A Minor Setback
Reflections on the mental and physical toll of a bump in the road
Denver is cold and snowy today. The flakes are the big, mid-winter kind, the ones that seem like they are floating to the ground. There’s at least an inch or two already, and more on the way. It’s a good day to stay indoors and think about future adventures, which is just as well. I’ve had a minor setback recently, something that will sideline me for a month or so, and it’s had me grappling with an unfamiliar reality.
I worked hard last year to get in shape. I went to the gym on a regular basis, climbed, lifted weights, and ran. The time and effort that I put in made a difference. In November, I was much further along in my fitness journey than at the beginning of the year. For the first time in a long while, I felt healthy. I was excited about training for something serious, maybe a climb or a triathlon or both. Only then an issue came up that I needed to fix, and it set me back mentally and physically.
While I played sports through school, I was never really hurt. In six years of basketball and five years of football, not to mention all of the other sports I played at irregular intervals (baseball, track, soccer, tennis, golf, and so on) I managed to stay healthy. How I did that is anyone’s guess. Only now that I’m forty, it seems my imperviousness to injuries may be coming to an end.
The mental setbacks came first. Once I knew that I’d have to sit out a month (an unknown month that would depend on scheduling), there was no longer the same motivation to work out. I was stuck, in a funk, whatever you want to call it. I just didn’t see the point. Why should I put in a lot of effort if I was going to lose everything. So, starting around the end of November, I essentially just quit exercising. I walked as much as I could, but that was about it. Eventually I realized that not doing vigorous exercise on a regular basis was taking a mental toll. I wasn’t as happy. I didn’t have as much energy. I let stress get the better of me.
Along with the mental challenges, the physical challenges came gradually at first and then all at once. Initially it was the slow slide of losing everything I’d worked for over the last year. Then it was, this week, the sudden reality of having to start from zero, or at least what feels like zero. No lifting, no climbing, no running, for a month.
My initial disappointment led to a lack of focus. As I sat with this in December and January, I knew that I needed something to look forward to. So I started planning. For the first time since I’ve lived in Colorado, I now have a tentative date to climb a fourteener. I think that having a serious hike on the calendar will help me focus.
It’s a battle, though, to train my sights on the future while taking it easy in the present. But I’m learning along the way, and I hope I’ll be stronger and better able to deal with setbacks in the future. I realize now that the mental piece is critically important. I basically just gave up in December, said to hell with it, and didn’t do anything. I should have reacted with a stronger mindset. And if I’d done that, then I think the physical piece would have been less challenging. I could have maintained my effort, continued to work out, and planned for both this month and for later in the year.
Mine is a minor setback, and this is just about my reaction to something novel in my life. I know some have or are dealing with much bigger challenges, so I’m curious if you have any advice about how to be mentally strong in the face of physical limitations. If you do, I’d love to hear from you.
As always, thank you for reading. Please send me a note or leave a comment with any reactions.