Around this time in January of 2010, I had my first serious ski injury. I launched myself off an icy jump and did a 180, but I was going too fast, and I overshot the down-sloped landing and came down hard on flat, cement-like snow. Since I was landing backward, all of this impact had to be absorbed with my lower back, which simply couldn’t handle the force. Did I mention I was drunk?
(Those of you who’ve read my humorous memoir will recall that I used to be a world-class idiot.)
The Aftermath
After two weeks of being completely crippled, I recovered enough to go back to work (bartending), and I foolishly returned to skiing. My back was still royally messed up, causing me great pain every day, so I probably should have gone to physical therapy and rested. But caution and foresight were not my strengths, so I quickly went back to my old ways – repeatedly hucking myself off of cliffs during long days on the slopes.
It probably comes as no surprise to you then that my back didn’t heal. I spent the summer dragging big logs around and cutting them into firewood – a necessary chore for mountain living but one that did not help my lower back at all. Winter returned, and I skied just as hard as always, despite being in great pain the entire time. My back just got worse and worse. By the end of the season, I was ready to get help, so I went to the doctor. She prescribed muscle relaxers, which ultimately didn’t help, but which did lead me – fortuitously – to something that did help.
A Stroke of Luck
While waiting for my prescription to be filled, my eyes wandered around the pharmacy. On the back wall, there were some things for sale – some basic physical therapy equipment, a few over-the-counter medicines, and a book. It was the book that caught my eye: Treat Your Own Back by Dr. Robin McKenzie. Price: $9.99.
I hobbled over to the display and grabbed the book.
Seems legit, I thought, flipping through the pages. Heck, I just spent $80 to see the doctor – what’s another $10?
After making the drive from Bellevue back up to Snoqualmie Pass, I rebuilt the fire in my woodstove and cracked open the book while waiting for the cabin to warm up. The basic exercise to alleviate back pain was very simple, and it would only take a few minutes. I got down on the floor and gave it a try, and to my complete and utter surprise, it worked! The pain in my lower back went from a brutal 7 out of 10 to a very tolerable 4 out of 10. And as I followed the routine over the coming days, it got even better.
Your Problems Have Solutions
The point of this story is that I was dealing with a difficult problem that had a mechanical solution, and I allowed myself to suffer for far too long without seeking out such a solution.
This, I’ve learned, is normal. When you’re suffering through some kind of difficulty, it’s easy to forget that you’re not the first person to do so. Many other people have faced the same problem, so there are preexisting solutions. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel.
There are mechanical solutions to challenges as diverse as procrastination, recurring depression, and coming up with new ideas. Apply the strategies that have been shown to work. And don’t be afraid to spend a little time or a little money to learn those strategies. Even more expensive solutions like therapy and habit coaching are worthwhile investments. Money doesn’t buy happiness, but spending it to solve a persistent problem does.
So if you’ve long suffered with some seemingly intractable problem, ask yourself:
“Do I really want to spend the rest of my life dealing with this?”
Invest in yourself, and I’m sure you won’t regret it.