I am sharing what I wrote to a friend who is recovering from heart surgery. I could probably benefit from following my own advice.
Staying alive is good, but I understand about the hospital. I both loathed it and loved it. Part of it was the massive amount of painkillers. Wooee. But also every morning I would walk my IV cart over to this mildly empty hallway with big windows and morning sun. I would worship the morning sun on my skin and stretch a little and think to myself how the world looked very different from the precipice.Being back home is very hard on your body. In spite of your loved one’s intentions – your home will trigger your body’s stress levels because subconsciously you will be running the routines in your head that need to be done and worry that they are not being done. Being at home and at rest are almost impossible things for me except for a few hours a week when no one is home.I wish you the best in this struggle. Your body will do what it can, but I believe that the brain is a marvelous and stubborn and habit-driven thing that controls our fate. Make nice with your brain. Mentor it. Beg of it. Coax it. Pamper it.