The journey through COVID continued
COVID - November 2020 to June 2021
So here we were nearly 8 months on from the original lockdown and COVID continued to wreak havoc with the relatively settled way of life we had in the developed world. I think it’s no secret, but I suspect the vast majority of us didn’t expect COVID to still be having such a big impact on the world by this point. The scientists had been telling us in the summer that there would be another upsurge in infection rates in the autumn/winter when the temp dropped. And here we were. Continuing through a very unsettled time. As I have learnt following my accident there are no guarantees in the future. Letting go of certainty is hard, but it serves me well when I expect change to be ongoing. It allows me to not get attached to things, and therefore lead a more relaxed and settled life as I respond to daily challenges. Clearly you need a plan to give you some direction and focus. But when you put most of your energy into the present and responding to what faces you in a positive frame of mind, I find it serves me much more effectively than getting frustrated if things don’t go perfectly according to plan. Maintaining optimism is a key part of this process too. Again, something I have had to relearn following the accident. And with the help of a variety of very patient councillors, consultants, therapists, friends, and family I was getting there. But it remained a daily challenge (and still does) and will likely always be top of my list as I continue to work on my awareness and mindfulness.
The world is an amazing place filled with amazing people (despite the crap you read/watch in the news) so find them, connect with them, enjoy life, have fun and work with them to solve the challenges that we face in the current phase of the planet. I watched David Attenborough’s documentary at the time https://www.wwf.org.uk/updates/david-attenborough-life-our-planet and whilst harrowing, it is also full of optimism. Whether humanity takes note, time will tell, but it is surely our responsibility given the knowledge we now have to take action and change our behaviour. Governments etc clearly play an important role, but this stuff starts at our own front door. I’m inspired watching my kids approach these challenges and they all have their own interests that will contribute positively to the future. Hannah studied nutrition and is now finishing off a degree in biomedical sciences. . And what we eat effects our health and wellbeing as well as the planets ecosystem. Aimee at that time had decided to keep her music and musical theatre (which she is amazing at!!) for fun and relaxation and focus on studying law with an environmental slant (She's now back to Scottish studies) which probably blends fun and cognitive interest better. And Andrew inspires kids on a daily basis through his instagram account and coaching MTBing to get out on their bike and enjoy the phenomenal countryside that we have on our doorstep in the Highlands of Scotland. And now he’s off to study Sports Development and Coaching as he is already passionate about helping people get active and enjoy the great outdoors. So, what they all end up doing in life who knows, but so far it would appear they are connected to nature and have realised early the importance of protecting it and getting out and enjoying it. For physical and mental health :)
Pandemic Update into 2021 – The lockdown continued
Hard to believe but time had rocked on, and we were now in June 2021. We had been through another lockdown. We were slowly emerging from this lockdown as COVID, and its many variants continue to wreak havoc on the planet. And major sporting events (which those that know me well will know I am addicted to following ;)) were starting to happen again…..with fans!! And Scotland, having qualified for a major footie tournament for the first time in 23 years, were ( remarkably they are now improving) getting typically disappointing results. So not much had changed at that point ;) at that moment they had secured a nil nil draw with England at Wembley!! Woohoo (which may not sound that amazing, but ask any Scotland fan and you may get a different response)
My recovery continued to go well. I had developed a range of new habits in 2021 that were having a really positive impact on my well-being, and I had some new plans and ideas for the future.
1. I had stopped watching the news. Such a release. We are so conditioned to sit and hoover up any news the BBC or any other channel deems it necessary for us to know. When you step back from it you realise that it consumes your time, your energy, potentially causes underlying anxiety and 99.9% of it has absolutely no impact on your life. And conversely you can impact none of it either. Far better to focus your time and energy on the people you know and the community you live in. At that point (and it continues) , I had certainly noticed a pickup in my mood and energy.
2. I had turned off all social media apart from messenger. And I had turned off the notifications to that too. Essentially, I was now in control of what I looked at and read and not responding mindlessly to what someone else had deemed to be interesting. There are very positive uses to social media. For keeping in touch with people and organising club events etc it is brilliant, but it must be done mindfully at the time of your choosing. It is an ongoing challenge, but one that I intend to keep at given the positive effect of the changes so far.
3. I had changed my diet to largely vegan but certainly vegetarian at the time. I still couldn’t resist a bit of cheese now and again;) After watching the documentary “Game Changers” which has lots of scientists interviewed, I was convinced. The food industry does an incredible job of convincing us we need to eat animals for our protein. Anyway. I’ll leave it there. I have all the energy I need for the training I do, I feel superb, and my sleep is great following the change.
4. I had been working with Naomi, my Occupational Therapist on managing my fatigue. It will become more apparent later how vital this is. In life we could all learn from this but specifically following a brain injury. And as an adjunct to the above I was now asleep by 11 every night with a goal to make that 1030. Still an aspiration ;)
5. Since the New Year I had been meditating every morning and doing yoga most days.
6. And at that time I had been having cold showers 3or4 times a week and doing the Wim Hoff breathing method most days as part of my meditation practice.
