Moving Slowly...Oh So Slowly!

Nothing is broken!!

I went to the doctor yesterday who did all sorts of strength tests on my various joints and bones and his diagnosis is the same as mine - lots of sprains, but no breaks in my post-fall body. We chatted a bit about balance development so that I don't end up having to go to a nursing home when I'm a bit older due to falls such as these. We also talked about how much more difficult it is to get over things like this now that we have reached our age (that's right, my doctor is my age). I went home, put on some topical pain pads on the ankle and the arm, wrapped up in compression bandages and then rested by printing out 42 pages of visual aids and sitting and cutting things out.

I feel better today than I did yesterday, but I'm still moving slowly. 

The good thing is that my sessions do not require me to move quickly. I may be able to tolerate high fives and fist bumps today - we'll see.

I have found that I am slowing down in all sorts of things in my current age. Rather than bemoaning this fact (well, at least any more than I am doing right now), I am trying to figure out ways to do things smarter (and with less wear and tear on my body) not harder. That means that some things are changing around my music therapy clinic.

There are lots of things that can change and adapt to help me navigate my environment without causing more wear on my body. I am fortunate in that I am clinic based. I do not have to tote materials around the world with me on a daily basis. Now, I have been that type of therapist before, so I already have some tricks for this (former interns will know about this - I talk about having different boxes or bags for each type of session and one everything bag as well - think the "Always Box" and see the short video below). In my current iteration as a music therapist, I have everything stored in four large cabinets and two offices, but there is room for better organization and less effort from me.

Here's the plan.

I am looking at ways to store instruments so that nothing is very heavy to move around. This may mean smaller containers and more meticulous storage. It may mean special cases and covers that protect the strange instruments while not adding lots more bulk. I already have some practices in place - I get out materials once per day rather than put things up and take things out with every session. I try not to have to get up once I'm sitting. I will need to find an alternative seating arrangement - my body is just not suited to getting up and down off the floor these days. I used to have a short rolling stool - I think I will need something with a back nowadays. Something to look for, I guess. I like being at eye contact level with my students, and I don't like kids always sitting in chairs. I will start doing a bit more exploration of flexible seating and storage for that seating for my music therapy space. Storage is what always gets to me - there is just time when there isn't enough space for what I want. Also, having things out and available makes them available as projectiles during moments of crisis. Don't want that! Things to think about...

I will be going slowly into my music therapy world today, covered with pain relief pads and compression wraps. I will spend some time thinking through my strategies before I start my therapy day. I will minimize the things that hurt, and maximize my interventions for my clients. I will also spend some time looking around my clinic to see if there are ways I can adapt the environment to my needs rather than always adapting myself to my environment...

If you are interested in my "Always Box," here's one of my Music Therapy Morsels. 

If you are interested in seeing more of these Morsels, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel!!

Here we go!!