15/12/2025
This is what being “out of action” actually looks like.
Not inspirational.
Not brave.
Not productive.
Just a body resting because it has no choice.
Pain easing in waves.
Energy gone.
Life paused without permission.
When your body takes you out like this — through injury, illness, surgery, cancer, a stroke, chronic pain, or sudden loss of mobility — there’s a part no one really prepares you for.
The grief.
Grief for the version of you who didn’t have to think about walking.
Who didn’t have to plan rest.
Who didn’t feel like a burden.
Who didn’t need help.
Who could just get on with life without their body being the main event.
And yet, when this happens, people are often told:
“Be grateful.”
“Others have it worse.”
“At least you’re alive.”
All of which can be true — and still miss the point.
Because this isn’t ingratitude.
It’s loss.
The emotional side no one talks about
When you’re knocked off your feet, people often feel:
• angry at their body
• ashamed for needing help
• guilty for resting
• frustrated with others
• lonely even when not alone
• unseen, pitied, or “in the way”
Especially if you’ve always been the strong one.
The giver.
The carer.
The one who holds everyone else together.
Needing help can feel humiliating.
Receiving care can feel uncomfortable.
And other people’s sighs, impatience, or awkwardness can land hard — even when they don’t mean harm.
None of that makes you weak.
It makes you human.
This part matters -
If your body has changed — through injury, illness, cancer, surgery, or disability — you have to grieve who you were before.
Not wallow.
Not stay stuck.
But grieve.
You can’t rebuild a life honestly if you’re pretending nothing has changed.
People born with disability don’t grieve what they never had.
People who lose function later do — and that grief deserves respect.
Healing isn’t just physical.
It’s learning how to live differently without losing your dignity.
If this is you — laid up, out of action, frustrated, grieving, and feeling invisible — nothing has gone wrong inside you.
You’re not dramatic.
You’re not lazy.
You’re not a burden.
You’re adjusting to change.
And that is one of the hardest things a nervous system has to do.
If this is you — knocked off your feet and unseen — you are seen here.
I’m sending my unseen understanding, my love, my light to you 🙏🏻 Jane xx