Fear of movement

Getting back to the Pilates studio has been wonderful. This is one of my favourite stretches - the trap cat roll down with a twist on the swivel disc.

When I first started back doing pilates sessions a few months ago, I had a lot of FEAR.

Why? Well I taught a class in this studio 2 weeks after getting COVID in July 2022, and then got hit with crazy fatigue - I needed assistance to get to the car, mum had to pick me up and drive me home. Shortly after that, I hit rock bottom with my health and became bed bound and this whole illness began. So there is some past trauma there associated with the place and movement.

But also, along this experience, I have had a lot of fear surrounding movement in general (so crazy as I was movement obsessed prior to getting this illness).

This is because I would get PEM after movement. It makes sense right. If every time you move, you get awful symptoms and feel horrible, then it makes sense to develop a fear of moving! In your brain it learns that movement = feeling horrible.

So… how did I overcome this? Well, I set myself small achievable challenges with movement, in tune with my bodies stage and capacity, using a variety of tools and techniques to create safety and success. I retrained my body and brain to grow in the capacity to move again but also to feel safe to move again.

I’m sharing this because I want you to know it is NORMAL to have fear with this illness. We all have FEAR! But there are many tools and tips and support strategies that we can use to overcome the fears and help you to step through them safely and appropriately. The only way to overcome the fear is by doing the thing (it must be within your growth energy capacity zone)!

However we can break it all down into tiny steps so it feels easier, we can give you tools and techniques to calm your mind and your nervous system so you feel safe, enabling you to do the THING! And then by doing the THING successfully your brain learns and you have overcome the fear.

So here I am, doing my Pilates, in the studio again, and feeling safe and in love with movement again. 💕

Love, Candy xx