Things in the world are changing rapidly, many of us are dealing with limitations that we haven't dealt with in our lifetimes.
In my business, I work with clients that are often dealing with pain for the first time, and experiencing a similar crisis.
There is a stage of denial, a stage of "oh crap, this is happening," then a stage of anger (this is often where the disastrous thinking lies), and finally - with the proper work - a comforting feeling of acceptance and proactive movement.
Are you dealing with disastrous thinking around the current situation or bodily pain/injury? Here are four exercises to help you get through it and come out on the other side feeling empowered.
Exercise 1: Awareness.
When clients first come to me, I have them go through an exercise where we answer five major questions about their pain. These questions, while they help improve body awareness, also help us to view our pain or our current limitation completely objectively and help us communicate that pain to someone that may be able to help us.
Go through a similar exercise with whatever current limitation you are facing that is disturbing you most: lack of space, disruption of routine, too much free time, etc.. Ask yourself "if I were to describe this limitation as clearly as possible to another person, what would I say?" Paint a VERY clear picture for yourself from a place of objectivity.
Exercise 2: Worst case scenario.
Now that we've defined our problem, let's think through the worst case scenario. What would happen if this problem never goes away or got as bad as it reasonably could? For example, if one of my clients has a shoulder injury, we might go through an exercise where we imagine that the shoulder injury never resolves. What would happen? They couldn't press overhead anymore...maybe they couldn't play the same sports they used to....maybe they couldn't pick up and play with their kids in the same way.
DO this for your current limitation.
NOW flip it and think of some possible solutions you could deploy if the worst case were to happen. For my client, maybe they couldn't press overhead anymore but we could get really good at pulling movements. Maybe they could find new creative games to play with their children. Maybe they could find value in something other than how strong their upper body is. Do this exercise for yourself.
Exercise 3: Alternative paths.
We've gotten the worst case scenario out of the way, and now it's time to think about what we are going to do with the limitation that we have right now. Write down the goal you were trying to accomplish before this limitation became troubling to you, and then brainstorm some alternate paths to get to that goal.
Maybe my client above (shoulder injury), had a goal of competing in a physique competition eventually. After some brainstorming, we could find a plethora of exercises that could aid in that process that didn't cause that client pain. They may not be as fun and they may not mimic what that person was doing previously, but they'll get them there. Maybe you have a goal of improving your health and now you don't have access to a gym. Maybe you set a step goal of 10,000 steps per day? Maybe you find a home workout program you can stick to? As your current limitation stands right now, what is your goal and how else can you think to get there?
Exercise 4: Take daily action.
You've now brainstormed a bunch of solutions to get around your limitation. Now do it! Every day, do something that brings you closer to your goal and reminds you that you CAN succeed, despite any pain or other limitation that is currently plagueing you. Perfection is not expected, but daily action is key.
Have a Pain-Free Day!