I'm still here. Still committed to the program.
The question to ponder for the day is related to exercise.
I can’t remember the last time I exercised. How is exercise defined again!? Can I count the 5 minutes of sit-dancing that I did last night as part of the online choir? I’m not sure if that counts but I certainly enjoyed doing that as part of a group online – it made me smile.
I perform stretches every morning for about 20 minutes – I guess that helps with keeping my muscles flexible.
Apart from that I went for a short, slow stroll to the corner shop about a week ago. I haven’t done any proper exercise since before March 2021 and even then, it was only once every 2-3 weeks. When I’m in the right frame of mind, and in little or no pain I enjoy exercise, although, in the back of my mind during exercise I'm still scared that the pain will start again or that the exercise will trigger pain. So I suppose exercise makes me feel anxious and scared and that’s why it is rare that I do it. I have had times where exercise has made me feel happy but those times were before the onset of my chronic pain problems, with no fear and no worries. I miss those times.
As part of today's activities, I also had to note down three traumatic events that have happened to me in the past. Three major, life changing events were noted - one when I was aged 22 (I found out I had four siblings I never knew about), a second when I was aged 23 (I don't want to go into details of this issue) and a third when I was aged 24 (my father died); I also gave birth to my daughter when I was 24 (not a traumatic event but still a big change in my life). These events were not insignificant and I realised they all happened within a short space of time. It's interesting that my pain started when I was 26.....not long after the previously mentioned three events. During my 25th year I also had a serious health scare (I had some pre-cancerous cells detected) for which I had to undergo painful, invasive treatment and during my 26th year I also had another major on-going stressful issue with my partner (my daughters father) which ultimately led to me leaving him when I was aged 27 and I have been a single parent ever since.
Reflecting on these events has led me to conclude that my twentieth decade was one which I would not want to return to and certainly were not the happiest years of my life. To say these were bad years would be an understatement!
The question to ponder for the day is related to exercise.
I can’t remember the last time I exercised. How is exercise defined again!? Can I count the 5 minutes of sit-dancing that I did last night as part of the online choir? I’m not sure if that counts but I certainly enjoyed doing that as part of a group online – it made me smile.
I perform stretches every morning for about 20 minutes – I guess that helps with keeping my muscles flexible.
Apart from that I went for a short, slow stroll to the corner shop about a week ago. I haven’t done any proper exercise since before March 2021 and even then, it was only once every 2-3 weeks. When I’m in the right frame of mind, and in little or no pain I enjoy exercise, although, in the back of my mind during exercise I'm still scared that the pain will start again or that the exercise will trigger pain. So I suppose exercise makes me feel anxious and scared and that’s why it is rare that I do it. I have had times where exercise has made me feel happy but those times were before the onset of my chronic pain problems, with no fear and no worries. I miss those times.
As part of today's activities, I also had to note down three traumatic events that have happened to me in the past. Three major, life changing events were noted - one when I was aged 22 (I found out I had four siblings I never knew about), a second when I was aged 23 (I don't want to go into details of this issue) and a third when I was aged 24 (my father died); I also gave birth to my daughter when I was 24 (not a traumatic event but still a big change in my life). These events were not insignificant and I realised they all happened within a short space of time. It's interesting that my pain started when I was 26.....not long after the previously mentioned three events. During my 25th year I also had a serious health scare (I had some pre-cancerous cells detected) for which I had to undergo painful, invasive treatment and during my 26th year I also had another major on-going stressful issue with my partner (my daughters father) which ultimately led to me leaving him when I was aged 27 and I have been a single parent ever since.
Reflecting on these events has led me to conclude that my twentieth decade was one which I would not want to return to and certainly were not the happiest years of my life. To say these were bad years would be an understatement!