98. There’s Nothing Wrong With You, You Just Might Need More Support
In this episode I share a realization that came up in my own life related to discomfort. There’s a big difference in how I meet physical discomfort from how I meet mental and emotional discomfort.
Tune in to hear what this all has to do with giving yourself the support you need.
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Did this episode spark an interesting reflection or a question stirring in your heart? I love hearing from you!
Instagram: @meghanljohnston
Email: hello@meghanjohnston.com
Website: meghanjohnston.com
Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Welcome to episode 98 of with heart and wonder.
Slight change of plans today. This was going to meet a guest episode, but I've rejigged things a little bad.
The next guest episode is still [00:01:00] coming your way. It's just going to be a few weeks later. And today I'm going to tell you about this moment that I had, which is always so fascinating to me when this happens. But you know, when you have these moments or maybe it's just me, you'll have to let me know. But I get these moments where I'm just sometimes doing something that is just so normal, maybe even boring.
And then there's this like philosophical. Discussion that I start having in my own mind, this like analysis and this Deep conversation. And that then walks with me. Through the rest of the day for like hours. Uh, but what is really like a rather ordinary moment? So it could be that I'm just like making cookies or it could be that I am editing a document or in this case, I mean, this one is like slightly less mundane, I suppose.
But in this case [00:02:00] I was taping my flirt. If that makes no sense to you. I'll explain it more in a second. Uh, but I wanted to tell you about this little philosophical discussion that I had with myself today. Because it led me to some really interesting places. So here's the backstory. I danced.
From the time that I was a little one all the way through my high school years. And if you've been listening to the podcast, I have talked a little bit about how in the last few months I've started dancing again.
No. When I was growing up, I mostly did Highland dancing and competitive Highland dancing. And a little bit of ballet and modern when I was in high school. Um, in these last few months, I haven't been doing Highland. I've been exploring a little bit of ballet, again, a little bit of contemporary tap dancing, really just letting myself play and it's felt so, so good. [00:03:00] But I had this moment a few weeks ago where I was in class and we had just done this jumping exercise, very reminiscent of my Highland dancing days, if you've ever seen Highland dancing, which most people know it as the one with the kilts or the one with the sword. It's a lot of jumping, like a lot of jumping. And so we had just done in my ballet class, this jumping exercise, and I landed and I went, Ooh. There was this familiar sensation of like our ripping sensation across the sole of my right foot. And it was followed. By this immediate heart wrench of like, oh gosh, there it is.
When I was dancing as a child and as a teenager,
a dealt with plantar fasciitis. And if that is terminology that is unfamiliar to you, it's a pain [00:04:00] that is caused and related to flat feet. And especially when you're doing something like dancing, where you're up on the ball of your foot and hopping around can really aggravate the plantar fascia. And this part of the foot.
So when I was a kid, I would frequently tape both my feet actually.
Um, Especially if I was, I was dancing for a long time. Especially for competitions, recitals, that sort of thing. In addition to doing things like physiotherapy and, and all sorts of other proactive exercises. Um, and therapeutic exercises as well. But so let's go back though, to just a few weeks ago, I had this moment in class. And there was definitely a split second. Of heartbreak. Where I went.
Oh, no. I'm not going to be able to dance anymore. And this sadness and this grief, because I had just found my way back to [00:05:00] dance after many, many years, the way it was feeling so good for my body, for my heart. For my mind and the idea of it being taken away from me, like ripped away, just like that riffing sensation in my foot.
Like that felt so hard. And then there was just this moment of like, No, no. I can adapt.And that adapting can look like taping my foot. Maybe I haven't yet, but restarting physiotherapy or revisiting some of the exercises that worked really well for me. And it can also look like adapting, how hard I'm pushing myself or the exercises that I'm doing in a dance class. So this happened a few weeks ago and I have had some classes in between where I hadn't yet picked up medical tape or athletic tape. And, In those classes, when we would get to the parts where there was more jumping, I just would take it really easy. I [00:06:00] would sometimes walk at or market instead of doing it full out. And I would kind of pay attention to what was happening in my body notice when I needed to take it easy.
