Welcome everyone who has an update to share for May! We are five months into our words and I am hoping that this month you are finding unexpected things with your word! An “ah-ha” moment or two perhaps! The link up is at the end of this post and I am eager to see how your month progressed!
May has been the most curious month for me… I have spent a good bit of time waiting which is my least favorite thing to do. To me it seems such a colossal waste… sitting and waiting.
But this month I focused on viewing it differently… changing my perspective and my attitude. My “Waiting Time” fell into two categories…
Waiting to start…and Waiting for improvement…
If you have recently visited a health care professional, then you likely understand my “waiting to start”… I love how in my “medical care network” the requirement for the patient (me!) is to show up at least 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment. And isn’t it just fantastic how every appointment starts on time… NOT! It is no different at PT appointments and when you have weekly appointments it feels like I am wasting so much time. At least that is how it felt until I tried a different tactic!
One of the things I read when I began my trying to incorporate Yutori into my life was this:
So this month, I have practiced “soaking in the environment” as I wait for my PT session… I set myself some guidelines, No Doom Scrolling on my phone. No knitting. No reading and tuning out. Just sit in and absorb the environment… and soon I began to notice a delightful hum… therapists encouraging patients, patients on stationary bikes encouraging each other, and even a wife encouraging her husband (she is my weekly favorite – her encouragement is a thing of beauty!) It is a place where stress could be high, but it is a very calm environment. After a few weeks of just taking in everything happening around me… I began to notice a change in how I felt. I actually looked forward to arriving early to just be part of all that is going on around me. It was calming and so very relaxing – a good thing because I have at least another 4 weeks of PT appointments! (Now, lest you think that every single person who arrives at PT is all zen and happy to wait… it is not. Every week there is at least one person who is frustrated with the process… of course, right? I try and channel some of my calm their way and I wonder if others are doing the same.)
I wish the second portion of my challenge this month was as successful as “waiting to start” was… The working towards improvement has been slow going. I am showing up every day though and I keep reminding myself… this is a problem I ignored for a long time so it won’t be fixed overnight. This week, I shared with my therapist my frustrations on how slow improvement was… and she reminded me of the improvements that I have made since I began just 4 weeks ago. It was not a long list but it was a good reminder that there is some improvement and enough of a list to encourage me in my continued efforts!
If you have an update to share, please leave your link below and thank you so much for joining me this month!
That is such a great perspective shift! And I imagine that soaking in all that encouragement is good motivation for you when you start your session. I wish all medical waiting rooms offered the same, but sadly it’s usually just a loud TV showing something I’m not interested in.
Your approach is inspiring, Kat. This reads like a meditation, to me. (What you describe doing is hard, quite frankly!) It would take a lot of self-discipline for me to rest my hands and mind while waiting—hence, I would miss out on the beauty of human connection and compassion that you describe here.
Not that there’s any way of knowing, but I’m curious if you would have settled on this approach had you chosen a different word.
Cheering you on as you renew your strength. 🩵
That is an interesting approach! I often view waiting for appointments as free time to read or knit so I don’t usually mind it, but I may have to try the “soaking it in” approach. I don’t know who said it but there’s a quote: “It doesn’t matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.” Congratulations on your progress and keep going!
I accompanied my cousin’s neurology appointment and he ran over 2 hours late!! It takes great patience. I assume it is the office manager who is scheduling and I know urgent visits require double booking with specialists. I find if I have something to entertain me (book) it runs on time, when I have nothing I am sitting and waiting around.
I love this strategy! And am so happy that it’s proving to be fruitful for you. I have been using a similar strategy lately – I’ve been wanting to meditate more regularly but it’s been difficult to capture quiet time to sit on my mat and breathe. So instead, I’m focusing on my breath in the midst of all of the chaos. It’s as close as I can get right now and I’m reminding myself that it’s fantastic practice.
And you’ve gained so much perspective while “waiting for improvement.” I’m glad your therapist has been able to help you focus on all of the improvements you’ve made so far… Keeping your successes in the back of your mind while remembering why you’re making these efforts in the first place are the best ways to stick with the hard stuff.
What a month, Kat! Thanks so much for this post. I’m already looking forward to your June update!
I think that’s such a wise way to . . . be. I’ve been trying to do something similar . . . walking without listening to a book, working . . . without music. Etc. I’m trying to get my focus back by doing less “multi-tasking.” I love the thoughtfulness you’ve matched to your “waiting,” Kat. Things worth doing . . . take time. I’m so glad your waiting-time is making a difference for you. XO
This is a great example of how important reframing a situation can be. I hope you can be patient with yourself as you wait for the changes you are hoping to see.