It’s been a rough couple of weeks. Illness has blindsided me and wiped me out. It’s been about nine months since I was properly ill, so for it to happen again so soon took me off guard. I think being isolated due to the pandemic has weakened my immune system. Regardless of why it’s thrown me off and begs the question of how to get back on track after a setback. It can be so frustrating when things get blown to the four winds. We do our best to set targets, stay focused and be productive. But with the best will in the world, life happens and we must adjust accordingly.
What happened
I got a cold. A real doozy! I know it maybe doesn’t sound like much, I know there are far worse things, but it was bad. After a weekend in bed, I managed to work, but every day I had no energy, no appetite, and no interest. By the end of the week, I was flat-out exhausted. I’m still not 100% but things are on the up. The severity of my symptoms and how quickly they took hold surprised me and I just had to go with it. And sometimes life is just like that. We just have to do our best with the situation we’re faced with.
What’s so frustrating?
So I had a cold. So what? It wasn’t actually the cold that frustrated me the most, although it was bad enough. It was being thrown off track with certain goals and regimens that I had set in place. If you’ve been reading my blogs for a while now, you may remember that I have been dealing with chronic pain in my leg for years now. It has been a painful and difficult journey of self-discovery and lessons learned. And I had finally found a routine that seemed to be working and setting me up for success. I’d found consistency and was managing well. Then along came illness and I was completely knocked off track. I had no energy to do anything except the bare minimum, never mind daily strengthening exercises. And as a result, my pain has spiraled and my leg has weakened again. It honestly sucks.
So what now?
Well, now I just need to get on with it and find my routine again. The emotional hit has been a challenge. Knowing I was on a good track and now I’m having to get back into it again is demoralising. But if I can do it once, I can do it again. How we get back on track is not actually important. What’s important is that we do. If it meant enough to us the first time, we can find that same drive the second time. I’m determined to be pain free and find freedom in movement, and it will not be easy, but I know it is possible.
How to get back on track
Here are a few pointers on how to get back on track after a setback.
Be patient with yourself.
Whether illness or circumstance has interrupted your steady progress, remember that you must be patient. Not everything happens on our timeline and often we need to wait for things to be right again before we take our next step forward.
Reaffirm with yourself why.
Often when we are knocked off track we can lose sight of our end goal. We feel sorry for ourselves, wallow in it for a while, and feel hard done by. That’s ok, it’s natural, but we mustn’t stay there. Refocus, reset and get going again.
Always look for the lesson.
In every situation in life, there are lessons to be learned. Assess your situation and ask yourself if there is anything you could do differently. Do you need help? Try it another way. Take preventative measures. Make more time for rest. Whatever it may be, learn from it.
Do what you can.
Sometimes we just need to take a backseat and do what we can. When we are set back by circumstance, it’s not always a complete stop, but a slowing down or a detour. In those moments we just need to do what we can with what we have.
Be kind.
Often, when we are set off track we can lose sight of what’s important. We are consumed by our disappointment and our mood can manifest poorly with those around us. Be aware of those around you, communicate well, and remember to always be kind. How we live our lives every day is a reflection of who we are. So in every circumstance, look for ways to be kind.
Keep a positive mental attitude.
This follows from the last tip. Kindness is a positive choice. When we choose to think positively and kindly towards ourselves and others, it manifests in our external world too. Not everything goes our way in life, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t meant to be. Look for the silver lining in every situation and remember to count your blessings.
It’s our choices
It is our choices each day that determine how it will go. When things don’t go how we had planned, we can choose to be negative and downcast, or we can think about how to get back on track. Make lemonade out of those lemons, learn from your mistakes, and remember why you were on that track in the first place.