Member-only story
When a Setback Takes You Down
How to get back on your feet and be strong again
A couple of months ago, I headed out the door to take my dog for a walk. About a block from my house, I slipped on some loose dirt and fell hard on the sidewalk.
Although it took a minute to catch my breath, I thought my only injury was a scraped knee. But the next morning, everything hurt, including taking a deep breath. The doctor informed me that I hadn’t broken anything, but that I had a bruised rib.
This injury came at an awful time. My schedule was filled with coaching clients and writing projects. However, I took lots of Ibuprofen and continued to push myself with my work. As the days went by, I gradually began to heal.
But my spirit took a nosedive. I had worked hard to build up my exercise program, and suddenly, I couldn’t do any of it. To console myself, I slid into eating ice cream and cookies. Of course, that comforted me for a little while, but then I felt worse because I was unhappy about my eating.
Aftermath of a setback
My fall was painful, but the setback in my eating and exercise felt worse. Finally, I decided I’d coped long enough, and I made a decision to get back on track and eat healthier again. Even though I had to move a bit slower than usual, I…
