Your plate is way over full, but you’ve got everything under control. You’re doing well at work, your house is pristine, and you even find time to make it to the gym a couple of times a week. Congratulations – you’re a high achiever. Even the highest of achievers, however, can find their meticulously maintained schedules falling to ruins when they’re injured. It can be tempting to keep on keeping on, but that will only hinder your recovery. In fact, it can make things worse. So, even though it’s easier said than done, you really need to chill out. Here’s how:
Bring Resources To You
If you have to attend regular healthcare appointments on your journey to recovery, it can be all too tempting to sneak in a few errands while you’re out. If you can’t resist the urge, remove it by bringing the resources you need to you. Mobile physiotherapy is rising in popularity as it’s far more convenient than visiting a conventional facility. And for those who feel the need to accomplish multiple things every time they walk out the door, it can seriously speed up your recovery.
Keep Your Mind Busy
Half the problem with trying to recover from an injury is the unwarranted guilt of not getting things done. You shouldn’t feel bad about putting your recovery before work or the washing. Yet, so many people spend the time they should be using to focus on getting better stressing about everything that isn’t getting done.
To combat this, keep your mind busy. If you have an office job, perhaps you can work from home. Meanwhile, those who need total rest from work can find a new book or television series to keep themselves preoccupied. It doesn’t matter what you choose to do – as long as it’s enjoyable and doesn’t exacerbate your injury, it will help speed up your recovery by stopping your stress hormones from slowing it down. Remember, a healthy mind = a healthy body.
Practice Self-Care
Even something as simple as having a nice hot bath or slathering yourself in a lush moisturizer can help speed up your recovery. Much like keeping your mind busy, practicing self-care will reduce your stress levels, thus improving your body’s healing capacity. Moving forward, self-care can also help prevent new injuries from happening, so it’s a good idea to build this habit up now.
Put Your Energy Into Meal Prep
Instead of trying to conquer the world while injured, conquer the more manageable domain of your kitchen. Consuming a healthy diet has been proven to speed up recovery, so pour your frustration into cleaning up your eating habits or trying new foods. Certain ingredients are particularly good for different injuries, so look into what’s great for healing yours, and find fun new recipes that will help you feel better. Much like the previous tip, carrying your new, healthy, and adventurous cooking methods into the future with you can have continued benefits, so try to keep it in your schedule.
Injuries are never fun, but that doesn’t mean you need to make recovery even less pleasant by still trying to do everything you did while healthy. Taking the time to sit down and relax can greatly speed up the healing process and make it far less painful. So, even though you want to keep going a million miles an hour, use these tips to resist the urge, and let your body do what it needs to.