Personal Health
Let’s not beat about the bush. 2020 proved detrimental to a lot of people’s physical and mental health. Myself included. I sustained an injury to my left arm roundabout May last year when I inadvertently lifted something excessively heavy while using the vacuum cleaner. The net result has been a tendon injury that has persisted for nearly twelve months. Its unpleasant longevity stems from the fact that long-term rest is required for the injury to heal and my lifestyle doesn’t lend itself to “not using an arm for 4 to 6 months. Hence this painful problem has dragged on far too long. Naturally, being in pain continuously takes a toll on one’s mental health. So I’ve not been in my usual focused state of mind. Hence my writing output has taken a nosedive, which then further feeds my dour outlook. Mercifully, the arm is finally on the mend. I’ve figured out a routine that allows me to function and fulfil my obligations, while resting the limb sufficiently to heal. Now it is time to focus and address two other health issues that have emerged over the last year.
Let’s not beat about the bush. 2020 proved detrimental to a lot of people’s physical and mental health. Myself included. I sustained an injury to my left arm roundabout May last year when I inadvertently lifted something excessively heavy while using the vacuum cleaner. The net result has been a tendon injury that has persisted for nearly twelve months. Its unpleasant longevity stems from the fact that long-term rest is required for the injury to heal and my lifestyle doesn’t lend itself to “not using an arm for 4 to 6 months. Hence this painful problem has dragged on far too long. Naturally, being in pain continuously takes a toll on one’s mental health. So I’ve not been in my usual focused state of mind. Hence my writing output has taken a nosedive, which then further feeds my dour outlook. Mercifully, the arm is finally on the mend. I’ve figured out a routine that allows me to function and fulfil my obligations, while resting the limb sufficiently to heal. Now it is time to focus and address two other health issues that have emerged over the last year.
I had COVID-19 in April 2020. I was ill for two weeks and then the most immediate symptoms stopped. However, I have not returned to what I would consider a state of normal health since then. For a year now I have felt lethargic (even after 10 hours sleep), been subject to joint pains and muscle cramps, as well as finding it harder to concentrate and remain focused. I’ve lost most of my sense of smell and have had sinus and chest related issues, all of which seem to be indicative of mild infection. However, subsequent tests have found nothing of this nature. To try and distill these things into a single phrase is hard but ultimately I’ve felt “perpetually exhausted” for the last 12 months. I wake up each morning feeling exactly like I usually feel after having an extremely busy day. Fortunately, my local Doctor's Surgery is very good and I’ve had a positive response from my GP. To cut a long story short, after a few tests, I have been formally diagnosed with Post COVDID Syndrome or “Long COVID” as it’s more commonly known in the press. Unfortunately, this is an illness that is still somewhat nebulous and furthermore, difficult to treat. But at least it’s now on my health records.
The second health issue is more common and yet despite being straightforward to address, has a major stumbling block. Yes, we’re talking about being overweight and the inherent difficulties associated with weight loss. I have treated all three of the UK lockdowns as a continuous bank holiday and have eaten and drank accordingly. I am currently about 191lbs and I need to get back to about 168 and then stay there. I am physically uncomfortable due to the extra weight I am carrying around and it is obviously contributing to my ongoing sense of lethargy. So radical action is required. Therefore, I am going to give up all alcohol for a month and cut my food intake by 50%. Furthermore all money that would be spent on indulgence food is going to be saved and used for something more practical. Simply put I don’t like what I see in the mirror. So game on. Let’s see if the weight comes off as easy as it goes on.
Finally, I was listening to an audiobook today and I was confronted with a few thoughts from the writer Alan Moore. He referenced how creativity can stem from boredom. I must admit I have become indillent over the last few months with regard to my writing. This has led to me becoming somewhat indifferent to blogging. However, this comment really struck a chord with me and I immediately returned to my desk and started writing. It would appear that he is right because I feel far more disposed towards writing at the present and have managed to write several posts so far today. So I think I am going to try and increase my writing schedule, because not writing has had a negative effect upon my demeanour. As is so often in life, the solution to many of our problems is in our own hands and just requires us to focus our will upon them. So I’m going to set some clear goals and work toward them. Hopefully this will restore both my body and mind to a better state of equilibrium.
