Recovery

Sometimes the winds of change are less like a gentle breeze but rather, more of a hurricane. It’s been a hurricane week, in a good way.

It’s Friday morning here in Australia. Tuesday I saw my surgeon. He was very impressed with my recovery and said I can resume driving and once cleared by the physiotherapy team, I can start walking in small doses.

Wednesday I started outpatient rehabilitation. Fortunately the physio was one that treated me when I did inpatient rehabilitation. He too was very happy with my recovery that he said I could ditch the wheelchair and the walking frame. So yesterday I gladly returned the wheelchair and frame to the hire company and purchased crutches. I managed to drive myself to the store. Last night I was able to navigate the stairs to our bedroom. It’s been 11 weeks in the guest bedroom but not anymore.

The pain has increased with this new found freedom but that is not unexpected or a cause for concern. In 6 weeks time it is anticipated I will be able to walk normally.

It seems we turned the corner and hit the accelerator. Soon I will post some thoughts about this journey that I have been on since the accident that upended our world.

The encouragement from the wonderful community here in The Mighty has been so timely and generous. I am very grateful for you all.

I’ll be honest—recovery is really tough. Not only does it take a lot of work to maintain, but it has also shown me parts of myself that I once hid and felt embarrassed to address. Even now, years later, I still feel a bit of shame when symptoms resurface that I thought I had already overcome.

At the same time, this has become one of my biggest lessons. Recovery is teaching me how to be patient with myself and to accept who I am, no matter what I’m experiencing. Even when I isolate, feel weighed down by shame from past decisions, or notice my self-talk becoming cruel, I am still in active recovery. I’m not going backward—I’m allowed to struggle sometimes. I have the tools to find balance again.

That’s what recovery is all about.

What about you?

#CheckInWithMe #ChronicPain #ChronicIllness #Depression #Anxiety #MentalHealth #Recovery #EatingDisorder #EatingDisorderRecovery #Addiction #AddictionRecovery #SubstanceRelatedDisorders #PostTraumaticStressDisorder #ComplexPosttraumaticStressDisorder #Selfharm

When I first came up with the name Rise Above Your Norm, it wasn’t just a catchy title or a motivational phrase.
It was a promise — to myself.

A promise that no matter how many times life broke me down, I would find a way to rise again.
That I would no longer settle for survival.

That I would rebuild, even from the ashes, and help others do the same.

🌪️ Breaking Free From My “Normal”

For most of my life, my norm was pain. It was chaos, addiction, and trauma.

It was living in constant fight-or-flight mode — never trusting peace, never feeling safe in my own skin.

That was the world I knew. That was my normal.

But there comes a moment in healing when you realize — your “normal” isn’t serving you anymore.

It’s not protecting you, it’s holding you hostage.

And that’s when the real work begins: The decision to rise above it.

💔 Rising Doesn’t Mean Forgetting

Rising above your norm doesn’t mean pretending the pain never happened.

It doesn’t mean ignoring your past, or erasing your mistakes.
It means facing them — owning them — and still choosing to grow.

It means saying:

> “Yes, I’ve been through hell… but I’m not staying there.”

For me, it meant looking in the mirror and deciding to stop identifying with the brokenness, and start identifying with the strength it took to survive.

🌱 A Movement of Healing

Rise Above Your Norm isn’t just my personal mantra anymore — it’s a movement.

It’s a message to anyone who’s ever felt too damaged to start over.

To the addict trying to stay clean.

To the survivor learning to trust again.

To the mother rebuilding her life piece by piece.

It’s about knowing that we all have a norm — a version of life that once felt unchangeable — and realizing we have the power to rise above it.

💫 My Why

I started this journey in recovery, rebuilding from nothing — not just to heal myself, but to use my story to help others heal too.

Because healing alone is hard.
But healing together? That’s how we change lives.

Through my blog, my future practice, and the community we’re building here — I want to remind people that your story doesn’t end in your brokenness.
It begins the moment you decide to rise.

🕊️ Final Reflection

Rise Above Your Norm means rewriting the story you once thought was over.

It means giving yourself permission to grow beyond what hurt you.

It means choosing peace, even when chaos feels more familiar.

And most of all — it means believing that no matter what you’ve been through, you are worthy of a life that feels safe, whole, and yours again.

