If you cringed at the subject line of this blog, welcome to the masses (me included) who rolled their eyes and shuddered when the words "gifts of injury" seeped into their brain.

No sugar-coating here: I really, really, HATE being injured!

Trust me when I say I've had my fair share of mishaps and traumas that have left me sidelined for months on end.

Heck, my ACL reconstructive surgery and rehab after a skiing accident in 1997 was a yearlong, jedi-level lesson in processing pain and letting go of the body I used to know while I learned to walk (and later run) again.

In short, recovery was about as pleasant as finger nails being scraped down a chalkboard on the daily.

"Patience and tolerance" became my mantra.

When I tried my first tentative steps with very atrophied quadriceps, my inner Luke Skywalker whispered, "Use the force" to inch me forward.

I often hear from students and clients how frustrated they feel with recovery timelines. "My doctor said I'd 'be healed' in 3 months, but it's been 6 months and I still don't feel better" is just a taste of the bitterness.

The next time you're on the mend, try these 3 things.

Adjust your mindset. Despite your deepest longing, healing does not happen in a linear fashion. There are ups, downs, and all-arounds. This is just the truth, folks! One day you feel wretched and the next vibrant! It's in the messiness of the recovery process that we find the gems. As best you can, shift your expectations while remaining clear about how you want to feel on the other side. The end date and ways you think you'll get better may not be your reality. Softening around your "shoulds" can make healing a more pleasant experience.

Cultivate inner connection. We've all done it: we receive a diagnosis and suddenly Dr. Google is our best friend. We fill our brains with data, searching tirelessly to know all the options for treating our pathology, desperately seeking the answer "out there." While a certain amount of intel gathering makes sense, there comes a time when we must ask our inner compass for directions. Our intuition--that whisper-quiet voice that is so often stifled by monkey mind and chronic busyness--knows what our body most needs moment by moment. We simply need to be quiet enough to hear. Access some stillness in nature or arrive in a comfortable seat and center yourself with a few long, full breaths. With one hand on your belly and the other over your heart, ask yourself what you need right now. Listen to what bubbles up first and try not to second guess. Patient, heal thyself.

Grieve what you've lost. Illness and injury can stir up lots of emotions. It's easy to get tangled up in action steps to move forward, but this often comes with the price of not fully experiencing the sensations of what has changed for us. Just like scar tissue on a healing wound is stronger when aligned in the direction of surrounding fibers, we too are more robust when we take time to feel our feelings. Grieving our old version of health is essential to embracing the new we get to become. You may find comfort in journaling about your feelings or hiring a therapist to help you navigate the complexities of what you've lost. As I've often told my kids, "Emotions are like farts: better out than held in."

You and I may not like this life truth, but each time we are injured is an invitation to be gifted.

Maybe we learn something new about our own body. Perhaps we finally learn how to receive offers of help. For the first time in forever, or maybe ever, we see within ourselves our strength and grace.

The next time you're on the mend, could you be open to the gifts of your unique healing journey?

Just an invitation,

Jennifer (she/her)

{P.S. My superpower is helping you feel good in your body, even when you're in pain! Don't believe me?

Only one way to find out!}