Tag: positive self-talk

Overcoming Fear Part 2

Overcoming Fear Part 2

Fear of Failure

 

A big fear of mine has always been failing, especially in front of a lot of people. How about you?

After becoming an amputee this became the daily fear that would well up inside of me. Every day I put on my leg I had to deal with idea that, as I was learning to walk in it, I just my wipe out.  Then after I got good at walking, I added in the fear of falling with a running blade on, which would make for a more epic fall.

It feels like the normal, everyday, things were now causing my anxiety.

I realized right away that I would have 2 choices:

Stay home, pout, and not get out and work on my new life

or

Get out, try everything, fail, pick myself back up and try again.

On the edge of the Grand Canyon!

 

Me and my bees

 

My new Swell Surf foot, ready for the waves of Kauai

 

My 1st time wadding in a rushing stream, keeping balance, and trying fly fishing! A whole lotta new!

 

As you probably guessed, I opted for the second choice! Get out and LIVE!

This took time, patience, humility, and drive.

It wasn’t easy going into a grocery store with a new leg, knowing people were watching, almost waiting for me to stumble. At least that’s how it felt at first. But I had a family to feed and a husband at work all day. I was not going to be a burden and I was going to learn this new lifestyle, no matter what it took.

As a teacher, I told my students all the time that it’s ok to fail. That’s the only way to learn. It was time for me to take my own advice.

It’s a long road, a hard journey, when learning to walk again. It’s difficult to take an old. easy, everyday task, and start over.

Have grace and forgiveness with yourself. Be patient, like you’d be with your own kids learning something new.

What advice would you give your baby who was just learning to walk? Would you be mad at them for trying their first steps and falling over? Of course not, so why would you be mad, upset, impatient with yourself?

Why is it that we are so hard on ourselves, yet so forgiving with others that we seeing trying and failing?

Remember, it is more rewarding to try, try, try again and get something, than to just be able to do something simple that you get on your first try.

When you are forced to subject yourself to uncertainty, and yet certain failures at first, you are building your experience, you are building your character, and you are building a warrior mentality.  These are the characteristics that will help you succeed at your next task.

Don’t be afraid to get out there and try something new. You never know what will come of your efforts. What I have learned is that with every trial, I became stronger, met new people, inspired others, and found a deep joy for my new life that I wouldn’t change for the world!

 

Deep inside of you lies a warrior waiting to be unleashed! You’ve got this. Face your fears head on and watch how you will transform your life!!!

You are a warrior!!

 

 

This week begin to change your mindset. Speak positively to yourself and then think of 1 thing you have been wanting to do but have been too afraid to try it.

Now make a plan on how to get from point A to point B. Remember to break it down into baby steps. You cvan do this. I believe in you!

Work at it every day, even for 5-10 minutes. Realize that learning to do something new takes failure. Embrace the failures. Even laugh at yourself from time to time. We all fail at first.

Pick yourself back up and start again!

Don’t give up!

You’ve got this!!

 

Until next time,

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!!

 

Much love,

Angie

 

Pushing Past the Pain

Pushing Past the Pain

Be Strong! You Can Get Through This!

Pain is a tricky thing.  Each of us experiences pain multiple times in life. It comes and goes. It happens when we have an accident, when we’ve had surgery, and sometimes it is invisible to the people around us. It is always very real to the person dealing with it.  Pain is different for each of us, too. Some of us have a low tolerance for pain while others may not even register it- I have a friend whose son fractured a bone in his  foot and the pain never registered to him!

There is no normal to pain OR pain relief.  Each person has to figure out  what they can tolerate and how to handle their pain when it hits.

While this sounds like a bummer because no one else can truly help you through your specific circumstance there are ways  to help yourself that works for most people. I’m talking about building up your mental game.

Being outside in the sunshine and fresh air has so many health benefits both physically and mentally.

It’s important that you find a way to navigate through your pain.  Be patient with yourself, too, there will be good days and bad days.  Sometimes just recognizing the fact that there will be bad days, days which you can’t seem to handle the pain anymore, will help you have grace with yourself when you feel lost, stuck, or like throwing in the towel.  Don’t let those moments defeat you.  Use them to fuel you to keep moving forward.  Stay as positive as you can and distract yourself, do something you love, to push through those weaker moments, just remember that we are human and we will fall short, every now and then, from handling our situations.  If you feel like you have been knocked down, that’s ok, we all do at some point or another, but pull yourself up by the boot straps, and keep moving forward.  Last week I wrote about the Chinese proverb:  Get knocked down 7 times, get up 8.  That’s what it takes to become stronger.  Change your thinking. Don’t give in!

 

Dr. Roni Prucz, my amazing plastic surgeon who performed my TMR surgery in December 2020

 

 

This week I want you to write down your positive messages to yourself on post-it notes or notecards, and place them where you look everyday or in places where you struggle.

If you struggle getting out of bed in the morning then put them by your bedside.  Statements such as:

“You can do this!”

“I will NOT quit!”

“Today is going to be great/better!”

“One step at a time”

 

Use these messages to yourself to motivate and not give up.  You could even ask someone in your circle to write short affirmations for you to help as well.  Just keep the positive vibes going.  Send yourself messages of love and grace to yourself, and use them in times of weakness.

 

Attitude is Everything

Until next time, remember:

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!!!

 

Much love,

Angie

 

 

 

 

Rock Bottom Isn’t Really Rock Bottom

Rock Bottom Isn’t Really Rock Bottom

Finding Joy in the Hard Moments

My joy and why I do what I do.

