Last week, I threw my back out.
How I wish I had an exciting story for you about how I managed it – you know, something like free-climbing the tallest wall in a climbing gym or rescuing a kitten from a tree.
Nope, just overdid it with incline on the treadmill at my gym 🤦🏻♀️
And let me tell you, if you don’t already know, throwing one’s back out is A. Life. Interrupter.
We’ve all had these great Life Interrupters at one time or another. Injuring yourself is one way to get there. Suddenly taking on the role of caregiver for a loved one is another. Having a crisis in your home like a fire or a flood is yet another.
There are lots of routes, but when you get there, you’ll know. The telling sign? Everything in your life has to be put aside while you deal with this Interruption.
Any any rate, believe it or not, I’m not writing this week’s Short & Sweet as a plea for sympathy (however, any and all forms of sympathy are heartily accepted!). Rather, it’s occurred to me how important self kindness is during a great Life Interrupter, and I wanted to share some thoughts with you, dear readers.
So if you’re going through a Life Interrupter as I am, I recommend the following:
#1 Cut yourself ALL the slack
Let’s say normally you’re a person a) who makes the bed, b) cleans up the kitchen first thing in the morning, c) goes to the gym 5x/week or d) ______. When you’re in the midst of a Life Interrupter, you are 100% allowed to throw this all out the window (not literally… don’t throw anything out the window – unless your house is on fire). You simply can’t maintain all your normal habits and routines while you’re dealing with a Life Interrupter, so give yourself all the grace, and leave those dirty dishes in the sink.
#2 Talk to yourself as though you’re a friend
How does your best friend talk to you? Most likely they are encouraging and kind. So if you catch yourself engaging in any mean self-talk, stop that! No mean self-talk allowed during a Life Interrupter (and hopefully, not any other times either). If you get any small thing accomplished during a Life Interrupter, say to yourself “Good job! You’re doing great!” Because you are.
#3 Remember that this is just for now
We humans have a tendency to think that however things are right now, they’ll be that way forever. Not so! Remind yourself daily that this is just for right now and you will absolutely be able to get back to things that are currently on hold.
#4 Don’t be afraid to ask for help
Remember the Beatles lyrics, “I get by with a little help from my friends”? It’s true. The people in your life want to help you but sometimes don’t know how. You can write a quick email to those in your inner circle and say “I’m going through ______. Below are some ways you can help!” An encouraging text, a phone call, a home-cooked meal, running errands – there are infinite ways your friends can and would love to help you during this time.
#5 Repeat your favorite little encouraging phrase
Mantras are like little mini pep-talks. A few of my favorites: One thing at a time. I can do hard things. I’ve been through much worse. This isn’t as bad as when ______. And of course, I’ll get through this.
More reads that might be helpful…
10 Fixes for an Inexplicably Sad Day
Here are 10 ideas for turning that frown upside down when you wake up feeling blue.
You Deserve a Gold Star
The gold star method you *may* remember from kindergarten is making a comeback. Here’s why as adults we deserve gold stars now more than ever.
So, Change of Plans…
When things, erm, take an unexpected turn and you end up having to throw all your plans out the window, how do you deal?
