or watch the news and you cannot help but see all of the negativity out there. You sometimes cannot help but yield to the pessimism that surrounds us.  But, it really matters how you perceive and look at things, since your attitude has a huge bearing on how you feel.  I also think that having this positive outlook will improve your gratitude and thankfulness for all of the good in your life.  And this will make you a better person!

Me and Luca. This little guy always manages to get me smiling and thankful!

I credit my more positive attitude to my binge-listening of “Optimal Living Daily,” a free podcast that reads short clips from various personal development blogs out there.  Totally digestible, as they are short chunks of high yield information.  I wish I had found this earlier!  This is a great way to break up your morning commute. I personally add them to my morning workout playlist, which makes my workout breeze by.  I also am addicted to Optimal Finance Daily, another offering from the Optimal Living Daily creators.  These short clips from financial blogs will help improve your financial health.  Please try them out!