Hitting the Wall (when it's a struggle)

My last post was about some of the hip exercises I did prior to having hip surgery. Today marks 4 weeks post surgery so I want to follow up a little today. First of all, let me say I am doing great. I was strong going into the surgery and I think that was a huge factor and feel as if I am moving around and moving forward really well.That being said I am coming completely clean with you. I have hit the struggle wall. Before I go any further, let me preface by saying I know recovering from surgery is not life threatening, in my case not a traumatic event, and could be much worse. I know these things so am not having a pity party (you know I've had those and have shared alllll about that) and don't want to come across whiney. I also don't want to come across with "toxic positivity" which is a new buzz word for the dark side of the "positive vibes only" mantras. While I honestly do strive to be positive and use my mind to overcome many things, I am also realistic.We all hit the wall at some point, whether recovering from an injury, surgery, illness, or any of the other events that can put us in a funk. This particular struggle wall is basically from four things:

Lack of Exercise. I exercise for many reasons. First of all, I actually do love it. I love to sweat. I love the endorphins, the stress relief, the way it makes me feel physically and mentally. Of course, I am human and there are absolutely days when I might not be feeling it, but all in, it is typically just part of my day. It is not only working out I miss, I also miss just the normal every day exercise from walking my dogs, taking the stairs, going to the mailbox, the moving around that we often take for granted. Our bodies were made to move and my body is definitely missing out.
Confinement. I must say I am pretty bored with myself. The four walls of my home have become pretty small. Last week I was able to go downstairs to ride my bike for 10 minutes. Can I tell you how happy I was to simply be in another area of the house? I am not saying I have not been out at all. I have had a couple of field trips . . .I go to physical therapy and I've actually been out to dinner (with Fred and Wilma, my trusty crutches in tow) twice. Those are definite TREATS!
Asking for Help. This has been the hardest during the past four weeks. I tend to think of myself as fairly independent. And right now I am largely dependent. I have two dogs that need to go outside. For walks. To take care of their business. That's just how Mother Nature works, and, unfortunately, I do not have a yard for the poor critters. Asking friends to come walk your dogs while you recover is not something I ever thought of asking. And driving. I have been depending on others to get to physical therapy. What a privilege driving is, right? How quickly we forget that! I hate being an inconvenience and a needy friend. Ugh. But I will say I am learning to receive.
Feeling Frumpy. I wasn't going to go here, but while writing, it just began flowing. Back to No. 1 above, I haven't been exercising, and before the surgery I had been limited to what I could do since around September. Sooooo, needless to say, I can tell the difference in my body. While I know weight management is 90 percent diet, I can still tell the difference the past few months have made. It makes me feel frumpy. And I don't really like it. There, I said it. I admit that not feeling at the top of my game physically also affects me mentally. While I have been cooped up I have tried to be really mindful of what I am eating and when and why. Making good choices and not eating out of boredom have been my main goals. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose. I am continuing to work on this aspect of things, as well as appreciating what I have, getting stronger, recovering, remembering to be realistic, and that beating myself up isn't really a good motivator for anything.

These are my particular struggle walls right now. They aren't dire and are not permanent. I know this is temporary, which is something I often tell myself and my boys when things are low. And it always rings true.There you go, just thought I'd share a little what was going on during the recovery, in these confined walls, while I limp around, feeling frumpy and continue to be that needy friend. . . .totally kidding.I hope I'm giving you some light and permission if (or when) you hit a wall, not to beat yourself against it, but to realise where the struggle is coming from. Recognizing the source helps you address it and find a way over the wall. Most are not permanent, and where that is the case, then I hope you can appreciate that the situation is temporary. That's a great place for us to focus.*By the way, I decided to google images of crutches and found this photo of Maggie Nolting who ran a half marathon on crutches. Who am I to complain?