Wednesday, April 12, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
15
Commentary...
Free events Learning to cope with pain and loss
promote
health
By Katy Yoder
Correspondent
After a long winter spent
shoveling snow, it’s tempting
to get out on the golf course
and get in as many holes as
you can get as quickly as you
can. That, of course, is a good
way to get hurt.
Therapeutic Associates and
Sisters Athletic Club are team-
ing up for a pair of free classes
on local courses designed to
give you a better, more injury-
free, start to your season.
Dynamic warm-ups and work-
out diagrams will be provided.
Classes will be held at Aspen
Lakes on Wednesday, May 3,
and at Black Butte Ranch on
Wednesday, May 10.
Call Sisters Athletic Club
at 541-549-6878 or email
Andrew Loscutoff, Andrew@
sistersatheticclub.com, to sign
up or to get more information.
You can also visit Sisters
Athletic Club on Wednesday,
April 19, 5 to 7 p.m. for an
“ask the experts” session.
Physical therapists and a chi-
ropractor will be on hand to
answer questions about coping
with or preventing injuries.
2017 has not been easy.
From the get-go it’s been
rough. Regardless of your
politics, the presidential tran-
sition has been anything but
smooth. It’s been unsettling
— and motivating. I’ve got-
ten more involved in politics;
more interested in what’s
happening. The stakes seem
higher and more fraught with
potential disaster than ever
before.
When I feel out of con-
trol I don’t always choose
the healthiest ways to cope.
All I have to do is look in the
mirror to know that’s been
the case this year. Instead
of choosing meditation and
prayer, I’ve often chosen
wine and chocolate. One
option leaves me relaxed
and centered, the other gives
me a headache and thunder
thighs!
Jeez, when will I ever
learn?
Leaving the political cli-
mate aside, life’s thrown
some tough challenges my
way. When I say that, I mean
there are loved ones who are
suffering and I’m trying to
help but end up suffering,
too. In the past week, my
horse died. The night before,
a friend died. Through all of
that, a loved one was diag-
nosed with colon cancer. Can
I just call “BUNCO!” and sit
this one out? Even as I write
this I’m ashamed to complain
about any of it. I’m alive. I
don’t live in Syria. I’m not an
undocumented worker terri-
fied of being deported. And
my cancer hasn’t come back.
Nonetheless, it’s all tak-
ing its toll and I’m having
trouble coping. My body
aches, I’m tired no matter
how much sleep I get, and
I’m still worrying about all
the things I can’t control. Am
I guilty to feel this way? Am
I ungrateful? Should I just
“buck up!” and deal with
it? So far my personal pep
talks haven’t worked, or they
don’t last long.
I know that health,
whether it’s considered bad
or good, is affected by my
state of mind. Focusing on
what’s wrong or unfair in
my life doesn’t help make
things better. As my Mom
so wisely says, “the waves
go in and the waves go out.”
Right now, there are high
winds and a low tide mak-
ing it hard to move through
the day. Having spent my fair
share of time sailing, I know
I can’t change the wind but I
can change my direction by
responding to my circum-
stances thoughtfully.
All this loss can be over-
whelming. Losing loved ones
to death is the price I pay for
the blessing of being alive.
For some I am torn between
wanting their suffering to
cease and not wanting them
to leave me. Then there’s
the friendships that run
their course and fall away.
It’s another type of loss that
requires a lot of self-reflec-
tion and regrouping.
I try not to, but it’s tempt-
ing to wonder who’s next.
Me? Someone else I love
dearly? I’ve heard a lot of
talk lately saying, “God only
gives you what you can han-
dle.” That idea stopped mak-
ing sense to me after a friend
took his own life in college.
He couldn’t handle what was
happening around him or
in his head, so he ended it.
Suffering is hard to endure
and often even harder to wit-
ness. It makes more sense for
me to accept that sad things
happen and then know that
blessings will accompany
that loss.
The key for me — and an
ongoing lesson — is learning
how to handle and cope with
loss. How I perceive tough
times and what I allow my
mind to focus on has a direct
effect on my mental and
physical health. I’ve allowed
myself to cry when I need to,
no matter where I am or who
I’m with. I’m getting better
at letting people know how
I’m feeling and when they’ve
said something that is hurt-
ful. For instance, using the
“beating a dead horse” anal-
ogy is not advised for some-
one who has recently had to
put their horse down. In fact,
I wish that term would just
cease to exist like so many
other old-fashioned phrases
that have lost their relevance
in today’s world.
I’m taking one moment
at a time, trying to stay posi-
tive and healthy. I’m going
to keep praying for those
I’ve lost and those who are
suffering. I’m also giving up
trying to figure out why bad
things happen. They just do;
it’s what I choose to do after-
wards that really matters.
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Bring your physical therapy prescription to us!
COMMON CONDITIONS WE TREAT:
Back Pain
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Pre- & Post-Surgery
Shoulder Pain
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Stroke Side Eff ects
Knee Pain
Sprained Ankle
Concussion
On The Job Injury
Headaches
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