Just Take It Easy...And Do Less

As my life has become busier and more complicated, I am astounded by the benefits of doing less.  And expecting less.  What I mean is that if you are recovering from an injury that it is just one more thing that you have to fit in a tight schedule.  You already (presumably) have a job and maybe a wife and kids, and other activities.  So to find time for PT appointments and doctors appointments and some exercise and figuring out how to change your diet and all the other things we need to recover, can be quite stressful.  In fact, it can be downright overwhelming. 

So, in response, we need to do less in other areas of our life.  We need to simplify anywhere and everywhere.  Below is a few things I have done.  Some may seem silly but they all focus on reducing stress and helping me find time to recover as well as continue to keep time spent with my family as my number 1 priority.

• Work From Home.  Immediately following my accident, I worked from home out of necessity.  I simply could not get into the office.  Even if I drove to work, the 2 blocks to get to the office on crutches were too much.  Towards the end of my period on crutches it was easier but I only did it when I absolutely had to.  Since then I have biked into the office 2 to 3 times a week but only when I want to.  If I feel tired or don't feel well, I stay home and make it easy on myself.  It also makes it easy if I have a massage appointment or am meeting with the doctor, or whatever I have to do.  I know this isn't a luxury everyone has and I feel very fortunate that my employer is very flexible.  But I do stress that trying to simply your commute is a great way to save time and money as well as take it easy on your body.  I can't imagine how stiff, tired, and moody I would feel if I had to sit in the car for 2 hours everyday.  It is not healthy for a normal person and it is hell for the bruised and battered.
• Do Less (PT) Exercises.  PTs, and some Pilates instructors, are know for taking us through a long battery of exercises and giving us several pages of print outs to do on our own time.  My philosophy is to find what exercises give us the biggest bang for our recovery buck and focus on those.  A long list of exercises is overwhelming and, in the end, not as beneficial as focusing on just a few.  Personally, I believe that, for me, at this stage in my recovery, kettlebell swings, Turkish Get Ups, and Goblet squats are really all I need, along with some mobility work and stretching.  And some biking for enjoyment.  More isn't always better.
• Focus on (Good ) Family and Friends.  I should preface this by saying that friends and family can be a blessing and a curse.  They can be helpful and bring all kinds of joy.  Or they can be a total pain in the ass.  When you are recovering, hang out with the easy ones.  Hang out with the mellow ones.  Hang out with the helpful ones.  Avoid the stressful, painful, annoying ones (as much as possible).  And you don't 15 different friends and have a party.  Just a couple good friends can be all you need.  For me I have found a few that I enjoy and we go and grab a movie or chat on the phone from time to time.
• Simplify Where Possible.  There are many things we can do to around the house to reduce stress.  A silly one I have done is to reduce the amount of clothing I have and focus on a few key items.  This way when I get up in the morning I don't have to "figure out' what I am going to wear.  I pretty much know.  I don't want promote getting back to the days of uniforms but combing through dozens of items and putting an outfit together is a lot less work when there are limited combinations.  Other ways to simplify are to clean out closets or storage, or even the car.  Give away stuff if you can.  It is an extremely cathartic experience.  Moreover, you can simplify your diet.  You only really need to eat fruits, vegetables, and some meats, so focus your meals around those 3.  the rest is just fluff.
• Park the Ego in the Garage.  I personally have felt the urge to make myself as great as possible in other areas of my life since my accident.  Until recently I have felt that moving my career forward and getting more and more responsibility would make me feel better about my hip.  I also have felt that if I can as lean as possible and look as good as possible would make me feel better about my hip.  And to some degree it has but in some ways it is just another stressor.  More responsibility is more stress.  Taking your diet to the extreme make you worry if you have a cookie or two.  Therefore what I am saying is that recovery is a job in and of itself and you don't have to make up for it in other ways.  It is okay to put some parts of your life on auto pilot.
• Keep a Clean House.  This is tough one, especially if you have kids.  But clutter creates stress so the more organized and picked up, the better you are going to feel.

I could keep going, probably, but I think you get the point.   Recovery takes attention and many of us don't have attention beyond our already stressful lives.  Thus we need to shrink the stress from other areas to allow us to focus on getting healthier.  If we don't, the stress of the recovery is going to build upon our already challenging lives and our recovery is going to be infinitely longer, more difficult, and more painful.

Thanks for reading...