And yeah, sometimes I pushed it too far. And felt that like, oh, that awful sensation in my right foot. But I was working with it. Today I taped my foot for the first time in like over 15 years. And, and it was just really interesting to me. Because as I was taping my foot and afterwards I was thinking about. Some coaching conversations I've had recently with clients. And I was thinking about. The way in which we often, and it's so human it's so natural. But especially as adults, when we feel a sense of discomfort. Mentally emotionally, sometimes physically, but there can be this like immediate [00:07:00] response. of needing to move in the other direction. So if we feel this sensation of discomfort arising with us. It's like, it's like a red light. To stop what we're doing. To abandon it to go the other way to run as far away from the discomfort as we can.
And so I was reflecting today about, you know, If I think of my foot. And this little injury creeping up again.
What was interesting to me about it is that I wasn't making myself wrong.
I was really like, okay. Here's a part of me that is showing up again. It's a part that's familiar. It's a struggle I've had before. How can I work with this? And what's the support that I need in order to adapt.
And I can contrast this, even in my own life to other [00:08:00] moments where I felt. Like mental or emotionally uncomfortable. And instead of having that attitude, I've made myself wrong.
I've assumed that there's something wrong with me. Even, and especially actually. Especially when there are these patterns that are familiar or these parts of me that are familiar. So, for example, I'm a huge people, pleaser. And that's a part of me that I am familiar with. I've also struggled with perfectionism. And so. When those things come up, oftentimes I get into this story in this spiral.
So normal of like, there's something wrong with me. Here, this, this part of me is again. As opposed to being really curious about, okay, here's this part of me that's showing up again. There's nothing wrong with me. This is a part of me. [00:09:00]
What can I do differently? Or how can I adapt to feel more supported?
It makes me a little bit sad. To think of all of the experiences that we shield ourselves from because we're afraid of discomfort.
And I understand, like it's not comfortable. But to me. I think there's a lot of room for us to get curious. About the space in between. The space in between when things are easy and flowing and feel good. And that space where we have to put a stop to something.
And is there a space in between more of that yellow light zone? And that speeds where we can be cautious. And intentional and focus on adapting, focus on supporting ourselves, but that it doesn't have [00:10:00] to be this like all or nothing scenario.
And I think it's really important to familiarize ourselves with this distinction. Between. Pushing through. The pain. The discomfort.
And noticing when we are in moments where we can actually. Look to support ourselves more deeply. But still do the things we want to do still move forward in the ways that we want to move forward. There's a middle ground where we can explore what are the supports I need and how can I adapt? Often it's adapting our own expectations of ourselves.
So this has been my philosophical reflections that have traveled with me over the last few hours.
I'll just from taping my foot today. And just like being in this moment of giving myself this support that [00:11:00] I needed. And recognizing that there's like so many other places in my life and places that I see. Coaching clients struggle with. We're instead of giving Themselves, the support, the metaphorical athletic tape on the foot. There's a distancing. Or halting. Uh, stopping that red light,
It's so normal. It's so normal. And I know that the growth that many of us are seeking. Is in that middle ground. Of how do we be with ourselves? And figure out how to support ourselves in those moments that do feel uncomfortable, especially mentally, emotionally, when there's these familiar patterns that show up again. But it doesn't mean anything's wrong with you. It might just mean you need some different support.
I'd love to know [00:12:00] how this episode landed with you today. I love hearing your thoughts, your insights. And whatever bubbles up inside of your heart, your mind, your body. You can send me a note on Instagram at Megan L. Johnston. Or by email, hello@meghanjohnston.com.
And if you're noticing. These start stop patterns inside yourself. It's actually one of the most common things. People come to me and say, when they start coaching, is that they are, have all of these ideas or they start things and they just have trouble finishing them. I would love to support you and talk about how we can create sustainable rhythms and change that feel good, but also support you through the discomfort. That naturally comes with anything worth [00:13:00] doing.
So if that's of interest, send me a note.
hello@meganjohnston.com. Until next time, keep living with heart. And wonder.