Tuesday, January 7, 2014

"There is hope to be healed, to be whole,..."

Yesterday was 'reality' Monday, as the world returned to the normal routine following a two week hiatus for the holidays. Kids returned to school, vacations ended, and New Year's Resolutions are now a week old.  Local fitness centers have filled to capacity and there are a lot of people with sore muscles and aching joints from launching full speed into their new found desire for health.  I truly hope that a majority of people stick with the their desire to make their life better in 2014 and yet sadly statistically very few will.  Why is it so hard for us human beings to change our behaviors?  Even with ever expanding access to information, albeit with a lot of misinformation, but still if we know what we need to do to improve our lives why don't we just simply do it??  As I wrote about in Life Pioneers I think it starts with understanding the major events of our lives that have shaped us.

 In my role as a physical therapist I have helped thousands of people recover from injuries and surgeries and the starting point is always the same, a comprehensive evaluation to determine what the underlying issues are.  What was the mechanism of injury? When did it happen?  Was it traumatic or insidious?  What force was involved? What compensations have occurred?  Then we move into what are the losses of function, motion and strength?  I believe its the same pattern for our lives.  What if we did "Life Therapy" and asked the same questions about our current situation?  What injuries have you suffered?  When did they happen?  Were they traumatic (all at once) or insidious (overtime)?  What compensations have you created to remove the pain or limitation?  What has this cost you in lost function or ability?  Recently I was introduced to a new song called "Me" by Kendall Payne and I think it sums up it all up...

We never know what's gonna make us,
Into the people that we are.
Can't tell the toll that it will take on us,
Until the wounds have turned to scars.
We never know what's gonna break us,
When will it finally go too far?

Now would you be kind to me
If you knew my memories?
They helped you understand
Why this means everything
Why it's so hard and why I am the way I am.

'Cause there's a chance, there's a shot,
It may be small, but it's all I got.
I know it's hard now to see, but you have to believe,
That there is hope to be healed, to be whole,
To be finally free. So don't give up on me.
Please, please, don't give up on me.

The important thing to remember is that everyone has their story and each one is unique and filled with good and bad.  Life is a roller coaster of ups and downs.  The only thing that each one of us has complete control over is the choices we make.  I have been blessed to know people from the entire spectrum, from the incredibly successful to the poorest of the poor.  The one constant that I've found is that each one has their own life story and none of them are free from hard times.  The difference I have seen comes in their reaction to the different circumstances life throws at them.  Just like the lyrics of this song, "There is hope to be healed, to be whole, to be finally free. So don't give up on me."  But we need to be telling ourselves this.  If you are not where you want to be in any area of your life then realize their is someone out there who can help guide you in the right direction.  The first step is to do the evaluation, then determine what the goal is and then create the plan to get you there.  It's "Life Therapy" so "Please, please don't give up on (you)!"

Life Pioneers: The Edge of Possibility! by Tim Terrio (Oct 18, 2013)    
Available on Amazon and at All TERRIO Physical Therapy-Fitness locations.  www.myTERRIO.com
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