Coaches need coaches.
Teachers need teachers.
Therapists need therapists.
As a coach, educator, and therapist myself, I am a proponent of practicing what I preach. I move daily, play often, and try to take as good of care of myself as I can. But when I'm physically hurting to a certain degree, it can become difficult for me to retain the attention span and patience to be able to treat myself. I make a horrible patient if I am the therapist. I need help from someone else.
Over the weekend, I had the honor of helping my good friend and therapeutic movement guru Dr. Perry Nickelston from Stop Chasing Pain with a shoulder injury that quickly worsened throughout the day on his last day of a 4-day teaching event. Of course he could have probably done something about it himself, but teaching for 4 days in a row is draining, and he had some excellent therapists who were right there and were willing to help. After being asked, and assured he wasn't taking up others' time and energy, he succumbed to offers of treatment. Instead of going back go his hotel feeling drained, irritated, and in pain, he pushed any ego he had (which isn't much to begin with) to the side, opened himself to receiving help, and felt much better, more energetic, and happier.
(Getting out of pain can be fun!)
It takes a lot of courage and humbleness to be able to not hide a chink in your armor, show vulnerability and ask others for help in fixing it. Remember, you're not in this journey alone. There are people who are willing and ready to help you, just as you are them. Don't forget that accepting/receiving is necessary with giving.
