I’m back!

I am back in the office after a month-long sabbatical for elective surgery. I seem to be here with all the necessary components…mind, body, spirit. Recovery is a great time to open your mind to new things.  Everyone’s healing and learning curve will be different, of course. These are the highlights of my experience.

1.  Guided imagery works. It really helped settle my nerves and kept me from being incredibly annoyed that my surgery, scheduled for 11:20 a.m. didn’t happen until 4:00 p.m. Without some soothing mental trips to the north woods I would have been out of the bed and down the hall making hurry-up noises to folks who couldn’t do anything about the problem but will be caring for me as needed. Taking myself on a mental journey to a peaceful campsite removed the sounds and smells of the pre-op holding area and let in the tangy smell of a wood fire and ‘smores. A  far more effective use of my energy.

2.  If you approach a bad situation with humor instead of anger you won’t be as stressed, the people helping you won’t get as snippy, and what has to be done gets done more quickly. Much research has been done about humor and healing. Here are three of my favorite conclusions:

Laughter dissolves distressing emotions. You can’t feel anxious, angry, or sad when you’re laughing.
Laughter helps you relax and recharge. It reduces stress and increases energy, enabling you to stay focused and accomplish more.
Humor shifts perspective, allowing you to see situations in a more realistic, less threatening light. A humorous perspective creates psychological distance, which can help you avoid feeling overwhelmed.

From http://www.helpguide.org/articles/emotional-health/laughter-is-the-best-medicine.htm on August 31, 2015.

3.  Just wishing does not restore your energy level to that of a 18 year-old. I was discouraged until I remembered it was up to me to take responsibility for building up my energy. I chatted with my medical provider and devised a plan that works for me. Then I implemented it and found that, low and behold, my energy level was increasing. Anyone else remember Chicken Fat, the exercise routine mailed to every school in the nation way back when Kennedy was president?

4.  Going to coach football with your third and fourth grade team on a hot and very humid day is not a good way to test your resilience. It felt great to reconnect with my players
and the other two coaches. Thank goodness I had enough sense to bring tons of water and to admit that I needed to sit down every once in a while. Next week I plan to wear more appropriate clothing (it is frequently hot and humid in Minnesota during August) and try not to run up and down the field every time they get the ball.

So, what have I learned?  Use guided imagery when you need to step away from stress; laugh often, particularly at yourself; step up and take responsibility to restore your energy to pre-surgical levels (or to increase your energy at any time); and don’t let wishful thinking push you to do too much too soon.

Keeping checking our blog. We will be posting one or two new articles a week.