The Joy Of Movement

As I mentioned in my previous article, just over two weeks ago I believe I suffered a double slipped disc.

I’m now almost able to move around again like I could before I got injured, but for some reason I’m feeling different.

It’s kind of funny because, the last time this happened, I worked a 9 – 5 and so I was in no rush to get better because the sooner I got well, the sooner I’d have to go back to work. Ironically, because of that, I healed pretty quickly.

This time around, because I was so eager to get back on track, healing seemed to take forever and it was really frustrating.

When you’re totally incapacitated for two weeks, you have a lot of time to think. It really gave me a new perspective on many aspects of my life. None more so than the gratitude I now feel for the mundane things I can do without thinking about it.

Simple things were near impossible. The old chestnut about how you don’t really miss something until it’s gone couldn’t have been more true!

Because of this experience, it’s really given me a new found appreciation for the way in which the body is able to function without a second thought being offered. Once those simple functions are taken away, you just can but feel like hugging the crap out of them once they return.

Here’s some of simple movements I really missed but until recently I never really appreciated until now:

1. Standing – I could sit down with plenty of support but every time I stood up I screamed in agony. I even felt the fear of the pain I was about to feel before standing.

2. Getting out of bed – It became exceptionally difficult to get out of bed so I devised of way of using my arm and elbow as a lever. After a while my arm started to really hurt but the alternative was much worse.

3. Going to the loo – Just in case you’re eating right now I won’t go into too much detail…but when I did finally manage to go, the relief was just phenomenal!

4. Walking – I couldn’t walk more than a few yards without nearly collapsing. A couple of days ago I had to walk a long way and my back was still not 100%. By the time I finished I was so exhausted because of the extra effort I need to carry myself. When I got home I just collapsed into my bed.

5. Breathing – Yep, I even had to be careful because breathing too deeply caused me a lot of pain.

6. Sneezing – Firstly, let me just say, OH MY GOD! Sneezing became the most painful thing ever! I dreaded every time I could feel a sneeze creeping up on me. Sneezing whilst having a slipped disc is by far and away the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced. It was like a infinitesimal moment of years of torture. 😆

Despite all of this I did invent some strange ways of doing simple tasks like using a hanger to pick up a sock or the ol’ faithful – just getting my brother to do everything for me! 😛

Now, every time I sneeze, or stand up without being in pain I feel like shouting a huge thank you to the universe! It will serve as an eternal reminder no to take this simple actions for granted. I hope I can impart some of this new found gratitude over to you. 🙂

38 Responses

  1. Good reminder Amit 😉

    One thing I’ve noticed is that movement feels really good if you abundantly make use of it. If you’re sitting in a chair all day long and then you try to move a little, it feels hard at first because you’re putting your body in a state it’s not used to.

    But if you get used to movement, you can actually get addicted to it. And the health benefits are tremendous!

    Cheers,

    • Amit Sodha says:

      Well said Eduard. That stiffness of lack of activity is definitely a tremendous wake up call. I love the feeling of being free to move and to express myself through my body, I don’t know where I’d be or what I’d be feeling if I didn’t have that gift! 🙂

  2. PS: Fiiiiirst!

    I love doing that 🙂

  3. Amy Potts says:

    Amit,
    I’m sorry you had to suffer the physical pain to teach the rest of a us a lesson on gratitude. But…I’m grateful for the words and for the reminder of the things we take for granted!

    Amy

  4. sarah says:

    I should be the last person to take the simple things for granted… but I do now. Thank you for making me feel lucky to be able to write that, and for taking me back to a time when even the simple things were impossible.

  5. Sandra Lee says:

    Amit,

    I’m so sorry for your suffering! At the same time, I’m inspired by the way you have used this life challenge to infuse your life with gratitude and appreciation. You are a wonderful role model for us. 🙂

  6. Amit Sodha says:

    Aww thank you Sandra for those very kind words! I like that term – infuse your life with gratitude – I may steal that for a future article! 🙂

  7. J.D. Meier says:

    I’m glad you’re on the path to recovery. It must feel wonderful to be able to move around again.

  8. Amit,

    Good that you are feeling better and able to move! I recall once I was sick, I could not do simple things that we normally do, and it was good to get back to things I took for granted. Welcome to movement again.

    • Amit Sodha says:

      Thank you Zengirl, always an amazing feeling to get that movement back and especially to be able to do the most simple of things again!

      Thank you for always being there!

  9. Lisa H. says:

    I can completely relate to this article. Two years ago I suffered an injury that left me on crutches without a diagnosis and in pain for six months. The pain was excruciating and the doctors didn’t know what was wrong. I have since been diagnosed (tendon tears) and have been treated for the last year and a half. As a runner, I never missed my ability to move as much as I did then.

    Glad you are recovering.:-)

    • Amit Sodha says:

      Hey Lisa, in a way I’m glad to see you can relate and as horrendous as it was it was also a blessing too. You never quite appreciate something until it is totally gone! I’m also a runner too, training for the London Marathon in 2011 🙂

  10. Milan Bakrania says:

    Hey Bro,
    Great article! It’s true, we all take our bodies for granted until such time when we fall ill or injure ourselves, that’s when we realise how thankful we should be for what we have. It’s all about the gratitude! Btw good to hear you’re back into the swing of things.
    Milan

    • Amit Sodha says:

      Milan, it’s so good to hear from you. We find it so easy to form bad habits and yet the good ones are the most important….I’ve definitely learned from this to form a better habit of gratitude for all the amazing movements I can make!

  11. I am so happy to learn that you’re feeling better, Amit. It is amazing how many things we take for granted. I’m sure most of us don’t stop to give thanks for simple things like standing, sneezing, or using the bathroom without pain. I truly appreciate you for the reminder. Right now, I feel so unbelievably thankful for every part of my body that is functioning normally and without pain. Thank you Amit for sharing your story.

    • Amit Sodha says:

      Hey Nea, It does feel so good to be back to able move freely again. I can’t even begin to say how frustrating it was but that was a gift because every minute I was out just increased my fire to heal quicker and to not take for granted the joy of movement. Thanks so much for commenting!

  12. Roman Soluk says:

    We always don’t appreciate certain things until some time and it’s really sad. I’ve also experienced such things in my life.

    Thanks for sharing this, Amit!

    • Amit Sodha says:

      Thank Roman, great to see you’re still blogging at the end of 2010. It’s not easy breaking into eat but you’ve done an amazing job. Have a wonderful new year my friend!

  13. inspired female says:

    amazing article, if i must say so myself, its amazing how much we really take for granted in life, and one of the biggest things is our health! im glad to hear you recovered! 🙂

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