Pushing through pain with positivity

I am taking inspiration for this week’s blog from the 140km of cycling I somehow managed to put up this week (yes, yes, I know, hold the applause, please). This included the Limerick Greenway, from Barna to Rathkeale, and the entirety of the Waterford Greenway - both of which I would highly recommend for your summer staycations as they are flat for the most part and have many scenic stops along the way as well as an abundance of amenities. The weather was dry for all 3 of my days out, bordering on hot at times, but overall the cycling was enjoyable and manageable. There were moments, however, where the going got tough - mainly, dealing with that chronic ache that slowly develops in your behind from sitting on an uncomfortable piece of rubber for 6 hours on end, as well as battling the heat of the last few days, something to which we Irish are sadly not acclimatised. 


Coping with these physical discomforts was made a lot easier, mind you, by employing some of the mindfulness and gratitude techniques I have cultivated over the last 2 years, and I figured, since many of us will be engaging in outdoor activities like mountaineering, hiking, sea-swimming and cycling over the next few weeks and months, and therefore up against it at times when it comes to our physical limits, that my experience would be worth sharing.



First of all, my meditation practice was huge. It really turned up last week in terms of getting me over the line when all I wanted to do was throw the bicycle by the wayside and thumb a lift home. Breathing in and out slowly as I pedalled, counting each one up to a count of 10, and starting again, was a life-saver. One of the goals of meditation is to be able to focus your attention where needed, and for me, breathing deep down into my stomach and thinking about nothing else the whole time was a lot more helpful than attending to that nagging voice in my head screaming “MY ARSE IS IN BITS OH MY GOD WHEN WILL THIS BE OVER!?”


My second mental strategy was to think positive thoughts, which I know sounds a lot easier than it is when you feel physically depleted. This consisted of reminding myself of how good this activity was for my health, how much of the trail I had already done and what was now behind me, as well as being grateful for the fact that I am physically capable of cycling. I was quick to express gratitude for the dry, sunny weather too, even when the heat itself was sometimes what was causing me to have to dig this deep in the first place. Again, this took my mind off of immediately wanting a break and giving mental attention to physical pain. As well as that, it made me look at my tiredness and pain in a different light: the reason I felt that way was a result of the effort I had put in to get to where I was at that moment.


Then there came times where the above coping mechanisms ceased to be fun. I wanted something that would distract me completely and take me out of the moment, which is the opposite of mindfulness. This took the form of ‘naming games’ - anything from Munster rugby players past and present, to countries of the world beginning with S, to naming every child I have ever taught thus far in my career. I also use this strategy for things like getting tattoos or dental work, which also involve physical discomfort. It sounds very silly, I know, but it is a great way to engage different parts of your brain, challenge yourself mentally, and for a while just tune out of whatever is happening in your body. (Warning: do not get so engrossed in listing European capital cities that you end up falling off the mountain you are climbing. I will not be held responsible for any injuries or fatalities.)


I hope that this post was in some way helpful for you, and another reminder that things like meditation and practicing gratitude are not just one-off activities that we do simply to get them over and done with, that they can become part of your mental toolbox and whipped out whenever and wherever you need them. Or you could just not cycle 140km in a week either, maybe.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Exercise as empowerment

Image
(I am crawling out of the void to come at you with a piece that dawned on me today while I was working out - cue me pausing mid-glute-bridge to type furiously in my Notes app. The main idea I want to put across here is how empowering exercising feels, and why meaningful movement of any and every kind needs to be a priority for all of us.) ‘Meaningful movement’ is how I’ve recently begun rebranding ‘exercise’. While all of us come to fitness with different experiences, feelings, and self-perceptions, as long as you schedule different types of meaningful movement throughout the week, job’s a good’un. Think of it like making an appointment for future you. Movement for me varies between traditional weight-bearing gym workouts, 20-minute HIIT sessions in the comfort of my apartment, yoga, a stroll outdoors, an incline walk or run on a treadmill, or a cycle. Living in the desert means that outdoor exercise, for me anyway, occurs between October and May, as anything outside of that is just u...
Read more

3 Lessons Solo Travel Has Taught Me About Myself

Image
The idea for this post occurred to me during a week where I’ve actually been really occupied with solo travel plans, so it seemed apt to put pen to paper (read: fingers to keyboard) to speak to the concept of travelling as a party of one, and why it is something you should never rule out. First things first, solo travel does not need to be an entire holiday where you are on your own 24/7 (but if you like the sound of that, by all means shoot for the stars, doll). It can take the form of booking a spot on a tour group who run a set itinerary, or getting in touch with independent guides in the area beforehand who can suggest and arrange activities for you (all to be covered in future posts). So just bear that in mind as you read this. We are not talking seclusion-in-a-cave-for-a-week here (but go for it if that sounds like heaven). When I sat and contemplated the life lessons I have learned from experiencing solo travel, I came up with 3 main lessons that I’m willing to share here. But t...
Read more

The gift of gratitude

Image
Generally, in life, a simple problem requires a more or less simple solution. Nothing in the fridge for dinner? Go food-shopping or order takeaway. Device about to die but you're not done using it? Plug it in to charge. The time and energy put into solving small problems are usually in small quantities themselves. Similarly, to solve an immense problem, we feel, requires an immense amount of resources. Manpower, money, and a monopoly on time - nothing less. We throw all including the kitchen sink at whatever tantamount issue faces us, because we have learned subconsciously that if we are presented with a big problem, our response needs to match in size and weight. But what if I told you that one of life’s biggest and scariest threats - the threat being that of a meaningless life - could not be solved, but, at least, eked away at, with the simplest of solutions? I remember hearing it years ago, probably in my teens, and scoffing, if even. I was not the most self-aware adolescent to ...
Read more