Solid as a Rock
Anyone who knows me can attest that I've spent the past two months consumed with marathon training. I have always been somewhat athletic but never identified as a runner until about two years ago, after running my first half marathon. Even then, I didn't consider myself a runner until participating in a 9K race a few months later that I ran entirely in the rain. There was a point in that race as rainwater poured over me that I realized I must really like running if I am not just willing but even excited to do it, in the rain, for almost an hour.
Since that moment, when I decided to tie a portion of my identity to the joy I feel when running, that I know something shifted in me. I began taking everything a lot more seriously. I bought the right gear, read on tons of blogs for the best training plans. I made "run" dates with my friends. I was different---and a lot of it hinged on how I viewed myself in the world.
Running has allowed me to connect with nature and test my mental and physical stamina. One unique opportunity running has afforded me is listening to genuinely incredible audiobooks. Fiction, memoirs, non-fiction, self-help, you name it! I like music but rarely listen to more than 30 minutes of it at a time. I am very picky, and curating a playlist, feels like a chore and often results still in a lot of skipped songs and poor motivation. Audiobooks have become as much of an escape and joy as the run. I look forward to exploring new stories and new authors while I run.
Two weeks ago, a patient I've been working with asked my opinion about a book she considered purchasing. She felt the information connected with her but wanted to make sure the information in the book would not steer her off course from the goals she was making during our physical therapy sessions. I told her I would be happy to read and review it. I mentioned I had a 14-mile run, which would give me plenty of time to get through most of the book before her next visit.
The book is Rock Steady: Healing Vertigo or Tinnitus with Neuroplasticity--- and all I can say is wow!
I was blown away by how much this book connected with the message I so desperately try to convey to my patients.
The author, Joey Remenyi, is an audiologist from Australia who specializes in vestibular disorders. She took what can often be a very complex and vague subject -- dizziness -- and presented it in an approachable manner that allows patients to begin understanding their symptoms.
The first, and I believe the most critical concept she highlights, is similar to what I experienced as a new runner. Similar to what I felt about my identity, there is a mindset around dizziness. As we improve our sensory pathways, symptoms can improve. You are the only one who can change your neural pathways. And that starts when you change your mindset.
She breaks down the basics of almost all of the causes and various diagnoses of dizziness. She discusses the importance of knowing yourself to begin healing without fixating on the diagnosis, which can cause you to feel stuck. Healing is essential and available for everyone, and a mindset of recovery looks is vital to the outcome.
As a vestibular PT specializing in vestibular disorders for eight years, I am excited to share this book with patients, family, and colleagues because I see it as an invaluable response to beginning the recovery to healing chronic dizziness.
