I love Annie Lennox's view on challenges we face! Yes...I am still not able to run, which has been frustrating as hell, but I am trying to put things in perspective in order to keep from falling into the hole of sadness and self-pity that I have found myself in over the last couple weeks. My spirits are higher this week for sure, but that doesn't mean that I am where I would like to be where it concerns my attitude. I have been looking for inspiration, for a way to get back my positivity, and this week I came across some inspiration to move me in the right direction.
To be proactive about healing my knee, I made an appointment with my doctor in hopes of getting an MRI to obtain a definitive answer about whether my knee is better of worse than what is going on in my head. In order to get the soonest appointment, I chose to go to a different physician than my usual. Luckily, this doctor was just what I needed. She was thorough, and when I asked her if she was going to tell me not to run anymore, her response was exactly the message I needed to hear. She shared that as she looked at my chart she could see that I had once been categorized as OBESE. I knew this was true, but I sometimes forget how far I have come over the last six years. She told me that in order to ensure that I never move back into the obese category again, she wanted to do everything she could to get me back to what I loved. She shared something that wasn't new to me, but what is truly important in changing your life. To maintain a healthy lifestyle, you have to love what you do! If you find your diet unsatisfying, or your exercise a monotonous chore you have to do, the new lifestyle will be difficult to maintain.
This doctor fast-tracked my path to an orthopedist by not forcing me to do the required three-weeks of physical therapy, but no MRI yet. So while I am moving forward, there is no specific reason for the knee pain nor time-frame for when I get get back out there.
While I have overcome the weight loss odds by not having gained all my weight back and more, I don't feel like anything I have done through this process has been brave. I think I can be strong, I am persistent, and at times I have been able to inspire others to make changes in their lives, but none of this is brave. Today I came across two very brave people who have once again inspired me, and helped me to put my current situation into a reasonable perspective. I want to share these two people's story stories in hopes that you too will find them inspirational, because bravery abounds with these two individuals.
Lately, the subject of mental illness has been in the news for various reasons. The fact is that people with mental illnesses feel ashamed, feel isolated, and they usually don't share their stories for fear that others will judge them. Today my friend's daughter Jordan shared her journey with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Jordan is a beautiful young girl who has been afflicted with this challenge since the age of fifteen. Not only is her story inspiring, but her bravery in sharing her journey, despite possibly having others view her in a different and possibly judgmental way, brings strength to a new level. Please share her story with anyone you know who is having difficulty pulling themselves out of the grips of depression or other mental illnesses. Hope Diaries--Jordan's Story
The final story I want to share is a little closer to my journey, because it concerns how we feel about our bodies. While being obese does not compare to having a mental illness, the shame and isolation we can feel is very similar. I have no personal connection to Matt Diaz, except that I have had similar feelings about my body. Matt lost almost 300 pounds over the years, and if you were to see him in clothes, you would not have any idea what was underneath the fabric. Like me, Matt finds ways to hide those imperfections. This video is so brave, because he takes off the cover and shows all his imperfections to the world. Like Jordan, he faces criticism, judgement, and people leaving nasty, unkind comments. For some reason, people seem to think that they can hide behind social media and leave harsh comments, and still, Matt shared his story. Matt Diaz Video
Sorry about last week's dive into self-pity, anger, and unhappiness. I don't find myself there very often, but since this blog is my arena to get my thoughts and feelings out, I needed to go there last week. I hope this week's blog is a little more of what you are used to getting from me. Be kind to yourself by remembering how far you have come on your journey, and don't be ashamed to share your experiences with others. You never know who you might be inspiring to make positive changes because of what you share.
To be proactive about healing my knee, I made an appointment with my doctor in hopes of getting an MRI to obtain a definitive answer about whether my knee is better of worse than what is going on in my head. In order to get the soonest appointment, I chose to go to a different physician than my usual. Luckily, this doctor was just what I needed. She was thorough, and when I asked her if she was going to tell me not to run anymore, her response was exactly the message I needed to hear. She shared that as she looked at my chart she could see that I had once been categorized as OBESE. I knew this was true, but I sometimes forget how far I have come over the last six years. She told me that in order to ensure that I never move back into the obese category again, she wanted to do everything she could to get me back to what I loved. She shared something that wasn't new to me, but what is truly important in changing your life. To maintain a healthy lifestyle, you have to love what you do! If you find your diet unsatisfying, or your exercise a monotonous chore you have to do, the new lifestyle will be difficult to maintain.
This doctor fast-tracked my path to an orthopedist by not forcing me to do the required three-weeks of physical therapy, but no MRI yet. So while I am moving forward, there is no specific reason for the knee pain nor time-frame for when I get get back out there.
While I have overcome the weight loss odds by not having gained all my weight back and more, I don't feel like anything I have done through this process has been brave. I think I can be strong, I am persistent, and at times I have been able to inspire others to make changes in their lives, but none of this is brave. Today I came across two very brave people who have once again inspired me, and helped me to put my current situation into a reasonable perspective. I want to share these two people's story stories in hopes that you too will find them inspirational, because bravery abounds with these two individuals.
Lately, the subject of mental illness has been in the news for various reasons. The fact is that people with mental illnesses feel ashamed, feel isolated, and they usually don't share their stories for fear that others will judge them. Today my friend's daughter Jordan shared her journey with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). Jordan is a beautiful young girl who has been afflicted with this challenge since the age of fifteen. Not only is her story inspiring, but her bravery in sharing her journey, despite possibly having others view her in a different and possibly judgmental way, brings strength to a new level. Please share her story with anyone you know who is having difficulty pulling themselves out of the grips of depression or other mental illnesses. Hope Diaries--Jordan's Story
The final story I want to share is a little closer to my journey, because it concerns how we feel about our bodies. While being obese does not compare to having a mental illness, the shame and isolation we can feel is very similar. I have no personal connection to Matt Diaz, except that I have had similar feelings about my body. Matt lost almost 300 pounds over the years, and if you were to see him in clothes, you would not have any idea what was underneath the fabric. Like me, Matt finds ways to hide those imperfections. This video is so brave, because he takes off the cover and shows all his imperfections to the world. Like Jordan, he faces criticism, judgement, and people leaving nasty, unkind comments. For some reason, people seem to think that they can hide behind social media and leave harsh comments, and still, Matt shared his story. Matt Diaz Video
Sorry about last week's dive into self-pity, anger, and unhappiness. I don't find myself there very often, but since this blog is my arena to get my thoughts and feelings out, I needed to go there last week. I hope this week's blog is a little more of what you are used to getting from me. Be kind to yourself by remembering how far you have come on your journey, and don't be ashamed to share your experiences with others. You never know who you might be inspiring to make positive changes because of what you share.
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