Most people know the world of endurance sports coined the term “hitting-the-wall”. When a woman “hits-the-wall”, she pushes her body beyond its physical limits, and she comes crashing down in a debilitating state of mental and physical depletion.
While you, as a WOBO professional woman, may not be running an ultra-marathon, you have been running a sprint every day for decades. Do you even have time to realize that you’ve hit the wall? What should you do now? How do you get back on your feet? No worries. While you may be down, you’re definitely not out.
Here’s my 7-step recovery program:
- Admit there is a serious problem. Awareness is essential to your self-healing. Dr. David Frawley, world-renowned Ayurvedic teacher and healer, states that self-understanding is the basis of good health. If you don’t own it, you can’t change it.
- Do an honest assessment of the situation. How bad is it? In order to get your mojo back, you have to know what’s broken and to what degree it’s broken. Write down all the ways in which you feel off, as well as any health symptoms. Ask your doctor to order tests to check your bloodwork. You might be surprised to find you have a common problem such as a thyroid issue, adrenal fatigue, anemia, or a vitamin or mineral deficiency. Don’t throw darts at a dartboard. A good plan needs good data.
- Give yourself permission to take care of yourself. Ayurveda, “the science of life”, is also viewed as a science of self-care that tailors its approach to the needs of each person. Getting back on your feet will take time and will require you to do things differently, especially your self-care. You must believe it’s ok for you to take care of yourself – in any way necessary.
- Believe in your own self-healing. Get in touch with your own body. Learn to read its signals and understand the issues to address and in what manner. In order to allow your mind, body and soul to self-heal naturally you need to understand the awesome power of the body and your innate ability to know the right thing to do.
- Develop a spiritual practice. A big part of hitting the wall is the belief you’re alone and have to do it all—that you can control things. In order to get back on your feet and move forward with the same drive but less struggle, you must ease into the flow of life. A connection to Spirit/Source/God/universe is essential to helping you through the good and bad.
- Evaluate your beliefs and habits. Your lifestyle has lead to being worn-out and burnt-out. A lifestyle that is largely self-imposed because of your beliefs about yourself, of others, how life works, and what it means to be successful. While many people are stressed out because of external forces, a WOBO woman is guided by her own drive and self-motivation. A WOBO woman pushes hard even when the world around her doesn’t.
- Get support. You’re the Lone Ranger, the flag-bearer. You carry the load for everyone. You feel like you should be able to handle it. It’s an inconvenience to others if you ask for help. When a WOBO woman tries to do it alone, it’s nearly impossible for something different to happen. You can’t see the forest for the trees. Somebody—a friend, your spouse, a therapist, a spiritual advisor, or a health coach—needs to help you see a different path.
I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. Feel free to ask questions too.
