S11E23: THINGS THAT SLOW-DOWN YOUR RECOVERY( L. 4/7 Reclaim serie)

0:00 My beautiful Survivors, this is Karina, the hosting creator behind Stroke Surviving the Odds of Podcasts, where the mission of the show is to help you become your life, become your identity, and learn how to move forward past the events of the stroke. As for me, 28 years ago I was 25, I had a brainstorm dissection that led me to coma in the lock and syndrome. All these moons later, I am living my best life and you guys are part of it, and I want to thank you about that. Today, we're going to proceed with the Letter L of my Reclaim coaching program.

0:41 The letter L is talking about letting go, but more importantly, making room for who you are. Today. I'll invite you to grab a pen and paper because the faintest opinion is better than the best memory. Come and join me here as we are recording today's episode. In order to save a little bit of time, I'm not going to remind you to follow and subscribe on any platform that you're listening to, nor am I going to remind you to share the podcast on your own social media because I know that you've got this and you already know this.

1:18 So what do you think? We'll just recap our last three episodes. Just a quick reminder, so if you put the word reclaim on a vertical, the acronym the R is for reality, E is for emotion, C for confidence, L for letting go, A for alignment, I for identity and M for movement. I'm going to do the quick recap of our last episode.

1:47 So the R for reality, more specifically, we're talking about the gap between reality as it is today and expectations that you set upon yourself. The E for emotion is what your body is expressing and showing on the outside. C for confidence, that's one of my favorites. The C for confidence is that we learned that you don't have to be confident to act confidently. Before we go further, I want to make one thing very clear, guys, letting go does not mean in any way, shape or form that you are giving up or you're giving in.

2:30 No way, Jose. I'm always explaining that you are not giving up on yourself. Your physiotherapy might plateau, your healing might plateau for a little while. It's a normal process of recovering from a stroke gun, but you cannot stop there. You are not giving up on anything, am I clear? That was a little bit of tough love from me, eh? I'm sorry.

3:01 Sometimes I'm not the most delicate flower in the garden, but you needed to hear it that way. And sometimes that this is where things change. Sometimes letting go simply means that you're finally going to allow yourself to move forward. After stroke, we have a very heavy burden that we're carrying around. We carry memories, the good, the bad, the childhood, the traumas that are inside of our nervous systems. We try to manage all that.

3:42 Plus how life is today, the way we walk and carried ourselves. Guys, I was a model back in the 90s. I would, I would like to say late, late 80s, but it was in the 90s I was a model. I there was no heels high enough for me. And now I find myself completely different the way I look. I still carry myself good, but not the way I would in a forage heel.

4:13 Some carry the memory of how independent we were, whether it's physically or mentally. Sometimes after stroke, some people need to have someone driving them around all the time. Sometimes you're not yourself anymore and someone else needs to think for you. For XY and Z reasons, some other people may identify themselves with the career that they were in, with who they were in in, in that specific scenario. And now it's very hard to let go. That's why so many people ask me, Karina, how I don't know who I am anymore.

5:02 How do I let go? I was the speak exec and now I'm just a stroke survivor. That's hard to digest, I know. And one important things is relationships, not necessarily the ones we have with spouses, but it could be friendships and we've had forever and we had to let's go for a while or forever because they were no longer serving the life that you were in today. That's a hell of a hard decision to make. And I've had to let go of a few people that I, I did not want to let go, but I did because it was me or that it was like that. And at the end of the day, guys, that's what you have to think. Is it worth for you to turn yourself upside down for memories, things, jobs, people?

6:09 Is it worth it? I can't help but wonder, is it worth it? But it's not up to me. It doesn't matter what I think. It's up to you. You're capable of so much more than you actually limit yourself. Sometimes. You are just as capable of that person. You are that person. You're simply dormant, that's all. Get that person back.

6:40 When I say be your, be your own advocate, that's what I mean. Be you, the boss and the CEO of you. So many people, including me at one time, at my beginning as a stroke survivor, we all say I just want the old me back and that that statement is very broad. I want you to realize it's broad. It means many things. So I would like you to take your pen and paper and maybe write what part of that person.

7:23 Because when we ask ourselves what part, it pinpoints exactly the parts you choose to work on. You see, nobody is going to choose and decide for you. Nobody has the right to do that over you, especially after stroke. So by asking yourself what part of the older me I like, that gives you a sense of direction of where you want to move forward. The funny thing is that anybody that knows me knows how much I love anything about emotions and feelings of deep down inside of us.

8:08 And when you start asking yourself that question or those questions, those type of questions, what did I like? What do I want to like? Those are emotional recovery questions. That's amazing. When you're capable of doing that, you are moving forward, you are on your way. That's that's pretty exciting.

