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| Routine: A Physical Therapist Discusses What Happens When His is Disrupted |
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by Matthew Goodemote MPT, Dip MDT - November 2, 2010
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I made a startling discovery this weekend, one that I was truly not expecting. I had a rough day on Friday. My heart was doing flip-flops, my head was pounding, and my blood pressure was higher than it has ever been while my pulse was really low. Needless to say, I was a tiny bit alarmed. For nearly a year, I have been “walking my walk,” working out hard. I have lost weight, my joints don’t hurt, and my body has been feeling great. But then on Friday, from what seemed like out of nowhere, my body was sending me messages that didn’t quite match.
I scanned the typical culprits in my life to see if there was something out of balance that was causing such a disturbance in my peace, but nothing really rang true for me. Sure, I had had some caffeine, but not enough that my heart would go all over the map. I have been eating generally more healthy foods and I had not eaten anything out of the ordinary that day. Generally, I have good rest and exercise as part of my daily routine, and there was no exception to this, either. I was stumped- and apprehensive. So what could it be? Stress? Surely not me, the guy that tells my patients every day how important it is to listen to your body and let it guide you back to well-being. In fact, earlier that week I was insisting that a member of my staff take the time to take care of their own physical well-being. So could it be that stress had finally caught up to me?
No, it wasn’t stress. Sure, there have been some stressors in my life, but for me the things on the outside really weren’t the source of what was going on that day on the inside. In fact, when it occurred to me what was actually going on, I laughed out loud- and since then, my ole ticker has jumped right back into its groove.
So what exactly do I think it was all about? Well, before I can answer that, I would like to share another story that my dad would say is “the same thing, only different.” A friend of mine is going through an event in his life that took him by surprise. This event has been a gift and a curse already, yet it is just the beginning, and he has what looks to be an amazing journey ahead of him. He mentioned to me a couple of times about how important learning to “find his peace” has been through this process so far and how surprised he has been with the benefits that meditation has given him already. In our conversations, he told me that occasionally he allows his imagination to take over and fear will creep in and convince him momentarily that he has something to worry about, only to find his peace again and realize that in fact, there is nothing to worry about. After all, worry is not actually a very helpful response to a particular event, unless the worry is re-directed to remind you that it is not helpful and what matters most is the peace in your heart. Anyway, he briefly mentioned how during his normal “routine” he thought of something that he “should do” to “help others figure things out.”
I responded, “They’ll figure it out.”
Simple words, and granted they weren’t all that profound, but they were meaningful to my friend and later, to me. Too often, we convince ourselves that we are “helping” others by getting into their business. We like to “help” others by letting them know how “we” would do things. Take a minute to consider what I just wrote. We help others by telling them what we would do. We don’t help by finding out what is best for them, we find out what is best for us and assume that what is best for us is also best for them.
We all have a different life with different perspectives, different life purposes, different ways of handling events, different priorities, and different differences. So why in the world would we think we are helpful by telling others that what we ourselves would do is the best for them, too?
This is not a question for me to answer for you…that would be me trying to “help” you find answers that are right for you. The best we can do is to reflect on what others say to us and how we react to what we do and say so we can identify what we need to do in our own lives. We can listen to our friends and share our heartfelt opinions with the expectation that our friends will “figure it out.”
My routine was disrupted last Friday. My heart literally stopped me in my tracks so I simply couldn’t keep going. Then without warning, the message came through- it occurred to me that my routine, my habit, of trying to help others because that is what I thought I was supposed to do was actually the very thing that was blocking the way for them to “figure it out” on their own. To my staff, my sincere apologies for getting in your way or slowing you down in any way. To my family, my same heartfelt apologies- I see clearly what my “help” has done. And to anyone reading this, it is never my intention to come across as knowing what is best for you or your life situation. My intention is merely to offer a perspective, one that may challenge you at times or may confirm what you already know.
In the end, my routine was disrupted, and for that I am grateful. It allowed me to stop and then experience a moment of insight that led to a perspective shift. My challenge to you is to look at the disruptions in your own life and see if you can see them differently. Maybe the disruptions are there, as they were for me last Friday, to break up your routine and to shift your perspective to allow others to “figure it out." Maybe you see them as disruptions but they will turn out to actually be opportunities or catalysts.
 Matthew Goodemote is the founder and owner of Community Physical Therapy & Wellness in Gloversville, NY. He has degrees in Exercise Science, Health Science, Physical Therapy, and he is one of just over 250 in the world with a Diploma from the McKenzie International Spine Institute. Matthew is recognized as an expert in the fields of Physical Therapy, orthopedics, spinal disorders, sports medicine, and wellness. He is routinely called upon to offer tips and suggestions relating to health and wellness. His unique approach makes him a highly sought after expert at different ends of the media spectrum. He has received requests to participate in studies for scientific journals, and to write articles for trade magazines and popular press magazines such as Fitness to offer proven recommendations that stand the test of time. More of Matt’s blogs can be found at http://www.matthewgoodemote.com/blog/.
The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.
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