Coming Back After An Explosion

Dr. Jen PT hiking at Zion National Park in Utah

OK, I need to address the elephant in the room. I fell off the radar just about one year ago. No newsletters. No blog posts. No social media posts. Only regulars in our online wellness community got a glimpse of what I was going through. Someday I will share the details, but here is the short story...

My husband Carl and I had just finished a tour of the awe-inducing national parks of Utah and a swing through Colorado to visit a friend. While driving through the Nevada desert on way back to California, a wheel exploded off our trailer. Not the tire, the entire wheel assembly exploded off leaving only the smoking end of an axle. This started a months-long ordeal of escalating repairs and complications which included a fire, a robbery, and multiple disappointing interactions with shady RV mechanics. Through all the challenges, Carl and I leaned on the support of each other, our families, and friends to keep our marriage and businesses running as smoothly as possible. Having learned quite a few lessons in the past year, we are back to a happy life on the road.

Everyone faces challenges from time to time. My trailer challenges are small in comparison to surprise house repairs, unexpected business expenses, or health emergencies. However, the increased stress that came from this experience was enough to feel a difference in my body. Racing thoughts frequently interrupted my sleep at night. Cravings for vices like pastries, chocolates, and French fries got the better of me. Episodes of heart palpitations lasted for weeks. Even my skin showed signs of distress. With a tight schedule, I started to treat exercise and mindfulness practices like a luxuries more than a necessities. Over the course of four months, my overall health shifted enough to show changes on blood labs at my annual physical. I was on the edge of burnout.

It does not take much to throw us off the path we have designed. Our bodies adapt quickly in both times of abundance and in times of challenge to keep us functioning. Because our internal systems are interconnected, as time passes, these temporary adaptations begin to cause changes throughout the body. My stress response created a domino-effect that impacted my body, my mind, and my behaviors. In the past, I would not have drawn the line between a disruptive life event and my blood labs many months later. However, this time I recognized why changes occurred, making it easier to give myself some grace and self-love in the moment, and then double-down on stress management and healthy lifestyle strategies. Now, a year later, I feel back to myself again... and maybe a little wiser from it all.