Setback – a reversal or check in progress
Setbacks are an event that everyone will experience at some point in their life. And it will present itself in many varying forms. I have recently dealt with one, and I had 2 options: let it ruin everything or work past it. I decided to work past it.
Within the last month I have had 2 setbacks due to a previous low back injury. I’ve been dealing with this problem for 3 years now O.o kind of weird to think that it’s been that long. But of recent, it’s been flaring up quite a bit and causing more pain, not only in my back but my hip as well. I’ve gone to physical therapy for it twice, first round helped, second not so much. So, I decided to see a physiatrist, who sent me to get x-rays done. Happily, there’s nothing bad/concerning going on with my spine. To battle this problem, I have been seeing a massage therapist as well as doing my own soft tissue work to try and decrease the pain that runs along my lower back. Now to find patience ha.
Why am I telling you all of this?
There’s always going to be setbacks. And the way you deal with them is EXTREMELY important for your future and success. 3 years ago, when I first hurt my back, I could have quit lifting and never gone back to it. But by that time, I was already committed to weights, and quitting wasn’t going to fix the situation. It was a lifestyle, it was and still is my therapy, and it teaches me so much about myself mentally and physically.
It sucks when an injury occurs, especially when it’s from doing something that you love. Really any setback sucks. Recently, as I said above, I have had 2 setbacks in a matter of 3 weeks. How did I handle them? Better than expected. The first one, I was scared. I knew something was wrong. And I really knew something was wrong when I couldn’t stand up straight without using something to help me stand up straight. Instead of freaking out externally (was definitely freaking out internally), I made moves to get in to see a physiatrist. I also already had a massage scheduled for that week which was perfect. The following days were brutal, but I got through them and felt physical relief from the massage s well as emotional relief from the x-rays. And when I thought I was better, the same thing happened 2 weeks later.
Has any of this stopped me though? Nope. Yes, I have had to modify some of my workouts, but I am still getting into the gym and continuing to keep up with my competition prep. 37 days out, no backing out now.
I think the biggest challenge and most important thing when dealing with setbacks, whether it’s your body, stress, life events, etc., is to not give up. That is by far the worst thing that you could do for yourself.
A few things to help deal with setbacks that I have learned to use in the past…
- Process it – give yourself time to wrap your head around what happened and where to go next from there.
- Don’t freak out – try not to throw a fit or give up, etc.
- Don’t beat yourself up over it…shit happens.
- Learn from it – understand why something happened and how to prevent it again.
- Regain control – take control of the situation and make it the best it can be.
Keeping yourself positive and looking forward is the best you can do for yourself, because if you don’t then you’ll later regret giving up or backing out. It’s okay to be disappointed, but it shouldn’t affect your entire outlook or your goals. If there’s anything I have learned from dealing with my back and really anything in life, it’s that life keeps moving, so you should too. You may not get where you want to be right when you planned to be there, but if you keep persisting, you’ll eventually get there.
