So, I had my gallbladder taken out recently. I felt a sharp pain in the upper right part of my abdomen. I thought it would go away and thought nothing of it. Except the pain was at a 10 for two hours straight. Realizing this was something potentially serious I called 911. The pain was not what took me off guard, it was the recovering
Another two hours passed for the ambulance to come because apparently there is a staffing shortage. When I finally did get medical attention, I had an ultrasound that was very definitive that I had an infection in my gallbladder. I thought I would get a round of antibiotics but no, the whole gallbladder had to be taken out. After being transferred to another hospital I was set to have surgery the next morning.
The next morning came, the surgery happened, and I was home three hours later. I thought something that came and went so quickly meant a quicker recovery and I would be back to normal the following week. I could not have been more wrong.
That next Monday I only had two clients, and both cancelled so that day was a long nap. The next morning, I had a 10a and a 12p. I did get through those appointments, but I could not concentrate and fully listen through the sessions because I was so exhausted. With that I cancelled appointments for the rest of the week.
The rest of that week was a lot of sleep and recovery. I had some discomfort from my surgical sites that got better each day. What threw me off the most was how exhausted I felt. Even doing administrative work took much more concentration and mental effort than I had the capacity for.
The next week I did start seeing clients who were more than understanding of why I had to suddenly cancel the previous week. That week I had planned on getting back to see some of my clients in person but that had to be postponed. Things personal and work related eventually got back to normal.
At this stage of recovery after I have healed physically and had rested up is when I got frustrated. Mostly getting frustrated over something I could not have helped but it occurred anyway. The week I took off was money lost and I was also told not to exercise for two weeks, so there were some losses there I had to gain back.
In hindsight, I absolutely had to have that time to recover. I did not have the capacity physically or emotionally to go on business as usual. In the long run I’ll recover the hours and money lost and will get back into shape with exercise. Recovery, downtime, rest is crucial.
This experienced reinforced the necessity of self-care and making sure I am getting the essentials of food, rest and sleep. Even taking vacations whether the vacation is a staycation or a long weekend. Recovery is essential as the process of recovery recharged the mental and emotional bandwidth spent over a week.
The past few months I have dealt with two clients who really have no time to relax. Even getting a decent night’s sleep is a challenge because of work hours. One client powers through being tired with coffee and energy drinks. Even though they know this is far from ideal with the main motivator is having to make an income. Another client continues working two jobs ignoring their body when they feel tired or hungry to serve more clients to therefore make more money.
Both clients have a very relatable need which is generating income to pay bills made even more of a challenge with current inflation. The problem starts when a “muscle memory” of ignoring being tired or hungry builds up.
The client who used coffee and energy drinks to power through their day experienced a bigger issue which was falling asleep at the wheel leading to a car accident. This client said the car accident was not bad but served as a wakeup call and will start taking an extra half-day off.
The other client is still working the same number of hours on limited sleep but a deep resentment for their supervisor and other colleges is brewing.
Ignoring warning signs such as continuously feeling tired and doing whatever is needed to power through can be a sign of a deeper down need to be addressed. While the need to stay constantly running on no sleep is to work a job is important, what other alternatives would help? A different job? Asking for help from a friend, friends or family?
If you are looking for a therapist near you then a Google search is a great way of finding one. I happen to be a therapist in Charlotte, NC but am licensed to counsel anyone in the state of North Carolina. In Google, try looking for “psychotherapist,” “find therapist,” “therapy near me,” or even “counseling charlotte, nc.” If you feel like you have hit a wall you are not able to get past, call me at (704) 458-6298 or email me at jeffhelms@clearerthoughtspllc.com.
Learn more about Individual Therapy, Couples Therapy or Christian Therapy.
Follow Clearer Thoughts on Facebook. Click here. Clearer Thoughts is on Instagram. Click here.
You can set up an appointment for your free 30-minute consultation by clicking here.
