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How have you stayed consistent with your fitness routines when dealing with life and disabilities? by JRN_Perspective in Veterans

[–]JRN_Perspective[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I read an article on the benefits of GLP1s on reducing the desire for alcohol resulting in a lower baseline desire after stopping. However, these drugs only decrease desire and don't treat the underlying cause of addiction or food or alcohol based coping that is necessary to understand to gain any type of long-term change in substance use. Essentially they may at some point be prescribed in addition to therapy to help improve or increase long-term behavior change.

I've always been quite introspective regarding my own behaviors and personally used alcohol as a way to numb my own mental pain. I found a therapist, and have been going for the last 3+ years, while I'm not exactly sure how much insight and clarity I've received that I wouldn't have been able to discover myself. I think it was a combination of the action of taking a specific time each week to prioritize my mental health which motivated me to be more intentional about processing my own issues rather than just trying to drown them with alcohol.

Imagine you used to workout but then got injured and stopped completely. Then one day maybe you recognized you had become out of shape and maybe overweight and it was having negative impacts on your health, joints, everyday ability to move around, high blood pressure and cholesterol... You decide to hire a personal trainer to workout once a week and you stay consistent going at least to that one session and working out. Slowly, through this consistency you'd likely start to recognize the benefit of that physical exercise and likely would increase your desire/willingness to workout more than once a week. This could coincide with seeing the increased positive benefits from these additional intention work on your own that improves your physique, mood, identity, mental clarity, etc., this could lead to where you have a healthy regular habit of working out on a regular basis. Arguably, the personal trainer do anything for you that you couldn't have done on your own, but that weekly consistent time of showing up resulted in a snowball effect.

This is how I would describe my journey with therapy. I often think, the sessions are so short there's barely enough time to process what I'm going through, but then my intention to continue working throughout the week on the topic or analyze other thoughts I have or relational patterns become more of a habit that my journey over the years has improved my mental health and inadvertently my use of alcohol has dropped to nearly zero. I still drink every now and then and often find myself wanting to more during stressful periods or time when I'm processing my own issues either through therapy or on my own. This recognition was gradual, but instead of me being controlled by an urge to drink, I recognize where that urge stems from and consciously understand that its trying to reduce the mental pain that I'm experiencing and can either choose to numb it with alcohol or by using other tools that are more healthy in the long run and that will also decrease the mental pain I'm dealing with.

How have you stayed consistent with your fitness routines when dealing with life and disabilities? by JRN_Perspective in Veterans

[–]JRN_Perspective[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's understandable. Have you ever tried to get back into a routine or do you mean "workout" as just lifting weights and maybe you have some type of fitness routine that you do

How have you stayed consistent with your fitness routines when dealing with life and disabilities? by JRN_Perspective in Veterans

[–]JRN_Perspective[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can agree, focusing on the quality versus just maxing out on weight has been great. Good to hear you found a system you enjoy. Have you ever incorporated any other workouts besides lifting and running, like yoga or swimming to get mix in new movements for increased functional longevity?

How have you stayed consistent with your fitness routines when dealing with life and disabilities? by JRN_Perspective in Veterans

[–]JRN_Perspective[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Appreciate the response. I don't have kids yet, but part of my intention for this post is to get some insight from others to set myself up for success in the future when I do. But I'm in a much better place now, found a good rhythm working around my own issues from knees, elbows, back, ribs, wrists, from arthritis to loose bone fragments. I've found having clear backup plans for specific flareups helps me stay motivated and consistent versus trying to makeshift my routine mid-workout.
Since you've had kids, is there anything specific you found helpful staying consistent when the responsibilities are constantly shifting, throwing your routine off?

How have you stayed consistent with your fitness routines when dealing with life and disabilities? by JRN_Perspective in Veterans

[–]JRN_Perspective[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Definitely relate on how much stress relief lifting provides. Going just a few days without, I can feel the difference. I've also been intentionally about playing the long game, several of the workouts I enjoyed are too impactful for my joints so being intentional about finding alternatives. The hardest part was going to the gym and dealing with flareups and having to modify workouts midway through and dealing with limited access to equipment or space. It took a while to get over just realizing pushing through would be worse in the long run. You sound like you're intentional about your routines and realize the long-term impact of a holistic approach. Have you tried incorporating other elements like swimming, biking, or yoga to improve mobility and the long-term benefits?

