The Importance of Healing

My husband and I have had three main goals for our judo adventure around the world: 

1. Learn as much as possible
2. Explore a lot
3. Do not get hurt

On Monday I was beyond excited to be training at a top university in Japan.  The class was everything that I had hoped it to be- filled with lots of talented women, focused on technique, personalized, and filled with lots of live fighting.  It was one of my favorite practices of the trip  thus far.  Until awkward positioning and a rough follow through ended in a bad fall and a crunching sound.  I knew immediately that I had broken our 3rd rule as shooting pain erupted through my body.  
Any athlete knows the agony of having an injury.  All you want to do is get back at your sport- the aching is a reminder of what you are unable to do.  It plagues your mind.  Its similar to when you are a committed employee and you get sick- that presentation, report, and lingering to-do list haunts you as you are stuck in bed to mend.  
As I was taken to the university doctor for evaluation all I could do was feel sorry for myself.  Thinking of the practices I will miss.  The opportunities for improvements lost.  The worry about how long this will put me out.   The self pity machine ran heavy as the doctor twisted, poked, and prodded to determine the source and magnitude of the injury.  As an athlete this sense of anger towards being injured is natural - it comes with a deep sense of sadness and helplessness because you are being held back from what you need to do.

But I am older for an athlete.
I am not stubborn and I refuse to run back to the gym prior to healing.
I know injuries and illness are a part of life.
And I am not someone who allows for much sulking.  

Here's my go to "how to survive an injury/illness" guide:

All braced up, exploring Tokyo with Friends.  
Healing up & Enjoying Life!

1. It is OK to have self pity.  But only for a short time.  If you cling to this, you will miss the opportunity this injury or illness is providing you.  Being stuck in a cycle of 'woe is me' only takes away from you potentially gaining some big wins while sidelined.  So stop with the pity party a quick as possible and embrace some of #2 & #3.
2. Have faith in the bigger picture.  I am a big proponent of the idea that everything happens for a reason.  I embrace that sometimes crappy things occur in life and its always better to focus on whats good than bad.  For myself this time off the mat means that I finally am giving my body the time to heal all its minor aches, sprains, broken & dislocated fingers, and twists.   As much as it stinks to be sidelined, by having faith this is necessary for my body and soul -that I needed this time off- it puts my brain and body in a much better position to heal properly, fully, and happily.  People tend to forget that the body needs sleep, rest and recovery to perform at 100%.
3. Embrace that there are other things you can do despite being "sidelined".  For me this means I have the opportunity to spend more time watching videos, doing mental training,  footwork drills, inventorying areas to focus on when I return to the mat, and reviewing personal areas that I was neglecting due to training.  If you injure your upper body, get those legs to work - if your lower body is in peril, time for pull ups!   When I had ACL surgery, my arms were stronger than ever and when I had mono I got to catch up on books-on-tape that I was dying to listen to (yay mental growth!).  In terms of being ill from work this could mean you have the some time to make a real to-do list of what matters,  email filtering, or just to step away to have uninterrupted-outside-the-box thinking time. Be creative!   Just because you may not be able to perform 100% does not mean there aren't ways to improve your game.  Talk to others who have been in your position as they may have come up with some great ways to grow while in your situation.  Being down is not the same as being out.
4. Learn the lesson of self care.  Your body is a temple and in the rush of the day it is easy to neglect to care for it as you should.  When forced to sit out this is a great time to remember to fill yourself with nutritious foods, to overdose on vitamins, to get massaged, stretch, ice, heat, elevate, enjoy blankets, sleep, and breathe deeply.  We only get one body to live in.  So as easy as it is to rush back to work or into the gym, if we do so too soon without proper recovery we could be setting ourselves up for long term ailments and injuries.  Remember the long game.  You have 1 body - rushing to the office too soon may lead to an elongated illness and rushing back to your sport could lead to a lifetime with a tweaked knee/shoulder/limp.  Take care of yourself.  In the scheme of things this is what truly matters.
5. Remember other things you love.  This includes people.  If your ailment is longer lasting, the recovery being filled with positive mentality is harder.  This is when it is super important to focus on things in life that bring you gratitude, happiness, and lift your spirits.  The more you surround yourself with things you enjoy, daily activities that make you smile, and people that support you - the easier it will be to maintain a positive attitude about healing and recovery.
   

The above being said, I have been working my butt off at self care, committing 100% to it and am feeling better daily and because of this, I will likely be back on the mat earlier than the doctors anticipated!  The fact that I only let myself sulk for an hour or so allowed me to spend most of my time committed to being better than ever.

Take care of yourself.   Listen to your body.  Be creative when you are down.  Be positive.
Then get back at it- stronger, more focused, more gratuitous, and more empowered than ever.