How Does a Seventyish Woman Get Past the Potential Depression of Setbacks?
Some tips for how to handle your own
I was doing great with my new habit, walking one minute more every day, then I hurt myself. My setback was small but the way I reacted to it reminded me of the big implications of our ability -or lack of it- to respond skillfully to negative situations.
For several weeks I had been increasing my walking time every day and was feeling really pleased with this new habit I was building — walking after doing the dishes every morning. A few days ago, I awoke with a serious pain in my ankle. Every step gave me a sharp pain that did not ease. At first I ignored it and walked anyway, hoping the pain would go away. It got worse. After that I decided to stop walking except when necessary, again, hoping it would go away.
Secretly, I believed that my left ankle was now doing what my right ankle had done -- ruined my life for a long time. It was probably arthritic and would now need a complex surgery with insertion of three pins and 3 months with absolutely no weight on the ankle while it regrew bone around the pins. All of this had been done with my right ankle. I was seriously unhappy about this conclusion. It distracted me for several days. I tried not to think about it and sat.
