On Thursdays, I take P to karate, as I always do. It had finally stopped raining and the sun was shining bright so I headed out for a walk. It was late afternoon and a million beautiful clouds created all kinds of shapes in the summer sky. There was a light breeze that helped me stay cool. I was walking briskly, enjoying the beautiful weather.

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As I strolled along the path listening to one of my favorite podcasts it hit me that I wasn't thinking about walking at all. I wasn't paying attention to my breath, my heart rate, or my pace. You might be wondering why I would think about any of those things while I'm walking. Most people just go out and walk, right?

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A few months ago, my walk would have required that I think about all that. When I had long Covid, walking was something that I needed to do but was also something challenging that I had to think about doing. I had to make sure my pace was not too fast because I couldn't get my heartbeat up. I got tired quickly and would have to rest often. Hills felt insurmountable and required frequent stops and heart rate checks. A few times, when I wasn't paying attention, my heart rate would skyrocket and I would get dizzy and feel like I was going to pass out. My walks couldn't be too long or I would have to deal with days of fatigue.

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It was scary and unpredictable. It had been going on for over 8 months and I remember thinking that this was just how my life was now and I needed to accept it. I tried to focus on the fact that I could still walk, it just didn't look the way I wanted it to.

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I still remember how horrible that felt, both the physical nature of what was going on and also the emotional nature. It felt so heavy.

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The hardest part of going through any illness, injury, or tough time, it feels like things will always be like this. We feel like we will be stuck in our current situation forever. We try to find acceptance of what is while also grieving what once was.

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Change is the one thing we can count on in this life. Everything is changing all the time, whether we want it to or not. Most of the time, especially when we are struggling, that change occurs slowly and we don't notice it's happening until we are on the other side of it.

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So often what feels permanent is just a season we are in and doesn't define our whole life. But when we are in the thick of things it doesn't feel that way and can be hard to remember. So what do you do then?

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1. Stay focused on what you can do.

Our brains are hardwired to for negativity. This goes back to prehistoric days when we needed our brains to focus on threats so we could stay alive. You have to flip the script and focus on what is possible to get you out of that negativity loop. See what is available for you and let that be your focus.

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2. Have a support system.

Surround yourself with people who lift you up, help you laugh, and remind you what's really important. When we focus on connection with others, we stop focusing on ourselves. It can help clear our heads and get us out of that negativity loop.

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3. Breathe.

This is a big one. When we get lost in our heads and go down the rabbit hole of negativity it can be hard to get out. Stopping and taking a few deep breaths (inhale for 4 and exhale for 4) gets us out of our heads and back into our bodies. This gives us the clarity to see that what we are thinking may not be true and may just be a story we've created in our heads. Most of what we are thinking has us lost in the past or catastrophizing about the future. We can't control either of those. The breath brings us back to the present and reminds us that we have this moment now and that is the one we can do something about.

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4. Celebrate your wins.

ALL OF THEM. Even the ones that feel so tiny that it feels silly to celebrate them. It all matters and will help you to see possibilities that you didn't see before. It will change how your brain looks at your situation so you can see things more positively.

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This doesn't mean we won't have hard days, it just means we won't get lost in them. Stay focused on what is possible for you right now, take steps to help change your current situation, and then be kind and patient with yourself.