Why I'm not as depressed as Eeyore...
In June I'll be having knee surgery (if ACC approves my request) which could see me unable to fully run/train for up to 6 months. A few years ago (maybe even months ago if I was being completely honest) this would have sent me into a depression that would make Eeyore look like Mr Happy. Here's what happened and why I'm not feeling too bad about it.
I walked into my specialists office thinking that it would be just another meeting where he would say that yeah I injured my knee (again) but it has resolved itself. I thought that because I'm in no pain despite doing a fair amount of running and other training on it. This was not the case.
He pointed to his monitor which was showing my MRI scan. The news was not what I expected - torn cartilage with a PCL partial tear to go along with it. Less than ideal.
Long story short this meant one of two possible outcomes - which he wouldn't know for sure until he operated.
1. He would trim the frayed cartilage and it would be 6 weeks until I was back running/lifting again completely as before (or words to that effect).
2. He would surgically reattach the cartilage which would mean 6 months until I was back to full training again.
Oh and obviously I wouldn't know which option he had taken until I woke up (either in a splint or not). Hmm.
This, as I mentioned earlier would have previously been earth shattering news for me, but I have changed my mindset in the last 6-12 months and it meant that I took the news a lot better than previously. My mind immediately went into solutions mode - what could I do to improve the situation/prevent any issues while I am laid up, both in terms of my own training and also in terms of my business. Far more productive thoughts than "why me, why always me?".
What did I do to prevent me collapsing into a ball of worry? I gradually changed my mindset over the last few months. Really I followed the advice which I give to all of my clients who go through tough periods of training/diet/stress. I began looking at setbacks as speedbumps, not as roadblocks.
Because I saw it as a speedbump I was able to see past the issues around me being unable to train and/or work for some time. I know that I can still train my upper body. I can still work hard on my rehab plan. I can still get up and about when my physio tells me I'm able to.
In terms of working it has also raised some useful possibilities - I can look at doing post-grad study which had I been working would have been a huge challenge time-wise, as well as other certifications and short courses which I otherwise wouldn't have time to complete.
Mindset is vital in terms of reaching your heath and fitness goals also. If you view every "bad" meal or missed training session as a failure, it won't be long before you end up quitting (which will guarantee you never reach your goals). Viewing each setback as a speedbump along the road to your goals will mean that while you may slow down, you will keep moving forward. Which, incidentally is how you reach your goals - little by little moving towards them keeping your eye on the end game.
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I walked into my specialists office thinking that it would be just another meeting where he would say that yeah I injured my knee (again) but it has resolved itself. I thought that because I'm in no pain despite doing a fair amount of running and other training on it. This was not the case.
He pointed to his monitor which was showing my MRI scan. The news was not what I expected - torn cartilage with a PCL partial tear to go along with it. Less than ideal.
Long story short this meant one of two possible outcomes - which he wouldn't know for sure until he operated.
1. He would trim the frayed cartilage and it would be 6 weeks until I was back running/lifting again completely as before (or words to that effect).
2. He would surgically reattach the cartilage which would mean 6 months until I was back to full training again.
Oh and obviously I wouldn't know which option he had taken until I woke up (either in a splint or not). Hmm.
This, as I mentioned earlier would have previously been earth shattering news for me, but I have changed my mindset in the last 6-12 months and it meant that I took the news a lot better than previously. My mind immediately went into solutions mode - what could I do to improve the situation/prevent any issues while I am laid up, both in terms of my own training and also in terms of my business. Far more productive thoughts than "why me, why always me?".
What did I do to prevent me collapsing into a ball of worry? I gradually changed my mindset over the last few months. Really I followed the advice which I give to all of my clients who go through tough periods of training/diet/stress. I began looking at setbacks as speedbumps, not as roadblocks.
Because I saw it as a speedbump I was able to see past the issues around me being unable to train and/or work for some time. I know that I can still train my upper body. I can still work hard on my rehab plan. I can still get up and about when my physio tells me I'm able to.
In terms of working it has also raised some useful possibilities - I can look at doing post-grad study which had I been working would have been a huge challenge time-wise, as well as other certifications and short courses which I otherwise wouldn't have time to complete.
Mindset is vital in terms of reaching your heath and fitness goals also. If you view every "bad" meal or missed training session as a failure, it won't be long before you end up quitting (which will guarantee you never reach your goals). Viewing each setback as a speedbump along the road to your goals will mean that while you may slow down, you will keep moving forward. Which, incidentally is how you reach your goals - little by little moving towards them keeping your eye on the end game.
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