Sharing personal stuff is not easy for me, and yet I am summoning the courage to do so today.

The fact is: I’m hurting.
A lot.

The past few months have been a painful roller-coaster ride for me.

Last November I injured my lower back.

Now, if you’ve experienced your lower back ‘click’, you know how painful it can be. I believe, it’s one of the most common injuries, but most people recover in a few days.

But for me, it’s been 10 slow, painful months, to simply start feeling confident enough to move around a little more ‘normally’.

Are you wondering why?

Well, there are a couple of reasons, actually.

One, as per my MRI report I’ve got a disc bulge, tear, and some spinal degeneration.
(Talk about getting old…eye roll…. )

Two, I suffer from Fibromyalgia (a chronic pain disorder in which painful sensations are amplified, affecting the way your brain processes pain signals).

You see, when you have fibromyalgia, being in pain 24/7 just becomes a way of life.
That is the new normal, so to say. You just accept pain to be your constant companion.
And having a less painful day feels heavenly!

But then, add-in a lower back injury like the one I had and it can take its toll on you.
And it did.

I was close to bedridden for a month or so at first. My mobility was severely restricted and the pain was excruciating!

I could barely sit or stand, so everything from working, driving to cooking was hard. There was certainly a lot of pain-killer popping (something I hate to do), rounds of physiotherapy and acupuncture and of course  the ‘why-me?’ moments of self-pity!

So as you can guess, I was eating poorly, barely moving (forget exercising) and hence putting on weight.

It has been an agonizing time.

But this painful ordeal has taught me some important lessons and I wish to share them here.

My intention is that in case you are going through challenging times of any sort, then you can feel less alone and feel empowered to make the best possible choices that are right for you.

1. Slow down and accept where you are at this moment.

Understand what your current state is: physically and mentally.
And then accept it.

There is no point in resisting or pushing yourself unnecessarily.

It will just drain you further.
Mentally I was fighting against my diagnosis, instead of accepting the truth; and it was only causing further agony.

Then, focus on healing yourself instead.
That is the only thing that can help you move forward.

 
2. Cry it out if you need to, but let go of the victim mentality.

I’ve had many such ‘crying my eyeballs out moments’ in the past few months.
I feared being bed-ridden.
I was angry at having to go through it all.
I was upset I wasn’t healing faster.

I felt guilt and shame at not functioning normally.
I was disappointed with myself for eating poorly and gaining weight.

But victimizing myself wasn’t serving me in the least.
It was just pulling me down more and more.

Shake it off!

 
3. Set boundaries.

Yes, I know it’s hard.
You are a parent, a spouse, a friend, a son/ daughter. Then there is work and many other responsibilities.

But it is important not to over-commit. Do what you can, and permit yourself to refuse things that will overburden you.

Nothing supersedes your own physical and mental wellbeing.

You can never pour from an empty cup.

 
4. Don’t quit. Stick with your vision for the future.

Have a vision for your future and let it be your guiding light through challenging times.

I wanted to get better, so I could serve my clients full time and wholeheartedly.
That is my driving force, my passionate mission- as it fulfills my soul and my mind.

One of the things that helped me keep my sanity through the pain and despair, was the fact that I was still consulting and helping my clients on their journey to be healthier.

 
5. Continue to do the things you love.

There is nothing more exhilarating and satisfying than doing what you love. And for me, it’s dancing. I t is what brings me real joy. It’s my form of meditation.

When the diagnosis came, I feared that I’ll never able to dance again.
it broke my heart when I could not continue my dance classes initially. (I’m learning Indian classical dancing).

So after 4-5 months I decided to go back for my lessons, even though I was in pain.
Sometimes, I would just sit and watch my classmates learning, or I’d do a few hand movements while sitting.

Just that simple act uplifted me and energized me.

Slowly I was able to do more.
And last week I even performed at the Namaste Canada show organized by the Indian Consulate General at the Surrey Arts Center.

It wasn’t my best performance. But I was determined not to quit.

 
Long story short, as Self-Mastery Coach Jesse Edler puts it, I’ve learned that…..
Sometimes you must be broken open in order to make way for growth.

No matter how hard it is…remember that it is an opportunity to better know yourself.

And no matter how it hurts…take solace in the fact that you will emerge from the other side of this experience as more fully expressed version of yourself.
Remember, your life and health are shaped by you.
Take charge.

Love

Tanuja

*P.S- If you’d like to dive deeper and eliminate your symptoms like sugar cravings, lack of energy,  indigestion, IBS, constipation, diarrhea; I invite you to take advantage of a Complimentary Living a Symptom-Free Life Coaching Session with me by clicking here.

• Create a crystal clear vision for your health and wellness that will help you enjoy life more fully and get your “spark” back
• Uncover the root cause, hidden challenges and self sabotaging habits that may be making you tired, bloated, crave sugar and carbs and put on weight.
• Leave this session renewed, inspired and ready to finally strengthen digestion so you can enjoy your favorite foods without restrictions and be your best once and for all.

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