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A friend shares lessons about pain and advocacy
From Editrix Jenni
My good pal Leah Jones recently walked the Susan G. Komen 3-Day For the Cure. She wrote about the experience and has some awesome messages about managing pain and listening to her body.
Here are just a few snippets:
"One of the big lessons for me at the end of the 3-Day in 2008 was that I didn't have to have cancer to take care of myself; the big lesson this year was that I don't have to injure myself for the cause."
"I walked that afternoon and made it to the final pit stop of the day, then walked about one more mile. My legs were aching, so when I saw a sweep van I put my thumbs down and hopped in. It didn't matter that it was just 2 more miles, I needed to listen to my body and take care of myself."
And here's her most major lesson:
"It is your body and the only body you have. Respect it. "It's not as bad as chemo," is a great motivator to keep moving, but doesn't mean you should injure yourself. Listen to your body and take the sweep vans. Listen to the crew and drink water. Eat salty foods. Take care of the little blisters, so they don't become big blisters. Just because you're not hurting as much as other walkers, don't deny yourself medical attention.
"The best advice I heard on a Sweep Van this year was, "I'm here to have the experience I want to have. That experience doesn't include injuries or pain."
"To me this goes hand in hand with my "Permission to Miss Out" theory. I don't wait in lines at big conferences or stress about getting to the right sessions, because it stresses me out emotionally. I will now also listen to my physical body when I do charity walks and endurance events. The goal, for me, is not to walk every mile, but to have a positive experience. If that means walking half of the miles or a quarter of the miles, then that is what it means."
Thanks, Leah, for sharing your story. I know all my fellow ChronicBabes can benefit from a reminder that we need to listen to our body and respect it...so please read Leah's full post.
Much love and respect, Jenni
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Posted: 8/10/2009 in Coping | Also posted in: Inspiration
