Discouragement
Feeling discouraged the past few days because my back isn’t seeming to have the relief I thought I would. I have been stretching and being extra careful to not over work myself yet here I am still dealing with the same issues for the past 2 1/2 weeks. It can leave you not wanting to do anything because whenever you do it hurts. That can be terribly frustrating, so how do we combat this?
When you feel discouraged giving up is not the option you want to chose. It may seem like the good choice but that’s only because the pity party brigade is all about getting down with the sadness, but when you feel discouraged then chose something else. That’s right if you can’t work on something because of an injury or something that is when you take a break, modify it or pick up another task. I was feeling discouraged because even doing yoga was difficult with all the bending and putting stress on my low back so that is why I decided to modify and instead do static stretching and foam rolling. Yes my 30 day challenge was to do yoga everyday but since my body is rejecting that notion I don’t want to give up just because my body is causing an issue.
So if you can modify then do it, but if you can’t then take a break from this specific thing. Find a new task that is the same level of the other task and do it instead. It’s okay to take breaks, it’s okay to modify, it’s okay to not be perfect, but it’s not okay to just give up on yourself all together. That is when depression comes in which leads to a bunch of negative things. You have to give yourself a break for not being perfect or being able to do it with the same panache everyday as you did when you were younger. Our bodies are these amazing things and have the ability to heal, but there are scars and old injuries left behind that slow you down.
Another thing is find something within your control that you can apply the same effort. I am doing modified stretching and foam rolling, along with this I want to be working on my nutrition. Why? Because when I get discouraged I eat, I love the sweet treats and goodies to soothe my sadness. It’s a temporary fix and it adds more stress and weight on top of the issue. Controlling what is going in my food and eating things that are good for me rather than causing more stress and inflammation should be an ulterior task to help combat the things I want to prevent such as weight gain, inflammation and added stress.
When you feel discouraged listen to some motivational speeches, affirmations, find friends to uplift you, do anything to get out of your head and into action. A stone at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion. Don’t let your inaction, frustration, discouragement cause you to get stuck and stagnant. Get up and move, dance, go for a bike ride, go for a walk, clean, just get up and move. That is how you help get the endorphins flowing and get back up on that saddle!
Today will be another short blog. This week I am working hard on challenging myself even when I don’t want to but I am having a hard time getting over being discouraged especially with my back. But tomorrow is a new day and great things are on the horizon. Be well my friends and get after it!
Today was a 5.