After a heart attack, heart surgery, cardiac arrest, ICD or a diagnosis of heart failure or any other another heart condition, it is natural to want your old life back. I certainly did.
Today’s Relaxamation is based on the affirmation: I am at peace with my new reality.
If you don’t know what a relaxamation is, then you may want to read my blog or listen to the episode called Relaxamations Explained – The Big Calm & The Feel-Good Factor.
Please do not listen to the relaxation segment of this episode while driving or operating machinery.
Listen here for the full relaxamation or read on for more details ….
Want To Be Normal Again
After a heart attack, heart surgery, ICD, cardiac arrest, a diagnosis of heart failure or any other cardiac event:
- You may want your old body back.
- Your old confidence.
- Your old routines.
- Your old freedom.
- You may want to wake up without thinking about your heart.
- To walk, work, travel, exercise or make plans without wondering whether your body will let you down.
You may find yourself thinking:
“I just want to feel normal again.”
“Why can’t everything be the way it was before?”
“This is not the life I planned.”
Perhaps you compare everything you can do now with what you could do before. Perhaps your life feels smaller. Your world may have become filled with appointments, medications, symptoms, restrictions and uncertainty.
You may feel as though your cardiac diagnosis has placed a boundary around your future. And when reality is very different from what we hoped for, it is normal to resist it.
- You may move through disbelief.
- Anger.
- Fear.
- Sadness.
- Frustration.
You may try to bargain with what has happened.
“If only I had noticed the symptoms sooner.”
“If only I had made different choices.”
“If only my body had not let me down.”
You may find yourself looking backwards
Are you waiting to become the person you were before you allow yourself to enjoy life again?
- But what if life does not need to be exactly as it was before to be meaningful?
- What if a different life can still be a good life?
- What if accepting where you are today could help you see possibilities that are difficult to notice while you are fighting against reality?
Accept What Happened to You
- Acceptance does not mean that you like what happened.
- It does not mean that you agree with it.
- It does not mean giving up on improvement, recovery, treatment or hope.
- And it does not mean assuming that the way you feel today is how you will always feel.
- Your abilities, health and confidence may continue to change.
- Acceptance simply means recognising what is true in this moment.
It means saying:
“This is where I am today. What can I do from here?”
When you stop using all your energy wishing that today was different, you have more energy available to care for yourself, make choices and begin moving forward.
- You can remember your old life with love without living entirely in the past.
- You can acknowledge your limitations without allowing them to define your whole identity.
- You can appreciate what your body can do today while continuing to work towards what may be possible tomorrow.
- Your new normal does not have to mean a lesser life.
It is simply your starting point
A place from which you can adapt, grow and discover new ways to live fully. During this Relaxamation, I will invite you to release some of the struggle with what has happened. You will be encouraged to focus on what you can influence, let go of what is beyond your control and become more open to possibility.
Today’s Affirmations:
Say your affirmations 5 times each as a set. Repeat your set of affirmations at least twice a day. The more you use them, the bigger the impact. Add them to a habit that you do every day. While cleaning your teeth, driving, running, walking your dog, washing the dishes, when you first wake up or the last thing at night.
I am at peace with my new reality.
My life can be different and still be meaningful.
I am free to discover new possibilities.
You do not have to believe those words completely yet. Simply allow yourself to become curious about how they might feel.
Your Self-Reflection and Journaling Prompts are:
Use these questions as journaling prompts, consider them quietly during meditation or simply give yourself a few moments to think about your answers.
- In what ways might denial or resistance be keeping me stuck?
- What is the difference between accepting my current reality and giving up on myself or my future?
- Why might acceptance require courage?
You may also wish to complete this sentence: What is one possibility available to me now that I may not have noticed while I was looking backwards?
Where to Listen
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