The question they don’t talk about

The word that stuck with me this week was hope. It was used in the context of no longer having it.

Hope.

When I hear clients reflect on their experience with pain, the word - hope - is an indictor. Usually an indicator that is bright red and blinking that needs some attention.

Losing hope draws out many strong emotions and this call was emotional.

A client came to me with pain. Persistent pain that has grown in intensity over the last year and a half.

Her back pain is so great that she struggles with activities of daily living, be it standing in her kitchen to prep food for dinner to the inability to bend over to put dishes away in her dishwasher after a meal.

Through a broken sentence full of emotion she said to me, 'all I want to do is go walking with my dog and my kids'.

Through more sniffles and broken sentences she shared that she was questioning her ability to have hope.

Every medical/specialist appointment was the same. Statements like "lose weight", "increase your exercise" and "take this medication or have this injection".

All advice that was trying to help. And yet, she did not feel that it did. It wasn't tangible nor something she felt was actionable. Almost too broad to apply.

Being present to her story, what do you think I said?

It is probably one of the most crucial questions of my work.

A questions that I don't necessarily have the answer to myself.

It is something that can be forgotten time and time again. I, even personally, forget to ask myself this question at times too.

It is…

What CAN you do?

Once you know where you are, you can more forward from there.

We paused the solving of her pain on the call and switched it to what is actual possible.

I always come back to this concept. I've shared it before and will share it again.

​Part of staring with the present moment allows us to ask the question…

What CAN I do?

From there we started building a list of what she could do. It brought the power back to her. She had control of something that was tangible and actionable. The best part was she had the answers for herself. I gave my two sense of course and she built out what she could do to start increasing her physical activity.

​"Freedom is in accepting what is and forgiving ourselves…in opening our hearts to discover the miracles that exist now…"
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- Dr. Edith Eger
The Choice

I love this quote from the book The Choice. I recently read it and although an emotional memoir of survival, Dr. Eger shares her experience of what CAN I do to survive. I highly recommend it!

As the summer days continue to shine, I myself am taking a summer break. While I'm away this August, I invite you to ponder…

What CAN I do for physical activity?

If you need some extra support, check out my free mini online course, Assess: One savvy step to accelerate your physical activity behaviour change. It can help you find your answers. You can also book a 1:1 appointment with me too to explore what you CAN do.​

Do expect to see me in your inbox on the first of August and September with my monthly article round up. And then consistently into September. I've got lots in the works in the Fall with in person workshops and classes in Edmonton and openings in my virtual 1:1 yoga therapy and kinesiology practice open to anyone in Canada! Keep your eyes out for me into September where I will share all the details!

Have a great time exploring what you CAN do this August!

Stay well and happy moving,

Lisa