By Briana Tippetts

I never fully grasped how one small and simple moment can alter the course of a person’s life until it happened to me.

At the end of 2020, I found myself in a high-pressure, fast-paced, and physically-demanding job. As I bent over to pick up a heavy object, I felt something in my back give. It hurt, but I just thought I had pulled a muscle. I was wrong. 

After a couple of months, I realized the pain was only getting worse and I needed to get professional help. I went to a local chiropractor, who said something like, “No worries, this is a common problem. We can have you fixed up in as little as two weeks, especially since you’re so young.” He was wrong too.

I don’t have the space here to cover every physical and emotional up and down I experienced on my journey, but one feeling stands out in my mind: stubborn resolve. No matter how many times I gave up, I got back up and tried again. My efforts became defined by a personal mentality that if I just pushed long and hard enough, I’d chip away at the problem until it was solved.

But what happens when pushing doesn’t yield any discernable results? When your body has no response to your efforts for improvement, except to keep you from spiraling further? What can you do when you become a hamster on the wheel of life—ever running but lacking forward progress? 

In the face of these realities, I developed a resentment toward my body. Why wouldn’t it heal? Why was it so lazy and stubborn? I felt like my body was almost a separate entity I was fighting to win control over. Couldn’t it tell I was trying so hard to help it get better?

For anyone feeling stuck like I did, I’d like to share five small and simple practices that have helped me to find peace in my current situation and progress forward. Though the following is certainly not an extensive list of all the practices a person could do, I hope to generate ideas that can help you get started.

Small and Simple Things

1. Be Present

To learn more about taking care of my body, I enrolled in a yoga and somatics class. 

I remember walking home after one of these classes and being surprised when I realized, “Wait a second, I feel good! I really feel a difference!” 

I believe this difference came because yoga and somatics invited me to leave fight-or-flight mode and simply be present with the moment. I discovered that my mind was just as important in healing my body as the physical exercises and movements were. 

Be present by learning to embrace pain. This does not mean pushing yourself beyond your current capabilities. It does mean simply being, observing, and then acting according to the needs detected. Approach your practice without demands, expectations, or frustration. My mantra became, “I am working with, not against my body.” 

Breath was a vital piece of intentional presence. Instead of locking up, I learned to relax and breathe through necessary pain caused by stretches or exercises. The key was to invite, stay with, and work through the pain in stages and to ease up when I recognized an effort had crossed over into being harmful. 

Presence requires patience and acceptance. In my practice, I learned not to come with previously planned routines and exercises. Instead, I allowed myself to be present with my spirit, mind, and body. I listened to their needs with the same compassion I would for another person in my situation. 

Your whole being needs love and attention. Every day, take time to ask yourself, “In this moment, what are my spirit, my relationships, my health, etc., asking for—what does my pain point me to?” and “How can I meet these needs in small and simple ways?” Give yourself the gift of being seen.

2. Experiment

Experiment with your healing methods and find what works for you. 

An incredible physical therapist told me that after years of trying to heal an injury, he found what worked best for him was the opposite of everything he had been told to do. I am not suggesting going against a doctor’s orders; I am recommending being open to new solutions.

Sometimes, the most illogical or unexpected practices will have the most lasting results. I did a lot of experimentation with strange and often embarrassing movements in my somatics class, but I fully embraced it, and my body loved it. 

3. Practice Gratitude

When things go wrong, it can be very easy to fall into a victim mindset. All we can see is everything that is going wrong and how it is negatively impacting us. We feel entitled to a better body, a better job, a better relationship.

To counteract my own victim mindset, I said prayers of gratitude. I wrote in my journal. I did my best to fill my soul with nature, God, family, talents, and service. I created experiences I could be thankful for.

I was not perfect in my efforts and doing these things did not always make me feel better. However, it put me in a place to receive and recognize blessings and gave me an overall peace I would not have had otherwise.

Although my body was experiencing limitations, it was still capable of many things. I encourage you to acknowledge your blessings, including any abilities you have to function in your current capacity. You are a living miracle. 

Strength can be found in having gratitude for the people supporting us in our journey and even for the trial itself. I clung to the belief that my trials would give me a greater capacity to serve.

Remember that greatness is built in hard times.

4. Learn from Others

Looking back, I can see lessons I learned from each of my therapists. Every experience has added to my knowledge and self-awareness. 

Learning from others requires humility and vulnerability. Sometimes, we need to ask for a little help. Sometimes, we need a lot of help—everyday help. That can be a hard place to be, but it is a place where growth can happen. 

Ask questions, find experts (someone in a particular field or a friend who’s been where you are now) and learn all you can from them. If you’re open to new perspectives and experiences, you may be surprised just how many people want to help if you give them the chance.

5. Be Okay, No Matter the Outcome

This one is very difficult for me, but it can ultimately make a very big difference in our well-being. 

Despite our best efforts, the results we seek may not come in this life or within our own timetable. Although I have vastly improved from my original injury, I am still dealing with some effects. I have hope that I can someday completely heal, but also recognize that effects will likely linger. 

Part of my healing has come in accepting this reality, but also continuing forward in the life I want to create for myself. Experimenting in my practices, evaluating what works, and adjusting accordingly is helping me strive to be okay with small improvements. 

It is important to accept that healing is a process which takes time and pain will not just go away in one monumental effort. As we let go of the drive for immediate results and make small, consistent, experimental efforts, we will find what works best for us.

The Truth

The concepts I discussed don’t just apply to physical challenges. If you are going through something hard, stop fighting it. Instead, accept it, work with it, let it shape you and your actions. Create spaces of peace and goodwill. 

I want to end with some positive affirmations that have helped me and can help you as we try to find hope in life’s struggles:

My worth is not based on my failures or my successes. I am worthy of love. I am worthy of healing. I choose to rise above the challenges I face. I can do hard things. 

As Gordon B. Hinckley states, “You have not failed until you quit trying.” 

It is never too late to try again, and I can never try again too many times. Though my path has taken an unexpected turn, I get to choose who I become as a result. I am meant for great things. My pain is an opportunity to make a difference. As I implement small, consistent practices, I will experience more happiness over time. All I can do is do what I can and let go of the rest. I am enough. I am surrounded by abundance and there is a loving God who wants to bless me. I am never alone. 

I hope something in these words sparks a light in you. We got this.