8:32 No, that was pretty intense. Was it? All right, well, now we're going to take a little auditive break and I am. I have exciting news to tell you guys. I finally published my ebook on Amazon. Yep. Now yesterday we talked about confidence, how the way we look interferes with or rather helps the way we feel, the way we present ourselves to the world and to ourselves.

9:02 And all that has to do with confidence. And my ebook is called Do you like how You Look when you leave the House as a stroke survivor. Long ass title, I know, but it is all that I have embodied and I have learnt all my beauty tricks, things to take care of me that took that brings self esteem again. Guys, if it works for me, why the hell is it not going to work for you?

9:35 I'm really excited. I share everything in the book to help you to feel better and when you feel better, you look better. The book is only 1299 on Amazon. I'm going to be leaving you the description. You don't have to type that long ass title by the way. Just put my name Carina Levine in the search bar and you're going to find it. All right, so now we are going back to the second part now letting go, you know what people say. Or maybe use that.

10:14 I should be further along. I should go back to work. You should be going back to work now. It's enough. Now your stroke has taken long enough. You, you need to go back to work. Those are men. The words should and the word can't or man made. Who decided that you should do something? Who's the boss of you? You.

10:44 So why are you saying I should do this and I should do that? That creates a lot of expectations. And I have a saying that when we have too much expectations, we're inviting disappointment to come over. Whether it comes to my stroke recovery, whether it comes to planting my plans or to making a new dish for supper, I have no expectations. Quesora Sarah.

11:13 But I know that I'm doing my best to get the best outcome. That's all I can do, and that's all you can do. I know that when I talk, I go from one thing to the next. Everything always merges together. I like in between talking about serious things, things that I've lived and I'm teaching in my coaching.

11:36 I like to share stories that I've experienced. So I hope that I'm not too confusing. That could be something you guys. Let me know in the comments if you're capable of following it. Now I want to get back to that timeline where I should be recovering. You should be going back to work. You should be better because Joe Blow healed after six months and you would spend 2 years now?

12:02 Come on man. Hey, that is upsetting, right? Recovery is not a race guys. Unfortunately, like you, I had to learn it. Recovery is not a freaking race. It happens when it happens, one moment at a time, 1% at a time. Those who are not happy, well, they can just get the fuck out. I got a little passionate over there.

12:30 I'm sorry. Sometimes I get a little passionate. My voice goes a little bit higher. Just one final thought, guys, that I think is extremely important. There's a good side and a bad side. It's a double sided blade. Social media. Now, in today's world, we can open any social media and we're going to see a smoke survivor that is probably doing something that you've been desperately wanting to do.

13:06 So what is this telling you? This telling you that you have to let go of comparison? Just like before when I got passion and I said, if they're not happy, they can get the fuck out. OK, What I meant to say, and I should have said is that you have to let go of comparison. But on the positive note, and I see this day in day out because I'm on social media all the time working social media is actually a good motivator. There are so many.

13:41 I find that there's more on TikTok because an image is worth 1000 words, right? So when you go on TikTok and you punch in the search bar, stroke survivor recovery, and you get all these amazing videos, people just like you that are in the process of recovering, such as you, and they're not giving up, they're not giving in, They're just kicking ass.

14:08 And I personally find that on Facebook and the majority, not all, but the majority of the book, there's just so much pain and anger and frustration coming from stroke survivors and they're just venting and letting it out. And I find that it's more proactive to see somebody working out then somebody complaining.

14:36 That's it. Bitching and complaining. That's just my take on it. Now, social media is a great motivator. I know I'm using it in many different ways. OK, Know that you are not alone going through that change, that transformational change that you're going through. And that's why I made the podcast, so you don't feel alone.

15:04 We're all in it at the same, at the same, we're all in the same boat, maybe at different times. Maybe I'm 28 years, I have mobility. I still have limitations, but I have mobility. I I can drive with limitations. And you're six months in. Don't be so hard on yourself, my love. If you like what I say, if you've listened to other podcasts episode and you like what I'm saying, you like the way I talk, or rather the teaching, maybe you relate to me.

15:40 I'd love to hear it in the comments. What is it specifically now? We talked recovery, reality, emotions, confidence, and letting go. Let me know out of these four, which one or maybe all four you'd like. Let me know in the comments. This is what I have for you guys today. Thank you so much. Know that you are loved, that you are more than enough. And if I can do anything for you, you guys reach out. You know my book is going to be in the description, my link tree with all the possible ways for you to get in touch with me. And please take advantage of the social media and the help that's out there because you know what?

16:26 28 years ago, I had shit, I had squat. I had to figure things out by myself and I did, I did, which makes me the tough cookie I am today. Sometimes I practice tough love with you guys because that's what I did with myself. But I also know that if I can do it, you can do it too. So Stroke Surviving the odds.

16:51 The podcast is changing the lives of one stroke survivor at a time. I love you immensely and I'll talk to you soon.