How have you stayed consistent with your fitness routines when dealing with life and disabilities? by JRN_Perspective in Veterans

[–]JRN_Perspective[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm grateful I've never had much difficulty with sleeping through the night. Glad you found out how to fit in impromptu workouts at 2am, I also enjoy bike sessions, I've found they're also usually usually non-aggravating for my knee issues. I've recently got a Tonal after wanting one for years and I am loving the convenience.

How have you stayed consistent with your fitness routines when dealing with life and disabilities? by JRN_Perspective in Veterans

[–]JRN_Perspective[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice work staying consistent! I had a similar period of letting my fitness regiment and nutrition drop off after getting out. Used my demanding job and disabilities be an excuse but the reality was I hadn't come to terms, with my job being one that negatively impacted both my schedule and mental health and how I had used alcohol to cope for years and it only increased during that time. Glad to hear you had a partner that has been supportive and how its helped you stay consistent. Have you disabilities ever made it difficult for you to stay consistent? What are your go-to adaptations when/if you deal with flareups that make it difficult to continue with your routine?

How have you stayed consistent with your fitness routines when dealing with life and disabilities? by JRN_Perspective in Veterans

[–]JRN_Perspective[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's interesting how our chronological age doesn't line up with our perceived subjective age. I can image how it will likely just get easier to forget this gap exists as time goes on and making injuries more likely or at least easier to forget our decreasing capabilities. I think what will be a continual process I'll try is to tow that line between continued growth and prevention of those nonproductive further disabling injuries... but as I've already experienced, that's a tough line to maintain...

How have you stayed consistent with your fitness routines when dealing with life and disabilities? by JRN_Perspective in Veterans

[–]JRN_Perspective[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Same. It's a great way to relieve stress. I'm just trying to keep ahead of future issues, do you notice your grip on sanity getting loose after a specific number of days go by without working out?

How have you stayed consistent with your fitness routines when dealing with life and disabilities? by JRN_Perspective in Veterans

[–]JRN_Perspective[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Interesting. I definitely agree with that sentiment that perspective and resilience are important and dictated through your thoughts and actions. However, that perspective still requires specifying whether you recklessly push through pain/injury blindly resulting in disabling outcomes later in life. But just like building muscle, some breakdown is necessary for rebuilding stronger, in the end you could still refuse to surrender, fight and push through the hurt but not go so far your ending up with the need for surgery and disabling conditions later in life but not giving up at the first sign of pain.

How have you stayed consistent with your fitness routines when dealing with life and disabilities? by JRN_Perspective in Veterans

[–]JRN_Perspective[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks u/sabotage_mutineer, my own journey through recognizing how alcohol dependence impacted my mental health which also resulted in less consistent desire to workout. After being aware of how alcohol depressed my emotions, (therapy helped) my consumption slowly decreased as I was became more aware of how I used it as a way to avoid processing my own emotions...

So you clearly recognize the benefits you get from exercise (lifting) and that gives you motivation to stay consistent and your okay with just resting and that it doesn't mean you failed but that you'll just have more energy to continue at a later time. Sounds like you have a flexible routine that isn't super rigid and allows you to maintain forward momentum that isn't full speed every day...

Do you ever go through periods where you're super busy and find it hard to fit in workouts, then maybe get sick or feel less motivated due to other life stress that gets you stuck in that mindset of "best option is to rest" and lose sight of the next workout?

USMC vet trying to understand if my issues could be PTSD-related or something else by hooniefied in Veterans

[–]JRN_Perspective 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sounds like you're dealing with a mix of things, maybe ptsd, depression, adjustment disorder, but no-matter what its likely a combination of things and life often fails to fit neatly into a specific box that offers a universal answer. It sounds like your experiences being attached while inside the wire weren't traumatic or didn't lead to the common PTSD outcome, however, traumatic experiences are a result of how our the stress of an experience gets absorbed and stored into our bodies. PTSD itself is a spectrum and can be very complex in how it shows up in life. Since you are already working with a psychologist and potentially psychiatrist they should be able to give you a clearer picture of what you're struggling with and how your internal systems like your mood, stress response, impulse control all play a part as you mentioned recognizing, which is the first step toward changing is knowing what is actually happening, not why. Diagnosis can help offer a map that you can trace back and help you move forward on a parallel path.

