Coffee Talk

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. 

Let's catch up over coffee! Did you know that yesterday was National Coffee Day? Every day is coffee day at my house! Anyway, I just love this monthly coffee date. I'm having my usual Dunkin with a scoop of GLG collagen and a splash of half and half. What are you having? What would you tell me over coffee?

Happify sets a positive tone to my day!

Anxiety: Using an App to Help Manage Your Symptoms

Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Happify and all opinions expressed in my post are my own. Happify is not meant to be a substitute for mental health services. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, contact your healthcare provider or call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-8255.

I don't know about you, but 2021 feels more stressful to me than 2020. In 2020, I had all the optimism that there was an endpoint to all the turmoil. I had the expectation that things would be better in 2021. Instead, we continue to battle COVID-19 and deal with all the fallout from 2020. According to the CDC, the percentage of adults with anxiety and depression increased to almost 42 percent by February of this year. The largest increases were in young adults ages 18-29. Access to mental health services has been stretched and it is estimated that only 37 percent of adults with an anxiety disorder are actually receiving treatment. 

Anxiety is a very treatable problem. There are a variety of options for anxiety sufferers besides psychotherapy and medication. Relaxation techniques, meditation, yoga, exercise, and acupuncture are some alternative options for the treatment of anxiety. 

Earlier this year, I shared my own struggles with anxiety. I also shared some of the tools I've been using to help me manage my stress and anxiety. Recently, I had the opportunity to try out Happify, an app full of science-based activities and games to help manage stress and anxiety. The Happify app aims to help people build their well-being skills and develop positive life-changing habits. Optimism, resilience, gratitude, positivity... these are some of the skills that can be learned to lead to a more happy life.

Can an app do that? 

Adjusting My Expectations

As promised, I nixed the running and cut back on my walking miles this week. Work continues to be busy and I am spending the entire day on my feet, seeing patients. I won't lie, in spite of wearing supportive shoes--Danskos and Alegria--my foot throbs at the end of the day. My ankle is mostly quiet, but at night, I have to position my leg just so, otherwise, it hurts. 

Sigh. When people ask me about it and I express my frustration at the slow healing, the response I usually get is: "What did you expect?"

At 3 months post-injury, I fully expected to be back running again. I'm not running and it will be a little longer before I can. I'm adjusting my expectations, continuing my alternative workouts to maintain fitness and build back my strength. I've pulled out the new running shoes that I was saving for my return to running and wearing them on my walks.

Running, I'm so ready for you.

I Miss Running and other Runfessions

Well, here we are again at the Runfessional. That was fast! It seems like I just posted last month's runfessions. Soon the snow will be flying--ok, I'm getting ahead of myself. Even though I'm not officially running, I do have runfessions this month. Thank goodness Marcia opens the runfessional. I need some absolution and an injection of positivity because, yeah, I runfess that this being unable to run thing is wearing on me.

You Can't Hurry Healing

I need to run, run, to ease my mind. I need to find, find, some speed of some kind...

Oh, you can't hurry healing, you just have to wait...

Oh, healing don't come easy, it's a game of sit and wait...

You can't hurry healing, you just have to wait,

You gotta trust, give it time,

No matter how long it takes...  

~Adapted from You Can't Hurry Love. Apologies to The Supremes and Phil Collins and the songwriters

I saw the orthopedic surgeon this week. It's been 10 weeks since my injuries and while he's pleased with how I'm feeling, the x-rays didn't show much progress with my healing. Remember, the x-rays always lag behind what is happening in real time. I also had to remind myself that healing isn't linear. I'm not worried that my fractures aren't healing, but still, it wasn't the news I was hoping for. 

I did runfess to him that I've been trying out some short bursts of running. While he didn't tell me I couldn't do that, he did tell me that too much activity can slow down the healing process. 

So no, I'm not cleared to return to running but I can continue to keep active with restraint. Patience is not one of my strengths. Between the overwhelming stress I'm feeling from work and my expanding waistline, I need to break a sweat. I'll go back in 6 weeks for repeat x-rays. In the meantime, I have plenty to do to keep myself active. 

It's Still Summer, Sort of

This is my favorite time of year and so far I am not disappointed with the weather we are having. Cool mornings and warm afternoons make for perfect running conditions. Oh, right. I'm still not running. But I have been walking and this weekend, I was able to get out for one last ski around the lake. 

My foot and ankle still aren't completely healed. When I push myself a little too much, they let me know about it. This week, I have a follow-up appointment with the ortho. I'm looking forward to getting another x-ray and evaluating just how much healing is happening. I know I'm not ready to start running again--although I may have tried a little bit. Getting closer!

Thankfully, I have a lot of alternative activities to keep me fit!

Ice Age Trail hike

A Little Bump on the Road to Recovery

I've been doing so well on the road to recovery that I was surprised to hit a little bump this week. On Saturday I woke up in a world of hurt with a full-blown RA flare. Actually, I had trouble sleeping because I could not get comfortable. I thought about getting up for some ibuprofen but it seemed like too much work at 2 am. 

The last time this happened was 2 weeks after my second dose of the COVID vaccine. Two weeks ago, I received my 3rd dose of the COVID vaccine. Coincidence? I'm sure not. I'm just hoping that this flare will be short-lived. And that it doesn't interfere with my recovery.

Timing is everything and with the not-so-great weather this weekend, we stayed home from the lake. That gave me time for guilt-free rest on the couch, watching the Wisconsin Badgers play football, catching up on blogs, and reading.

Cheesing

Coffee Talk

Disclaimer: This post contains an affiliate link.

Let's catch up over coffee! What are you drinking? I'm having my old favorite, Dunkin original with a scoop of GLG collagen and a splash of half and half. It's always a treat. I can't believe it's been a month since we last shared a cuppa.