Is it Helping or Hurting?

I have a foot injury that likes to rear it’s ugly head every so often.  I’ve found if I can catch it early enough I can prevent the pain from getting full blown.  This morning I woke up to tightness and a little pain, so I thought I’d take quick action and put the compression sleeve on my foot.  Immediately after putting it on I felt relief and comfort. I wore it for a couple hours before putting on my shoes and heading out for a run. Less than a mile into my run the pain came back and continued to get worse with each step.  I began to wonder if it was my shoes or maybe I just needed to break down and get some special insoles. At about 2 miles the pain became so intense I began to think I wasn’t sure if I could make it home. I began to think about how this pain had not been happening all week. I came to the conclusion that the only thing different was the compression sleeve. I hobbled to a bench and removed the sleeve. I put my sock and shoe back on and decided to keep going for a bit just to test it out.  The pain was gone and all I felt was a little tightness.
Sometimes what we think is helping may actually be hurting us. Things might feel so comfortable and a perfect fit at first that we don’t realize when slight pain starts occurring. Once it turns painful we might look for other things that are causing the pain and overlook the true cause because it felt so good at first that we dismiss the fact that it could be the cause. If we don’t figure this out, not only could the pain become unbearable, but could be damaging. This is why we need to really start examining the situation when we first start noticing the discomfort. Look at the things that changed or happened just prior. This is crucial to watch for in life and especially when entering into new relationships. They often can feel so incredible at first that you do not see or feel issues arise or often doubt that it could be the problem. To alleviate pressure, just remind yourself to stay present and open. Listen and stay curious, but pay attention to things that do not feel right and figure out why they feel that way. Most importantly be true to yourself and trust what your gut instinct is telling you.
I am thankful I figured out so quickly what was causing my issue that morning. It definitely saved me from extra pain and possible damage to my foot. Removing the cause took me from thinking I would not make it home to running an additional 6 miles before returning home. My foot was not at 100%, but proof that some times things we think are helping can actually be causing us problems. Life is tough enough without having this type of pain added. Once we figure it out and remove or fix the cause we can continue to move forward in this incredible journey of life!

XOXO

 Tiffanee