So here’s to rising — again, and again, and again.
Because every time we do,
we prove that healing is possible. 💛

BigmommaJ
#RiseAboveYourNorm #MentalHealth #AddictionRecovery #Recovery

I woke up this morning in a crazy amount of pain. I had taken two different pain meds at 1am but when I woke at 8am it was time to take 4 different meds.

I started doing my daily leg exercises designed to help my leg recover from the major surgery it had 4 weeks ago. And frankly I detest those exercises because they bring on extreme pain but I know they are one of the keys to getting full use of the leg back.

Out of the blue are flood of tears hit me, and I started sobbing uncontrollably. I was puzzled where they came from and then clarity came, like a earth shattering bolt of lightning.

I am grieving. Grieving the crazy amount of pain I have had to endure the last 5 weeks. Grieving the $8000 in medical bills. Now, I can afford those, no problem at all, it’s just I would rather have been able to spend it on something more meaningful.

I am grieving the loss of dignity being in hospital brings. You have to discuss with the medical team information that is normally way off limits.

I am grieving the huge load others have had to pick up because of my limited abilities for awhile. My Wife doesn’t complain but I know she is exhausted. The last time I was in hospital she was there when code blue was called and she had to stand in a corner while 12 medical people attended to me and then hurriedly took me away for more surgery. That must have been the longest wait for her.

I’m grieving not being independent and having to rely on a walking frame, wheelchair and other mobility equipment.

As a Pastor I have learnt a lot about grief. Walking alongside people who have had to bury loved ones is an incredible privilege. Yet, here is the bottom line. The more I learn about grief the more I realise how little I know. It’s very complicated, very individual and it plays by its own rules.

I do know this though. Having shed so many tears this morning, I feel better for it. My physical pain is still easily getting my attention but in 45 minutes the main pain meds will kick in.

So many people on this app are dealing with grief. Most having to navigate much deeper and more painful grief than what I am experiencing right now.

This current situation has taught me, again, a universal truth. Grief is much better handled when you don’t try and do it on your own.

I have had over the years many people reluctant to visit a grieving person because “they don’t know what to say”. That is indeed a challenge. I then advise them they don’t have to say anything. Just be there. Some questions generally work well such as:
How are feeling?
Tell me about (the person who has died)?
What’s the most challenging thing you are facing at the moment?

Not facing this season alone has kept me from going down dark rabbit holes. Support from friends. Love from my family. People here on The Mighty. Gods voice. Medical practitioners.

I don’t normally like crying, at all. Yet, I am grateful for the tears this morning.

It is my hope and prayer that this post brings someone some comfort, wisdom and hope today.

#Depression #Anxiety #Grief #FamilyAndFriends #Relationships #Recovery #MentalHealth

The latest chapter of my recovery story is a good one, finally. Four weeks ago someone at the cardio exercise group I went to did something very silly and as a result I found myself in an ambulance on my way to hospital.

After being diagnosed with a complex tibia fracture Doctors put the leg in plaster hoping it would heal. After a week I was transferred to a rehabilitation facility where the staff dropped the ball in disturbing ways. For instance one day I was stranded in my bathroom for over an hour because the nurse forgot I was there.

Scans showed the leg wasn’t healing as hoped so I was transferred back to the first hospital. There I had surgery to repair the leg. I now have a metal plate and screws in the leg, for which I am grateful for. Unfortunately errors continued. Things like almost being given someone else’s medication and doses of pain meds being missed.

These are private hospitals so they normally have very high standards of care, not this time.

Yesterday I was transferred to another rehabilitation hospital. This hospital is extremely hard to get into because it is always full because of their commitment to excellence. I came here yesterday and immediately was shocked by the high nurse/patient ratio. The attentiveness of the staff and the promise of intensive treatment.

Today I had two one on one physiotherapy sessions specific to my injury. It was intense but already I could feel my leg was moving with less restriction and control.

The food has been of a quality that wouldn’t be out of place at a great restaurant.

I have hope. I am now in a safe place, I am being heard, I am under multi-discipline medical care. There is a plan for my full recovery. Thank you Jesus for breakthrough.

I must express my sincere and profound gratitude for the prayers and support so many have shown me on this app. Salt of the earth people!!!