Sunday, July 3, 2016

Time out for clarity.

Sometimes it is good to have a little time out, some "you time", in order to see things with the clarity they deserve.
Recently I have been a little blinkered by projects and other goings on, and have missed some things which deserved a little better attention. Diving head first into things at work, as well as other projects in the community, I have lost my mind in there somewhere. Over this weekend I have reclaimed my rights as an individual, and started to look after myself again.

Now you may think that with all the cycling, running, and events, I think quite enough about myself already, and to be fair you would probably be right, to a degree at least. There is a lot more to life than just beating the hell out of yourself day in, day out. Then of course there is the toll that has possibly taken on me too, and its impact on my day to day life.

Namely the back issues I am having. Following a second week with the chiropractor, I would love to say all is well, but painkillers still play an important role in my daily routine. Taking them at timed intervals rather than once it gets too bad, I keep the worst of it away. But trying to remain interested and active with all that going on has proven quite the challenge. A challenge which I have failed in so far. Failed might be a bit of a harsh word to use I guess, there is a lot of pain and discomfort involved. So avoiding antagonising it is probably a good thing.

At the end of the second week of treatment the Chiropractor said she feels we are making progress, but there is a long way to go yet. To some that might feel like I am being strung along, but being along for the ride tells me otherwise. Yes the level of discomfort is higher from time to time. But I quite happily believe that this is due to movement being regained in the joints, and everything releasing then spasaming again. For now, I am going with the flow, and hope to see some improvement in the coming month.

Of course there is also the 100 mile bike ride coming up at the end of this month too now, which for the main part I am not bothered by. I still believe cycling is not one of the major triggers for my back, if anything it helps it a bit. So that isn't a worry, for now.  There is also the lack of activity over recent weeks, which does indeed have a negative effect. I imagine my running is terrible night now, and even my walking has taken a beating. Needless to say I have gained some weight, which I am not happy with. Mainly due to my junk food binges to make myself feel "better"

Anyway, that is the physical side of things for me, then of course there is the mental.
For the first time in ages I feel like I have regained some control over my life. Not quite sure where that has come from. Just confidence to be my own man. Maybe it is a summer thing where all the things inside the body fire back up again and start to give you confidence and motivation. Maybe it is a combo of the meds, could even be the rest from the rushing around everyday. Maybe that is it, I have over done it?

Whatever the case, when I get back into living my life properly again, there is room for adjustment. Take it a bit easier on myself physically, and mentally.
The next week will be a telling time for me, seeing how my physical and mental state progress from now. Still in a relaxed state, not overdoing it or even coming close. Steps are down to a few thousand a day right now. Trying to go easy on my body. Thoughts are limited as distractions are good for me right now. In fact all feels well in Michaels World.

Bit of a weird entry, sorry about that, but needed to put my thoughts into words.

2 comments:

  1. Wishing you well on your recovery from these back problems, mate. You know how I feel about chiropractic, but whatever works for you is all that matters. To have pain gnawing at your psyche for months on end must get you down both physically and mentally. I can barely imagine how it feels. But just want you to know that there's a whole bunch of us looking forward to seeing more of you when you've recovered from this tough time, and wishing you the best. Always up for joining you on a cycle ride or a run, or a junk food binge. Whatever you want to do! :-)

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