What would you say to a person who is already bedridden, when the whole world is complaining about their home arrest?
Would you console them by saying that we are all in the same plight?
Would this make the situation better?
Hi! I am Kratika.
I battled through my injury when the world was struggling with the pandemic.
Let me share with you the summary of my 2020.
The Beginning
January started with my ongoing exams. I was recovering from a regular muscle injury in my right knee since last month. My husband and I went on a vacation in February after my exams to celebrate our first anniversary.
On the last day of our trip, I lost balance & got injured again. Back home, we found out the high-volume torn ligament knee injury in my MRI reports. A surgical implant was the suggested solution.
Mix & Matches
In March, we flew back to our hometown for the surgery. My doctor advised me to undergo some physiotherapy sessions to prepare for the surgery. On the scheduled day of operation, the lockdown was imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
After two months, the government allowed for emergency surgeries. As my surgery was not in that category, it got postponed again.
Transition Stage
Finally, in late June, My knee got operated on. Stitches got removed after 20 days. Then in August, I started walking with the help of a walker.
Physiotherapy sessions were also started to strengthen the muscles. I was allowed to walk with a stick in September. I started walking without any support from mid-October.
Ready to Fly
Things were finally going well for me till I got down with chickenpox in the last week of October. As if this whole year of recovery was not enough, I got demotivated again. Still, with the support of my family & friends, I was able to be back on the recovery path. I celebrated the wedding of my brother in mid-December. We flew back to our place in the last week of December.
Now, you all can imagine my journey of 2020. It was like a roller-coaster ride. Yes, in this strange ride of my injury — I can understand how it feels to be in lockdown. As I can relate the situation to me being confined to bed.
Sailing through, I have learned many lessons in the year 2020 which I wanted to share with you.
1. Acceptance
My surgery got delayed month after month due to the lockdown. I was not able to sit for a long time. Sometimes, the pain was unbearable. I was getting mentally disturbed by sitting in my room.
Due to a lack of physical activity, I faced various digestion issues. I got a severe attack of vertigo many a time.
I got my comfort in reading books & novels. I read several self-improvement & spiritual books. Books are my childhood love.
Even when things are getting better, I got down by chickenpox infection in October end. Two weeks of etching, rashes & sleepless nights compelled me to think, “Why Me?”
Then, One day I read a quote by a famous tennis player Arthur Ashe,
If I were to say, ‘God, why me? about the bad things, then I should have said, ‘God, why me?’ about the good things that happened in my life
I started realizing that I need to accept my situation. There was nothing I could about it. In fact, no one could. I practiced the acceptance analogy which helped me through the recovery course.
2. Anger Management
I used to lose my temper a lot. Despite reading articles on anger management issues, I couldn’t follow them in practice.
The series of events that happened in the year 2020 pushed me to be more patient. After a lot of crying, fighting & complaining, I realized it is not worth it.
When I was bedridden for 5 months, I felt helpless. Walked with help of walker & stick for 2 more months.
I could relate to many other people who do not have a fully functional body. I should be counting my curable injury as a blessing.
I realized that instead of getting angry & miserable, I needed to work on my patience.
Doctors informed me that I would be needing around 9 more months to completely recover from this injury. I was scared to walk on foot initially. Yet, I needed to walk regularly & develop confidence.
I realized that anger is not the solution. It is just a wasted emotion. Patience is the key to recovery.
3. Maintain a Gratitude Log
Whenever there is chaos around, do count your blessings.
I started maintaining a gratitude log. At the end of every day, I started writing all the incidents & situations being grateful to.
I started this practice since I read the importance of practicing gratitude from a self-improvement book “Life’s Amazing Secrets”. This practice helped me in clearing my mind & being content.
Gratitude is not merely an emotion; it is a way of life that can be learned and practiced. We must prioritize the time to practice gratitude, and one of the many ways to do it is by writing a gratitude log daily.
4.Healthy Lifestyle
My forced lifestyle added 10 kg to my body weight. My clothes were not fitting anymore. I cried & stressed myself hard.
But, I understood that this situation was not under my control. People chuckled about my chubbier cheeks. I just wanted to get back in shape. Initially, any type of training or exercise was not possible.
I realized that one thing I could easily do was optimizing my food habits. I embarked on the journey of having a healthy lifestyle & left all junk behind.
5. Money Management
My husband is in finance. He has been investing in stocks, bonds & mutual funds for many years. He is always ready to teach me about money management practices.
I took some lessons from him about money management & investment methods. I invested my money in two different mutual funds which gave me handsome returns. Now, I feel happy that I earned something through my new knowledge.
Final Words
2020 was the year that forced me to become a better version of myself.
Every day of 2020 was a challenge for me because of my tricky injury & its prolonged treatment due to the infamous “Corona Virus”.
It's the hardest times that teach us the most valuable lessons.
I can’t thank 2020 enough. But for me, it’s like shedding the old cells of the body & generating new ones.
