When you’re soooo used to doing something, when it’s part of you, it becomes your DNA as you live and breath for it…… until it stops. Then what?
This was me. I identified with running so much. I thought about my next run, in between my runs, how I would improve, my next route – where I’d go and explore, my next race, the training, the nutrition, the soreness, the recovery…. and then go again …. Maybe it was the ‘runner’s high’ that I loved so much, or maybe it was the whole experience of running.
When you’re passionate about something, whether it’s running, cooking, art, travel, any other hobby, or other areas of your life like your kids/family, work etc …. and then for whatever reason it stops then what?
Well this is what happened for me … a series of recurring injuries, that no matter what I did to help it improve or go away…. nothing seemed to work, or so I thought. Until I took a deep breath, tuned in, (yet again) and listened to my body.
On my journey, from being diagnosed with MS (the discovery of 8 lesions on my brain) back to complete heath, through no medical intervention, I learnt to ‘tune in’ listen to my body’s needs and what it was telling me. You can read about my health journey in my book ‘Just Another 5km’
And for me, like always, when I tuned in ….. the answer came loud and clear …. REST …… do something different.
This to me, was words I din’t want to hear, as I remembered my Mum always used to describe me as ‘putting 48 hours into 24 and never wanting to sit still’ Well there’s SOOO much to do in life, right!?! Why sit still ….. you can do that when you die….. life is for living and exploring daily, right!?!
And then I heard again …. REST and REFLECT …. so that’s what I chose to do, reluctantly at first, although I did it nevertheless.
And I’m so glad I tuned in to my intuition, listened, reflected and acted upon the ‘messages’. Because life became clearer …. I was no longer ‘pushing’ from the outside, wanting to control how things happened, instead I was in a place of allowing, acceptance, letting things unfold ……
I started a new business that was more aligned for me. I got back into my writing, I trusted myself more …. and for the exercise, well I started to MOVE in a different way ….. rather than running I explored yoga – many different types, bushwalking, swimming, body strength exercises and gentle strolls in the local forest and around the neighbourhood.
It was definitely a period of ‘smelling the roses’, being present in the moment.
I took my focus off my injuries, the helplessness and annoyance I felt with not being able to run, and instead I looked at the alternatives of what I could do, and the abundance of options that surrounded me.
And if by magic, that time away from running, the self refection, the looking within, looking at things in flow from the ‘inside out’ rather than the constant external thinking – the push, the control ……. I’ve just recently been able to start running again injury free, taking baby steps agin, building up, running alternative days.
I enjoy it so much more now. I appreciate it again. I value my health and my body.
So what can you do differently today?
What have you been forcing, wanting to control from the outside?
What perspective can you now choose to take, if you take some time out for yourself, ‘tune in’ to your intuition, listen to your heart, the messages, reflect and then take aligned action moment by moment?
What would be different?
Who would you choose to be?
What would you choose to do?
And remember
Wish It … Dream It … Do It!
Sue xo
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