With Remembrance Day just behind us and the end of the year approaching, it's that time in private practice when the number of patient bookings spikes and people stream in, usually wanting to make the most of their coverage before it resets in January.
Quite a few of you have shown up back in the office recently looking to get back on track after taking a brief hiatus from working towards more long-term goals. Often, more severe or complex injuries and chronic issues just take time; slow and steady is usually the most sustainable and likely path to success in these cases, and as long as things aren't going backwards there’s nothing wrong with taking a break to catch-up on everything else going on in your life when the time calls for it.
For people who may have taken a little step back from everything else as well, rather than feeling a sense of guilt, remember that a period of intentional downtime to rest is incredibly helpful in the long run, provided you don’t let yourself stay there. When it comes to what we do at physiobox, there’s no need to feel nervous about booking back in after dropping off for a little while; we get it. It’s been great to see familiar faces coming into the clinic and getting back on track before the year ends, and taking steps to enter 2025 on a high note rather than just getting started.
Making January, one of the darkest and coldest months of the year and following a holiday season filled with rush and overindulgence, the prime time to make dramatic shifts in our habits feels like a dark comedy . The movie starts on a high with characters full of good intentions, naively unaware that they’re obviously set up for an inevitable crash and burn, then as if none of it ever happened, they brush themselves off and do it all over again next year, the year after, and so on. It's not surprising that a lot of us seem to be collectively getting over the idea of making over-the-top New Year's resolutions these days. Even though I’m aware this is one of the worst ways of establishing better habits or to creating new neural pathways in these brains of ours, I’m without a doubt guilty of taking the holiday nosedive—telling myself that it's okay to stop putting so much effort into healthy habits, letting the rest of the year turn into a write-off, and convincing myself along the way that I will turn it all around in a snap in the first week of the new year. Think of how many chocolates most of you have seen me eat out of the bowl on my desk on any given day. Now multiply that by Christmas.
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If you have the means to do it, how would it feel to instead enter the new year already on top of things and moving in the right direction towards your goals? This doesn’t necessarily mean cutting back on enjoying the holidays, but rather making the most of what's left between now and then when it comes to investing in yourself, so you coast into January already on your way and feeling accomplished and self-reliant. The option for you to do this now is right in front of you; you just have to decide to make it happen. For a lot of us, this means prioritizing time for exercise, continuing to eat healthy instead of dwelling on all the chocolates you ate from the bowl on your desk yesterday, and remembering to keep all of those other good habits in check between all the get-togethers and celebrations. For some, maybe it also means getting back on track with your existing rehab plan, or finally dealing with that long-term sore spot in your shoulder, back, or knee. For those of you who are feeling genuinely burnt out and looking forward to some holiday downtime, rather than letting yourself fall completely off the wellness wagon (usually in an effort to be unrealistically productive all of your other obligations, right?), entering the new year on a high might mean taking meaningful steps toward a healthier work-life balance now rather than later. Most likely, things will get done with more efficiency and ease once you make a point to first schedule in some intentional self-care in between all of the hustle, anyway. For those of you who always find wintertime more challenging, navigating the months ahead in healthy ways-- such as by continuing to spend plenty of time outdoors and avoiding the snooze button during those dark mornings-- might be a lot easier if we focus on establishing or maintaining those habits now so we enter the new year feeling energized and engaged.
So, with the rest of November upon us, consider this a potential opportunity to ensure that you start 2025 already on track and feeling good, and full of pride for ending 2024 on a high note. If you’re looking to get back on track, or even just get started before the holidays go into full swing, Brielle, Jasmine, and I are here and ready for you.
- Mark