So not everyday is roses.  It may seem like that if you check out some people’s social media.  Don’t buy it!  We all struggle, and we all go through valleys.  I’m smiling in the photo above because I am surrounded by the people I love, doing something we love- together.  Today, however, as I put on my prosthetic, I realized it didn’t feel right.  As I started walking on it I was noticing that I was already hitting the bone at the end of my residual limb on the inside of my socket.  I tried to “walk it off” by literally grabbing my backpack and heading out for a walk, only to realize I just couldn’t make it to the end of my block!

DEFEAT!

That’s what was going through my head.  Then, “what if I never get back the level of activity I had last year!?”

ENOUGH! This talk was helping no one.  That’s when I decided to share my journey with you.  To put it all out there and show that even when it appears all is going well, that sometimes it’s just not.  And for me to give up on an activity is really saying something….especially me sharing that I gave up.

It has to be known, that all of us fall victim to self-doubt, or giving up, or fears.  We are all human, after all.  What makes each one of us different is what we do after we fall.  Do you sit and wallow in self-pity, looking for external things and people to give you strength and value? Or do you pick yourself back up and try again when you’re ready?

How we approach the hard times will inevitably be what helps us succeed on our journey called life, or fall short and make us struggle every time things don’t go our way.

I want to see you all rise up, challenge yourself, and succeed!  You need to believe in yourself. Believe you ARE strong enough, and make life what you want it to be.

You can do it! Rise up!  Here I am on a great day.
This is where I want to be, this is my goal!

 

 

 

This week stay positive! I know, easier said than done at times. Find something that you CAN do and go do it. Be outside, let the sunshine and Fall weather bring you joy, energy, and some inner peace.  Do something that makes you laugh, and release those positive chemicals in your body.  Don’t sit back and ponder all the negatives, that won’t do you, or anyone around you, any good.  You deserve more! You deserve better!!

 

I’m here for you!  Let me know how you’re doing.

 

And remember, as always:

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!!

 

Much love,

Angie

Sometimes how I feel about my leg!🤣

 

 

When The Going Gets Tough

When The Going Gets Tough

How do you deal when hard times come a knockin’?

 

Do you throw your hands up in defeat or do you reach deep down and find the strength to carry on?

Do you belittle yourself into an out of control spin or do you use words of affirmation and pull yourself up by the bootstraps?

 

I have been realizing, of late, that I am struggling with motivation. I think the move did me in and I’m still recuperating from the physical battles I had to overcome with packing and unpacking a home.  My body has been aching more and my residual limb, well, let’s just say we are trying to come to terms with what I want to do and what it is capable of doing.

I have pushing myself to get out the door and put my walks and exercise time in, only to find that my physical game is struggling, which then plays into my mental game. This past weekend I went for a long walk with my husband, only to find that my limb really didn’t have it in it to walk as long as I wanted to… but I pushed myself and my mind won.  However, that wasn’t the only win that day.  I walked the longest I had walked in my new socket- 2 miles, but I also pushed myself into an opportunity to see where my mental fortitude lay.  This is how this podcast came about. I realized how much I talk to myself in the “heat of the battle”.  My mind was speaking to my heart and my leg.  I then asked myself why I go through this pain and hurt.  What was I getting out of doing this to myself?

I learned a lot about myself as I walked in the 98 degree Arizona summer sun, pushing myself to go farther, to not turn around, and not to give up.  I find that this is beneficial for me to see what I am made of, to work out the kinks in my prosthesis, and build my character and create positive moments in my life.  Is it easy? Was it easy?  Absolutely NOT!  But as the saying goes, nothing worth earning comes from “easy”.  We benefit more from a situation that is hard to get through because when we rise out on the other side we claim victory, and this is great for self motivation and helps us deal with the next hard moment, which is sure to come.

 

This was a moment of finding out what I was made of.
A 10K race just 1 year after amputation.

 

The question is, how are you handling those tough moments? Do you want to do better? Feel better? Look better? Then it comes down to your mindset and the way you talk to yourself.  Positive self-talk is so important. We tell our kids to not put themselves down, when they screw up, but are we beating ourselves up when we fall short? It’s easy to say this to people when you realize what they are doing to themselves, but to practice what you preach can be tough and a hard pill to swallow.  I realized the day after I did this walk that I had a really hard time with the pain and my usual exercise, and I started to get angry with myself, using negative words and being frustrated…. so easy to fall into that pattern. I saw that I was doing exactly what I said NOT to do and instantly changed my inner voice to a positive tone. Did it make it easier to finish, not necessarily, but I was better for it, and learned a lot about myself that day.  I know that I can be physically strong but mentally weak and will struggle.  These two go hand in hand.  It’s time to change how you treat yourself and how you talk to yourself.

Listen in to this week’s podcast to hear how that day went for me, as I recorded in the midst of that moment. It’s raw emotion and the reality of that struggle and hear what you can do to help yourself the next time doubt and fear creep in to your mind.

 

 

This week I want you to really listen  to your inner voice.

Are you speaking negatively to yourself? Putting yourself down and beating yourself up?  Be honest.  Nothing good will come from lying to yourself or being in denial.

Listen to your mind when you realize you’re battling something. What do you hear?  More than likely you are negative. It’s really common to do that. We hate making mistakes, and sometimes we feel unworthy of where we are. Stop! Give yourself grace to fall, talk kindly to yourself and pick yourself back up.

This week practice positive self-talk. It’s time to ramp up your mental game so you can go out with confidence into this world and kick butt.  There is no room for negativity. Love yourself for where you are now, set goals to where you want to be, and speak kindly and positively. You just might find yourself reach those goals quicker than you imagined you ever could.

You can do this!  Believe in yourself, I do!

 

And as always,

Be Healthy,

Be Happy,

Be YOU!!!! (You deserve that!)

 

Much love,

Angie

Attitude is Everything