Looking After Your Mental Wellbeing
Very few people had a “good” 2020. I won’t bore you with a list of my personal woes as I’m sure you have plenty of your own. Plus everything is relative. We shouldn’t compare apples with oranges. Like many people, I now find myself fatigued by the ongoing global events and the conspicuous absence of normality. I like to consider myself quite a robust person. I have endured difficult times in the past and have come through them by remaining calm and focused. However, the nebulous and seemingly never ending nature of the global pandemic is extremely wearing. Let it suffice to say that I feel singularly unmotivated at present. Writing, which is usually a great pleasure, is currently a chore. I am also troubled by something that I personally find most unusual. A sense of sadness. And it doesn’t seem to want to go away.
Very few people had a “good” 2020. I won’t bore you with a list of my personal woes as I’m sure you have plenty of your own. Plus everything is relative. We shouldn’t compare apples with oranges. Like many people, I now find myself fatigued by the ongoing global events and the conspicuous absence of normality. I like to consider myself quite a robust person. I have endured difficult times in the past and have come through them by remaining calm and focused. However, the nebulous and seemingly never ending nature of the global pandemic is extremely wearing. Let it suffice to say that I feel singularly unmotivated at present. Writing, which is usually a great pleasure, is currently a chore. I am also troubled by something that I personally find most unusual. A sense of sadness. And it doesn’t seem to want to go away.
I recently wrote about plans for the New Year and mentioned a personal weight loss and fitness regime. I think I will now add to that a mental health element to try and maintain calm and stable demeanour. Looking after your mental health shouldn’t be a last minute consideration, only to be worried about when things go wrong. It should be treated the same as our physical health and given as much consideration. So I’ve done a little reading online to see if I can find some simple tips to improve my mental wellbeing. There’s plenty of information out there but it’s also a field rife with quackery. Luckily the UK NHS has some practical and straightforward advice. Essentially these are reframe unhelpful thoughts, be in the present, sleep well, connect with others and try to live a physically healthy lifestyle. Sound advice although it may not be as easy to implement it all.
I certainly will extol the merit of reframing unhelpful thoughts. Once you become aware of how you react in specific situations (which may be in a negative way), you can change such behaviour. Cognitive behavioural therapy is simple in principle but it can be life changing. Being in the moment is also a liberating state of mind. I tend not to look any further than the month ahead at present and focus on what is at hand, rather than worry about issues that haven’t yet become a direct problem. Sleep is an issue for me at present. My smart band collates data on the quality of my sleep and it’s not as good as it could be. Essentially my problem is one of relaxation. My mind is often still actively engaged when I should be sleeping. So I’ve been trying to find a way to mentally drop down a gear in the late evening.
“Seek and you will find” as the expression goes. Last night I was idly channel surfing when I stumbled across The Joy of Painting on BBC iPlayer. It’s been a while since I watched this show, yet within minutes the calming tones of Bob Ross and his gentle wordplay (“happy trees”) had defused my tension and replaced it with a sense of composure. This morning I felt that I had enjoyed a better night’s sleep. So I think the key in the future is to try and avoid an excess of “stimulus” after a certain time. I certainly think having a cut off point for social media or watching the news may be beneficial. I’m not advocating going cold turkey and shutting oneself off from the world. But I do think there comes a point in the day where it’s best to put some things back in their respective box and keep others at arm’s length.
I’d be very interested to hear from readers who have their own equivalent to watching Bob Ross as well as whatever methods they use to maintain a healthy state of mind. We are fortunate that we live at a time where talking about one’s mental wellbeing is no longer so difficult. The old school stiff upper lip mindset has been debunked as it often results in emotionally broken people. I hope I can find my sense of mental equilibrium again and see a return of my usual levels of motivation. And let us not forget to share a kind word with those we interact with both online and in day to day life. In these difficult times it is important to be aware that not everyone has the same support networks. Also not everyone will be coping the same and some folk still tend to put on a brave public face. Kenneth Williams said it the best. “Drowning, not waving”. So let us not add to each other’s problems.
