As the shine of my end of year rock climbing adventure to Mexico fades, I’m presently pondering how my new year’s resolutions fit with my current reality. I’m still a sucker for wanting to create new year’s resolutions- turn over a new leaf, to learn from the past years’ mistakes, create goals to work towards and ultimately be a better person. Even my most recent NYE resolutions seem like they came from an idealistic naïve version of my current self. The new year has presented many unexpected challenges already- a very sick partner with an undiagnosed problem and the ever-increasing financial pressures of a growing family. I’m still keen to hold true to those resolutions, because to not do so would fly in the face of all the advice that I give to all my patients and not be my authentic self.
But how to do so, when it seems to take all my energy just to pull in the washing. What would I say to a patient who currently had this same constant neck and back pain? Look deeper Karl. What are your compensatory movements patterns? What are you doing in you daily life that contributes to this? What are you not seeing here? What stress do you have? Are you not expressing yourself? Are you holding emotions in? Oh stuff it, I’ll just watch another episode on TV.
Get to the end of that series, what now? How did watching all that in any way improve my life? I feel like all those good habits I worked tirelessly to cultivate last year have slipped away. Last year I managed to climb a 700m rock face in Mexico. But does that help pay the bills and manage these day-to-day stressors? Wading through these different stressors, when can I connect with my true self that is meaningful, life affirming and enhancing?
OK, bring it back to what makes you feel good about being you. After listening to DR. Andrew Huberman’s podcast on alcohol, I’ve stopped drinking alcohol, it has been 7 weeks now.
I don’t feel like a better me, but I know that it’s a conscious health choice and a decision that I control. I also know that stress in combination with life choices such as lack of sleep, decreased exercise, poor diet and alcohol can create the opportunity for illness in the body.
I’ve been enjoying swimming in the bay again. You never feel worse after a swim- even when its cold. So there, do that. Do that again. Consistency is the key to getting through the cloud. Its not the results that count. Its persisting with regular wellness habits- whatever they are. No one walking down the street cares that I climbed 700m rock face. What matters is that climbing and swimming brings me joy and helps me try to meet my daily stress by not overreacting and to be more present to the people that come into my life… It’s funny how life presents opportunities to test my idealistic New Years resolutions anyway.