How Moving Saved Me!

How Moving Saved Me!
(and helps me deal with trauma)

As humans we are designed to move – just not all the time! Occasionally we need to rest & recover. This R & R phase can be by choice, or as a result of a trauma.

If you’re CHOOSING to rest, then likely it’s because you recognise that you’re tired and your body just needs some time out. It might be that you’ve been unwell, busier than usual, or simply that you know what you need!

A quick search defines Trauma as “when we experience very stressful, frightening, or distressing events that are difficult to cope with or out of our control. It could be a one-off incident, or something ongoing that happens over a long period of time”. I think this definition is spot on.

When I talk to my clients, often they haven’t recognised something as “trauma” simply because they weren’t injured, or it wasn’t something that happened TO them.

Trauma is anything that affects us in a negative way. From something quite mild, to something bigger than we have ever experienced in our life. There are many ways to help us deal with & recover from trauma. From counselling, group therapy, physical therapy, rest, movement, withdrawing, and probably loads more that I haven’t mentioned.

My approach goes something like this (and this is also how I encourage my clients to address anything traumatic):

• ACCEPTANCE. Find the space to accept that this has happened. Don’t have to like it, just acknowledge it is there.
• UNDERSTANDING. Knowledge is power, so understanding this thing is really important. The web is great for getting a broad perspective on something. Ask around your trusted people & see if anyone else has experience this.
• OWN IT. Choose to be in charge of dealing with/to, and your recovery from.
• TOOLS. What do you need to help you get through? What assistance is out there that you can access? Where can you go for more information? Check out your own skills – what can you already do that may help?
• GOAL. Create a vision of what your (new) future might look like. From a list, vision board, post-its etc. Have something you can see EVERY DAY that will remind you of why you are on this journey.
• PLAN. Put a timeframe on some of your goals. Be aware that it may take longer than you want to achieve them. Be prepared to change the timeline at any stage.
• ACTIONS. This is where you take the First Step towards recovery. There may be limitations on what you can physically do (eg if you have a broken bone, or a debilitating illness) so be mindful of your scope.
• OUTCOMES. These will change as you progress through your plan. As you recover, it is likely that you will make both small & large steps forward. There may be times when you feel like you’re stepping backwards. Your Mental Health might suffer. Physically you may find there are more niggles or symptoms that evolve (I call this the “whack-a-mole syndrome”!).
• REVIEW. At every step it’s important to review your progress. Return to the ACCEPTANCE step if you start to feel you’re not doing so well. Re-set the goals & plan. Start over if you need to.
• ACKNOWLEDGE. This is where you look at ALL the things that have worked so far. Pat yourself on the back & reward for any achievements.
• MOVE FORWARD. This happens when you’re pretty much back to “normal”. You may still have a few things to work on, there may be a change in the way you can do stuff. MINDSET plays a huge role at this point (as it does across the whole process). When you look normal & recovered, there’s a societal expectation that your are back to your old self. Often this is far from the truth

So here’s why MOVING helped me heal.

I’ve talked about 2022 being my year of “hell-th”. I started the year fatigued, and fatigue was something that had plagued me for some time. I tend to burn out frequently and often don’t realise I’m heading there!

The sequence of events:

• January 2022 = broken left wrist (colles fracture)
• June 2022 = mystery virus that mimicked covid, but wasn’t
• September 2022 = covid and long-cv followed
• December 2022 = broken left humerus near shoulder

I took this as a sign that the messages from the universe hadn’t been clear, so in Dec ’22 I was completely stopped. With my arm in a sling to keep traction on the broken bone, doing anything was a major undertaking. This was a week before Christmas and I had a number of gift packs to send out, some shopping to do, had to cancel bookings and change our plans for the 25th.

For the first few weeks I accepted my fate and made the best of the situation. I could barely get out of bed, couldn’t get dressed without help & taking a shower was hopeless. Here in NZ we have ACC so despite not being able to sit & type for long, I managed to order myself a shower stool, clothing picker-uppers, and a long-handled sponge to wash my back! All of those things arrived within 2 days. That shower stool was a total game changer.

My new normal had arrived (for the 4th time that year) and I slowly started to be able to do some normal things. I could make my morning coffee (essential), shower & dress myself (ok so it took about 1.5 hours & required a couple of rest but I was doing it).

I felt like my body needed to move. I’m usually a very active person, so to be totally stopped did not go well with me. I tried walking and fortunately because it was Summer I could put scuffs on & go for a wander. NOT a great idea as every step jarred my arm! So I shuffled my way around my block (about 600m) a couple of times a day & felt grateful I could do that.

Then I started walking with the dog. Again not such a great idea at first.

With one functional arm, and a wriggly erratic foxy I’m sure you can imagine how hard it was to go anywhere. As for picking up her wee poops, well yeah I hadn’t thought about THAT when I started out. It got better over time & I figured out yet more new ways of being able to do this.
Driving was out of the question, so it was either get a taxi (easiest & quickest) or walk. Given that I couldn’t do much by way of work (couldn’t sit upright at my desk, or lean my arm on the desk to even type with my good arm), walking became my salvation. One day I even walked home from the hospital (around 5km) – and I had a BIG rest when I arrived home!

My foam roller was in regular use. I would bumble my way onto the floor, and try to roll my back etc as much as I could. I also incorporated some crunches & stretches that didn’t irritate the broken limb. Over time the pain eased and I started to be able to do more.

I had a great Physio and she had me doing some really simple exercises. I did these diligently 2-4 times per day. I started to see some big gains in my arm & shoulder, quickly followed by pain & new restrictions. 3 steps forward, 2.5 steps back.

I was told I would probably never have full movement in the arm. Bollocks to that!

I can now do almost everything I have ever done. With the wrist injury not setting properly, I am left with some very minor restrictions. I have ongoing nerve issues in the arm & hand, that I am continuing to work on & refuse to accept that this will be forever.

I hit a mental health rock bottom mid-2023. I gained about 6kg of fat. I lost so much muscle mass it’s ridiculous. I was not prepared for how quickly my strength would disappear, and muscles go flabby ☹. I know how hard it is to just get up every day & keep going. I struggled to get back to a full work day. My new normal is now different.

I kept moving. I signed up to walk 1200km in 2024. I got back on my bike in July 2023. I did an 80km gravel fondo in November. Then plummeted again. I’m continuing to walk, jog occasionally, and try to get an outside ride in at least once a week. I’m ok if I don’t achieve all of those things every week. I review regularly.

Walking is the thing that keeps me going. I’m now walking faster, am fitter, can walk up hills more comfortably. I can get my arm into & out of my backpack straps. I can take my dog with me almost everywhere I walk. It’s fun. I am grateful to have Te Awa Kairangi so close to home

My new goal is to be fit & strong by the end of 2024. I want to do the long rides I used to do before all this happened. I’m continuing to work on Mindset & Motivation. I’m focused on growing my business and supporting my clients better.

No matter what type of person you are, there are always choices to be made by yourself, for yourself. Do the best you can. Keep Moving!

Thanks for reading 😊

Trauma, Injury, Recovery, Movement