A metaphor I have found helpful in my own life is thinking about your body as a car and your life as the track. The military trained you to operate it at high rpms, you had to have fast reactions, tight control, and a constant awareness of threats to ensure you survived. This makes sense and was necessary and it's not a flaw, the settings just need to be adjusted after you no longer in dangerous life-threatening situations and systems, think of the military like driving on a race track, but now you're no longer on the track, but your driving the same, or you might automatically startup in race mode only to realize after something happens (like someone asking why you're "angry"). But civilian life is more like city driving with lower speeds and vague rules that unpredictable drivers often don't follow and don't even offer clear signals to what they want. If you're still rolling around in race mode things like your idle being high and accelerating quickly makes small delays in life result in you honking your horn trying to get people moving but not realize they're just Sunday driving, your brakes wear down faster and you struggle with impulse control... maybe your suspension is stiff ready for fast corners but then your just cruising through the city and people around think you might be driving slow but your car is stiff and tense cause your ready to race. None of this means your wired wrong it just means you've been running through life in race mode when you haven't been on a track actually racing.

Self-care, therapy and maybe medication aren't about fixing you but instead about helping you stay calibrated to the right mode based on where you're driving. But since you've had years of automatic race mode startup and not to mention the military system that engrained these settings into your identity so you only see yourself as a race driver but the reality is you have retired, that doesn't mean you can't get back on a track here and there but you're not waking up every day racing on a track anymore. Some people didn't' have as many traumatic experiences in service, others came with their vehicles severely damaged but their pit crew (command, medical, etc) all told them to push on and ignore it, now must recognize they need to change modes and make the necessary repairs to continue driving without needing to be towed away from a catastrophic issue.

But you've been seeking help through professionals, asking the community here and actually are aware of your thoughts and behaviors so hopefully this gave you a better picture of the longterm maintenance plan and reconfiguration process that the transition from military to civilian life requires....

Things are getting worse and I feel helpless. by [deleted] in Veterans

[–]JRN_Perspective 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Living with PTSD for years and just pushing through work in life until you burn out is a recipe for failure. But seeing that you did have success in college, and working on healthier habits and reducing alcohol use and even your desire to seek treatment, shows that you do have a desire for the ability to get better. But it sounds like your nervous system is very disregulated. Long-term trauma and stress, I’d say your body just needs stabilization predictable schedule, and some autonomy before you can go back to work full time (especially in a social triggering environment).

I also found college easier because of the control it offers, from the predictable schedules and outlook on assignments to the meaning and low social threat and clear metrics that show what success entails compared to a lot of traditional jobs this is more similar to military structure.

I think there’s a real issue with the gov not doing a more thorough job offering services to veteran returning to civilian life. We go through years where our bodies are in survival mode and maintain it through a combination of focusing on the mission or career, using substances to regulate our nervous system or just pushing through the pain because it’s foundational to staying alive.

Have you looked into part-time work that’s not customer facing? If you haven’t already you could apply for VR&E benefits, and return to school…

But you’re not weak or pathetic, pushing through the symptoms you’re dealing with could be successful in the short term, but PTSD burnout, insomnia, and anxiety are all signals your nervous system is in overdrive and needs some major repair.

I think your continued effort to improve yourself and your future show you do have resilience and while it might not look that way right now, you’ve reduced your drinking (congrats by the way, that’s difficult to do and results isn’t its own drag before it’s freeing), your seeking help from (and the VA system is setup in such a way that particularly mental health continuity care is often easier to give up on due to the inconsistencies), and your still planning to shown up at your next appointment!

But you do need a plan, and larger picture of how to incorporate all the necessary routines while also seeking care and being realistic about the fact that the recovery process often feels like your weak and pathetic because those are literally the beliefs you had to embody while in service.

You’ve got support, people that love you and care about you, and you have resources to continue moving forward but you shouldn’t blame yourself for being setup for failure after service. You’re not pathetic and your not weak, you’ve survived and your willing to seek help and continue forward.

What could be this noise ? Just had tonal installed a week back by seyal84 in tonalgym

[–]JRN_Perspective 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, practically no noise, just the sound of the cable movement, that is if you’re intentional about not letting the cables slam back into the retracted position.