Recovery... The Final Chapter of Mamma Shouldn't Get Sick

Through all the ups and downs in health my health we noticed that our family fell into a pattern. 1. Prevention 2. Survival Mode and 3. Recovery. 

This article is focused on the Recovery Phase. Throughout the years I would enjoy seasons of improved (if not precarious) health. Recently due to my treatments with OSB I have been able to get a taste of true Recovery. The Recovery Phase is when you start to pull out of Survival Mode and suddenly become aware of your surroundings.

For me coming out of survival mode always feels a bit like the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. The girl was asleep for 100 years… and so was her entire castle. When she woke up there was 100 years of dust and weeds around her castle. Now, fortunately for Sleeping Beauty she has a whole castle full of servants who were really rested to help her clean it up. But, the rest of us wake up from a physically and emotionally draining time to a huge mess.

If I could sum up the Recovery phase in one word it would be: Overwhelming.

The blessing of Recovery is that you are feeling better. But, in many cases you may just be barely better. I know for me, after some of the surgeries I have had, I found myself on my own with my house and my kids and I didn’t have  my strength back.

The Recovery Phase is tricky because you are recovering on multiple levels. You are recovering physically and have to build up your strength. You are recovering relationally; your family has been missing you and is ready for a steady you to be present in the living room, rather than your bed. And you are trying to recover your house out from under 100 years of mess.

Here are a few tips for the Recovery Phase:

1.     Commit your ways to the Lord. Thank him for this new phase, ask for the strength to meet this challenge of recovery head on.

2.     Hydrate, take your vitamins, and rest as needed, get outside and get some fresh air. In other words, don’t over-do it. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and trying to recover from Survival Mode in a day will just send your health back into the dumps you just came from. Pace yourself, do what you need to do to continue to gain strength and put distance between the present and that last health upset.

3.     Be physically and emotionally present for your family. It is easy to let the state of your house and affairs to overtake you at this time. Be mommy in the midst again. Be the wife at your husband’s side. Be available for hugs, present at the dinner table. Try to be super observant and in tune with your husband and children. Go on a date with your husband. Do something fun and out of the ordinary with your kids. Enjoy the moment!

4.     Get a plan of Action and someone to help you. Sandra Felton the Author of Messie’s Anonymous suggests using the Mount Vernon Method. You start in one corner of the house and work your way around the home. This is where you start. Sorting and purging and cleaning each room before moving to the next.

a.      Prioritize. Start by getting the main spaces livable….Get the kitchen to a functional level.  Tackle Laundry Mountain. Swish that Toilet.

b.     Smell hunt… find out what that smell is…Your front loader, that drain, something in the fridge.

c.      Clean something that your husband will appreciate. What is your husband’s happy place in the home? Make sure the bed is clear for him. Clear a path between the door and the computer.

5.     Take Baby Steps… when your baby first learns to walk every step is a accomplishment worth a round of applause. This is what the Recovery Phase is made of! Each little step towards Recovery is a victory. Rejoice in each accomplishment. Don’t get bogged down with the end goal, celebrate each victory. With each step you will gain momentum. Recovery is like slowly peeling away the layers of an onion. (And sometimes you cry during the process.) Layer by layer you will peel away the mess left behind from Survival Mode and in the end hopefully find your family and your kitchen counter in the process.