Recover

Today a reminder to take time to recover from both big and small setbacks.

Research has identied many of the consequences on people who survive Adverse Childhood Experiences. You can learn about how the experiences you endured in childhood may have affected your stress-level, brain development and overall health. It may help to make sense of things for you.

One practice that I use to support my overall health and sense of well-being is what I call Recovery Time. A metaphor I use is that of training to run faster. There are times when you go all out to the point of exhaustion with a faster tempo to your steps, working as hard as you can. That’s an important part of the quest for speed … but that training alone will not make you faster. Your body requires time to recover. After a 100 meter sprint, you jog for 200 meters and walk for 100 meters before you kick it up to top speed again.

I apply this same logic to non-physical experiences to allow time to recover a sense of myself. I take time to write in my journal or to read. I also benefit from walks with my dog, hikes in the woods and time on or in water.

• What helps you recover your sense of self?
• How will you create space in your life for recovery?