“HOW TO CONVALESCE IN STYLE!”

By Shirley M. Carolan, ATM-G

The fickle finger of fate can impact anyone of us unexpectedly at any time. We never know when adversity is going to hit, and if you’re like me, you certainly don’t go around expecting it or preparing for it. It can happen in an instant, even on a bright, warm, sunshiny day, while walking your dog, with birds chirping and blossoms opening and sharing their fragrance with a promising world.

That’s what happened to me on Sunday, March 16 (Palm Sunday) when adversity reared its ugly head and literally struck me in the face!

Voila, my right foot hit an uneven chink in the sidewalk sending me unceremoniously, catapulting head first to kiss the pavement! The impact was sudden, loud, and excruciatingly painful. I knew I was in trouble when I saw the blood flowing down the sidewalk into the street. My head was pounding but I was able to see out of one eye and finally was able to hear my voice cry out for help. Unable to move a muscle I saw my little dog bend over me and lick me. I knew she was OK and then I realized I am alive, I am alive!

Returning home from Tri-City Hospital emergency room was an ordeal and I was now faced with some unexpected downtime while my broken nose, ribs, and assorted bones healed. I was now determined to make the most of my recovery time. I share that journey with you now:

1. Doing a daily crossword puzzle became my favorite pastime. It was a positive experience because I learned new words, improved my vocabulary. As a speaker and writer, this was a definite win-win “situation.” I am a daily “crossworder” anyway but this extra downtime helped further increase my arsenal of “words!” No speaker or writer could want for more and the daily newspaper costs so little!

2. Reading one of the numerous books I’d purchased on Amazon was one option. Alas, I found my attention span wandered and I was not able to concentrate … so serious reading was replaced with more frivolous stuff!

3. In my head I wrote rough drafts of future speeches, articles, and blogs. Thoughts and ideas just seemed to flow to me non-stop. Writer’s cramp would not be a problem for me!

4. As each day passed and I was able to do more physically, I sat at my computer and banged out my wonderful thoughts, ideas, dreams, etc. Seeing them take more concrete shape inspired me and impelled me on.

5. Daily seeing and experiencing improvement physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually had a profound positive impact on my state of mind and well being. My energy was gradually returning. My sense of gratitude multiplied as I vowed never to take my life for granted again, or for that matter the world around me! Taking time to smell the roses, admire nature at her best, being cognizant of the wonderful gifts, talents, hobbies and friends that make up my life.

Vital Lessons I Learned While Convalescing!
Healing time after any accident or loss can vary from individual to individual. It depends on each person’s mindset (physical and mental makeup). Hence, I want to share some important observations I made and perhaps they will help you if you ever become momentarily disabled. Since I can be a workaholic, I learned not to set impossible standards/tasks for myself at this time of great incapacity. I learned to be grateful each day for what I could accomplish! Just seeing a small improvement in daily activities can bring a smile of acceptance to even the most jaded among us.

Here are some other gems.

For those who can’t say “No” This is for the “people pleasers” among us, myself included! I was amazed how often I would give in to others requests of my time, energy, skills, expertise, etc. when interrupted by a phone call or email from someone. Wow, this had to stop. I needed to respect and appreciate my time and talents more. I made up my mind to do that henceforth, especially after I recovered. While, I don’t like to say NO, whether to a client, friend, neighbor, Toastmaster, or someone from my volunteer activities, I quickly discovered that not everything has to be handled right then and there when asked to do so.

For example, if some writing project was expected of me, such as a press release or newspaper article, and the event was way in the future, I suggested that the caller e-mail me all the details so I could absorb it in more detail (and at my leisure). This cut down the time listening on the phone when I was not feeling up to par. It also conveyed to them I was interested in their project, and it left me feeling more professional! Yea, it bought me time to heal and not expend valuable energy!

This downtime certainly made me aware of some behavior I needed to change and incorporate when healed and dealing with others in the future. So, let me recap here what I learned:

DO:

1. Set boundaries on your time, energy, people, priorities!
2. Be firm with yourself and others … this may take practice but will pay dividends!
3. Be aware of what you can do at this time and prioritize those things
4. Do keep a Journal of your thoughts, feelings, and progress – it could be worse!
5. Learn to compromise. You can’t always say “yes” to others. Find new ways to handle others’ requests and get results without compromising your own healing time!

DON’T:

1. Say YES to every request. Choose wisely what you can handle, let go of the rest.
2. Don’t let others sidetrack you, or start feeling sorry for you! You are not a victim! You are merely choosing to use your time/skills/energy/money, etc. more purposefully!!
3. Feel guilty because you’re taking care of yourself (for a change) you deserve it.
4. Trade war/horror stories with callers, neighbors, friends – it drains you of energy, and nothing gets resolved
5. Play the victim role or obsess over why this accident happened!


You can Convalesce In Style! Regardless of your occupation, writer, speaker, artist, etc. there is something to be learned while going through recovery from any situation. Use your downtime to do some real soul-searching on how you live your life, how you see yourself and who and what’s truly important to you!

A votre santé!


Shirley M. Carolan, ATMG
Artist ● Speaker ● Writer
artistwithaflair@att.net
Phone/Fax: 760-732-0663
http://www.shirleycarolan.com
http://www.angelscross.blogspot.com
http://www.smcarolan.blogspot.com

Copyright© 2008 by Shirley M. Carolan. All rights reserved. To reprint any part of this article simply contact Shirley Carolan at artistwithaflair@att.net. Thank you.