(Note: For more great articles and advice from Sixty and Me, go to http://sixtyandme.com.)
My knee hurts. I don’t know what I did in dance class last night,
what awkward move I made to stress the darn thing, but bottom line is –
it hurts.
As I tape it up before going to sleep, I grumble about it, which, of
course, does no good whatsoever. I wake up in a foul mood, trudge down
the stairs with a slight limp, still grousing.
But when I sit with my morning cup of tea, seeing the brightness of a
new day, hearing the birds sing, I shake myself. What am I doing? I
know better than to be complaining, moaning, and groaning.
I know, from umpteen studies and scientific research, that what we
think has almost immediate impact on how we feel, how our bodies
function. And the worst possible thing I can do, relative to my knee, is
feed my body pessimistic thoughts.
How You View Your Injury Impacts How Fast You Heal
A recent
study
done specifically on 60-and-older individuals found that how people
think about their aches and pains shows up in how quickly and well they
heal – or don’t.
Those
who think pessimistically tend to experience decreased mobility and
greater likelihood of more disabilities. Those who think optimistically
experience better mobility and a decreased likelihood of further
disabilities. What you think, matters.
Ann McGowan
is a stellar example of one who thinks optimistically about her aches
and pains. A National Senior Games champion, who at 93 won a silver
medal for the long jump and a bronze medal for shot put and discus, Ann
persevered despite her back surgery and a recent mastectomy.
She sees no reason to stop doing what she has enjoyed for over 40
years. Had Ann thought that back surgery or a mastectomy were permanent
obstacles or that they spelled the end of the sports road for her, she
would never have gone on to win these – and many other- – medals.
But most importantly, she would have needlessly deprived herself of her passion.
How can we think optimistically about our aches and pains? Here are two easy ways:
#1: Temporary or Permanent Injury?
Let’s take my knee as an example. Is it a temporary or permanent injury? I can look at it either way.
I can say to myself, “Well, it’s not the first time I’ve done
something unfortunate in class, or stumbled, or tripped, or in some
other way hurt my knee. I’ve always recovered. It may take more or less
time, but when I do the things I know to do – physical therapy, tape my
knees, use ointments, take it easy, stretch more – my knee heals.”
Or,
I can say to myself, “Well, so much for dance class. That’s over. I
can’t dance with a bum knee, that’s for sure. It’s my own darn fault,
trying to do things older people shouldn’t even consider.”
With that, I don’t do any of the healing things I would have if I had
looked at my knee as a temporary hurt. I accept the permanence of the
hurt, and with that, my body gets this message: “Don’t bother trying to
heal. We’re done.”
Thinking optimistically about aches and pains is to think of them as
temporary, not permanent. Just like a child who falls down and skins her
knee doesn’t think of the injury as permanent. She simply gets up and
keeps on going. Kids know – we know – the body heals.
#2: Bump in the Road, or the Whole Road?
I can look at my knee and think, “Well now, that was interesting.
Fortunately, I have another knee, plus the rest of my body that’s doing
pretty OK. Maybe I can work with my dance instructor, so we don’t stress
my knee while it’s healing, put some emphasis on the other things I
need to learn.”
And with that thought, I’ve categorized my knee injury as simply a
bump in my dance road, not the definitive end to that particular
journey.
Or, I can think, “Oh, no! I’m over 60, it’s all downhill from here.
My knee is the first to go, next it’ll be a hip – or two,” and that’s
it. I don’t expend any thought, effort, or energy in actually helping my
knee heal, I abandon it – literally.
My body, obedient servant to my mind, responds with, “As you wish,”
and sure enough, I would lose more mobility and be prone to further
disabilities as the above study showed.
Don’t let your aches and pains turn into permanent misery or put a
stop to whatever it is that you love doing. Think of them as temporary, a
mere bump in the road, and you’ll be back on your happy way soon
enough.
What kind of injuries have you experienced that took a long
time to heal? What motivation techniques worked for you to get back on
your feet after an injury? Have you had to readjust your life after an
injury? How did that affect you? Let’s discuss the things we do to
adjust when healing from an injury.