It was hard to know which of these habits were making the difference, but my mental health had never been better and my brain kept recovering and getting better all the time.
I was told by a consultant early in my recovery that the brain improvement would be significant for the first two years and would then slow down but still improve after that. I would say thankfully that the improvement in my brain continued to be significant even after 3 years and continues improving to this day. And the habits I have outlined above are definitely a contributing factor. I still have my down moments and sometimes days, but they were becoming more and more infrequent.
I spoke in an earlier post about projects, and how important they are/were to my recovery and well-being in general. So a wee update from then, on some of the projects at the time
1. Running 300 miles in March and April 2021 for Charity
The Oxygen Works (TOW) were doing a virtual kiltwalk in April 2021 to raise money for the centre. As I have mentioned before TOW has been a key part of my rehab and I am now a board member. Anyway, the initial idea was to complete a virtual kiltwalk (26 miles of running, cycling or some form of movement) on the final weekend in April. I was beginning to ask for sponsorship for said idea and one of my Ultra running friends suggested I run 300 miles over March and April instead. The joy of having friends that do crazy things!! More on that later too. So after not much thought it has to be said, I said yes!!! And after 45 miles a week culminating in a run up Beinn Eighe in April, I completed it :) I was delighted and a sure sign that my physical recovery was progressing well. And how important friends are (Martin did accompany me on some of my 11-mile Mast runs as well tbf! and the Beinn Eighe finisher - Pic below)
2. Starting a PT job with Ticket to Ride
I had been looking for something more meaningful to do as part of me recovery. Speaking to my occupational therapists during 2019 and 2020 I had realised that work not only provides an income but a chance to meet people and engage with other members of humanity. Through contacts at the Tri Club I had been made aware of a business called Ticket to Ride in Inverness that does bike hire for mainly tourists and provides a bike taxi service to people that are completing Lands’ End to John o Groats or other challenges like the Hebridean Way or the Great Glen Way. I love all things bikes (despite the accident) so I got in touch with the owner Lindsay to see if they had any PT jobs. They operate primarily in the spring/summer, and it seemed like an ideal job for me to get stuck into complimenting my love of bikes and engaging with people. Lindsay was keen, so after a couple of shifts in late summer 2020 I started with them working 2 days a week in April 2021. I mentioned earlier about the need to manage fatigue and that was a consideration with this role. Although I was only working 2 days a week, they could be long shifts and involve a lot of driving. Key to the fatigue mgt is planning in breaks during a day and not doing too much the days before and after workdays. I took on the challenge with my usual commitment and loved it :) crucially I was listening to Mark v2 and not doing too much, as I managed my fatigue.
3. Hooked by the challenge of completing Celtman
I may have mentioned once or twice that I have a number of crazy friends that take on incredible physical challenges. That has been a big part of my previous life since I started getting fit in 2001 to lose weight culminating in completing an Iron Man (IM) Triathlon in 2016 and the Highland Cross in 2018 a week before my accident. I love the training, I love how good it makes me feel, I love the mental health benefits I get from it, I love being able to keep up “mostly” with my kids, I love the people I’ve met and become friends with, and I love the places I’ve been and the experiences I’ve had. And on more than one occasion consultants have told me a large part of my good recovery and indeed surviving the accident was due to my fitness. So I am keen to see how fit I can get again following the accident. So back to Celtman mentioned above. It’s an extreme IM set on the West Coast of Scotland. A few of my friends have completed it and indeed I have been in the ballot (it’s that popular) to compete in the past. My main driver in life following the accident has been to do things that I enjoy and to have fun doing them. I am also keen to inspire anyone, in any walk of life that you can do anything if you put your mind to it regardless of your circumstances or what may have happened to you.
So in this blog entry you are hearing the start of my latest story. After much consideration, I have decided to get myself fit enough to be in the ballot, hopefully successful and have a go at Celtman 2023. That was until I bought a puppy just after entering the ballot!! What was I thinking – not the wisest from a Celtman point of view (so I pulled out of the ballot) but the right decision from so many other angles. 2024 now and fingers crossed I will be successful in that ballot in November 2023.
And an update from June 2022. The people that run Celtman developed Solo Point Five which I entered and completed. You may have seen my stand-alone blog entry. Similar course, but shorter and includes one the biggest road bike climbs in Scotland! 50 of the finishers got into Celtman 2023. Not successful in that ballot unfortunately :( I’m coming to get you one day Celtman
At this stage in life following the accident I was feeling good. I have been knocked in life but through a lot of support from friends, the kids, family (My Mum is a legend who I will never be able to thank enough) and a whole plethora of professionals I am building a new life on my own terms. I have learnt to be patient, to accept and let go of what you can’t change, to listen to people, never judge a book by its cover as you have no idea what they are dealing with, be kind, forgive, smile and be grateful and thankful for what you do have. It continues to be a journey. Speak to you soon :)
