If you’re recovering from a serious injury or health problem, the New Year can feel less like a fresh start and more like a reminder of what’s on hold.
Your Feed Full of Fresh Starts?
It can be hard to read and hear all the noise about fresh starts and self-improvement when you’re still dealing with pain, panic episodes, or uncertainty about what comes next. When recovery is ongoing, it’s hard not to focus on how far there is still to go.
January is a time of year when a lot of us take stock. A natural point where we step back and look at the bigger picture – where we are, where we’re going, and what we want to change. It’s also a time when comparisons creep in. Our minds just naturally do this.
Comparisons, Self-Criticism and Other Stories
There are comparisons with other people. With where you were before this happened. With the version of you who didn’t have to think about scans, follow-ups, or recovery timelines.
There’s often a painful yet familiar story about how long recovery is taking, and all the delays and ‘time lost’ along the way. Waiting for appointments. Chasing letters. Things that didn’t work out. Being told you need more investigations, more surgery, or more opinions. So much of it has been out of your control.
In my first clinic back this week, a client told me she’d been avoiding social media entirely so she didn’t have to see what her friends had been up to over the holidays.
Before the Christmas break, some clients naturally reflected on how far they’d come that year. Months earlier, they couldn’t imagine being back at work or being present enough to enjoy time with family. But another client was still waiting for a date for further surgery and dreading the recovery time that would follow. That felt like a backwards step, even though it isn’t.
January can be a good time to take stock. That’s not the same as judging yourself.
Your inner critic is bound to highlight the things you “can’t” do that you used to do. If your mind is saying, “But I’m not there yet,” or “I’ll never…”, notice that this is a story it’s telling. And notice that it’s not the only story.
There’s also a story about the courage you’ve brought to do the hard things. Maybe that’s been turning up to therapy each week. Going to physiotherapy appointments that left you in more pain for two days. Making phone calls you’d rather avoid. That’s commitment.
A Fresh Start is Necessary But Not Enough
When you want to change something that really matters, starting is important – but real change depends on what you repeat after that first step.
You are here. You’ve already come a long way, even if sometimes it doesn’t feel like it. And you can move forward from where you are now.
A new start doesn’t have to be 1st January. It can be next Monday. Or it can be today.
So choose one thing you can control today and do it.
It might be doing a physio exercise you’ve been putting off. Booking an appointment or doing a bit of research to find the next thing to move you forward. It might just be sending a reply to a friend who reached out. Or listening to your body and resting without guilt.
Hold this in mind: Every time you make room for something important that’s uncomfortable and you do what feels hard, it’s a vote for yourself. You’re investing in future you, the person you want to be and who you’re becoming through all of this.
You don’t have to overhaul your life to move forward. You maximise your potential by doing the best you can each day.
Why Small, Repeated Actions Matter More Than Motivation
I’m often telling clients that motivation is over-rated. I’ve been thinking about James Clear’s idea of getting 1% better each day at something we’re working on. You might not see or feel a difference at all day to day. I think this is especially true with psychological recovery because our minds are so good at telling negative stories.
Most people say they feel better after getting to the gym. But you don’t notice any change in muscle tone after one workout. With recovery after injury or illness, a therapy session might not even leave you feeling any better. But consistent small steps really do add up. Turning up again. Practising a new psychological skill or technique. Doing the next thing, even when progress feels slow or uneven.
I have some clients who have never missed a therapy session. One of them dreaded coming to appointments for months. She later described how hard it was to put one foot in front of the other just to get there. Now she’s back in work and performing at a high level again.
Start with something small and achievable. Something that will take you in the direction you want to go. Then, make a simple plan for how some forward action fits into your week.
You can’t yet see what’s around the bend in the road. But with steady, repeated action, there will come a point where you realise you’re in a much better place than you are now.
I work with adults to rebuild their lives after trauma following injury, a medical emergency, or serious illness.
Image credit: Mike McGrath on Unsplash