I Got My Health Back. Now I’m Learning To Trust My Body Again.

No matter the seriousness and magnitude of an illness (whether acute, a virus, an infection or unfortunately something on the right side of chronic), injury or other medical setback; of course the aim is to seek appropriate help, support, and medical attention as soon as possible. The aim is to focus on a full recovery and "get back into it." Unfortunately (the same is true with mental illness) capitalism (and this crazy, prolonged cost of living crisis) does not give two f*cks about your body, and vice versa. Recovery is never linear. It is never a straight line. Recovery isn't just the physical elements of being a soul who is living in a human body. It (recovery) is mental, and definitely emotional.

After repeated medical setbacks since 2021 (amplified in 2025 and 2026, as at the time of writing) - it is really difficult to trust your body again, especially when trying to return to work sustainably, not wanting the risk of burning out again. Recovery after multiple chronic illnesses and a serious ankle fracture is a learning curve in trusting your body again after it has let you down multiple times, combined with your body changing without any warning, being in emergency departments at the most inopportune times, or a routine blood test becomes a multiple boomerang. (Over the last 18 months alone yours truly has survived and reversed cancer, an unstable ankle fracture, adjustment disorder, low iron, insulin resistance, and acute gastroenteritis. The exhaustion is real. And let's add in a career layoff in between).

With all of the above, when I started to trust my body again, I quickly cottoned onto the fact that my body did not betray me. My body was simply beyond exhausted. It had beaten six serious health challenges in short succession. Naturally, anyone's relationship with their body changes as quickly as soap removes dirt if an abundance of health and medical setbacks happened to them in a short time frame.

After multiple bouts of chronic illness, injury, and what feels like a never ending loop of various medical procedures; it is perfectly human and appropriate to wonder if you can trust your energy levels today.

Is that 3pm yawn normal (despite not working very much some weeks, if at all on other weeks), or is something wrong again? Can I increase my workload? Can I return to work? If so, how many hours will my body allow me to work? And a classic: am I fully recovered from this, or am I just having a great week (if full of beans for a day) or a sh*tty week...(if energy levels behave like a toddler).

After surviving multiple health scares and challenges in short succession, including two operations under general anaesthesia; part of learning to trust your body again in getting your self confidence back is part of accepting that your body is not as energetic as it was before (even after a successful iron infusion and other treatments). Your stamina is different. How you now work, live, and play is incredibly different. You are naturally more in tune with your body and its needs. Repeated periods of exhaustion and recovery without catching a break was part and parcel of my journey where my body broke down, only to be restored again, where I will be (how cool) returning to full-time work (on a six-week contract) from the 23rd of September 2026. It took eight solid months of time off, short-term contracts and calling 2026 a restless part-time working year up until this point, because my body needed more time out than ever before. That is part of trusting the process, albeit trusting your body once more.

It can be perfectly normal to not want to work full-time, and to focus on lower cognition tasks after beating down chronic illness, burnout, and/or serious injury. You become more resilient, however you become so fed up of being so strong for so long, that there is less leeway in allowing yourself to eat more humble pie, be human, and be a little weak for a change. Medical setbacks force you to be strong where choosing to be is out of the equation. The exhaustion of feeling like you are fighting for your life is super real. The uncertainty of not knowing what is next, and budgeting for medical bills is sh*te.

It is naturally easier to trust your body again after surviving just one illness, just one injury, or mild burnout. Several major health disruptions within close succession to one another is a different kettle of fish in the trust department. Same with trusting life again. (As an aside, when the economy is not wonderful, trusting in life again after getting knocked down with any setback is not for the faint hearted.)

Hyper-vigilance is a natural by-product of being in that fight-flight-freeze state when your body inherits multiple medical setbacks - especially in a compressed period of time. This means that your nervous system is not safe. When your nervous system is not safe, it is like living life trying to walk through honey. Very sticky, messy, and ever so exhausting. When the nervous system is not safe and regulated, it is exhausted. This makes manifestation, recovery, trust, and forward momentum more difficult than it needs to be. When you are stressed, your resilience goes down, and that causes difficulty.

You know that you are unable to trust your body yet is when you experience an odd or random sensation not long after recovery. For example, you are suddenly tired. You naturally begin to worry (the body is excellent at keeping the score). You then question your physical and cognitive capabilities. Of course you pull back in order to protect your boundaries. On the other hand, I've also enjoyed more optimistic moments than the above detour. When you feel much better, you naturally feel more optimistic about your body and your life. Therefore you attempt to resume your previous life such as returning to work and/or going out more often again. More times than not in the first eight months of 2026, my body kept sending me those "not yet" signals. Frustrating at first, and then the gift and abundance comes in surrendering. When you get multiple job offers and interviews out of the blue in a week (a mix of being my own boss, as well as an employee) after months of being on struggle street; your body knows when it is ready to return to work again, although your career is in a new normal phase, and that is ok. Having faith that the universe has your back is a fantastic start in regaining trust in your own body again after multiple illnesses and/or injuries in a short time frame.

Your energy returns way sooner than your stamina does. Good employers allow you to negotiate from 40 to 35 hours a week. You do that for the sake of your body. That extra five hours a week for yours truly still feels out of reach 13 months after emergency ankle fracture orif surgery, and that is ok. You can be medically well again, however you are forced to surrender and accept the fact that your capacity for work and outings is still a bit limited.

In the process of trusting your body after repeated medical setbacks in a short time frame; you quickly grasp the concept that rest is a frequent necessity, and not a reward - the latter of which society and capitalism tends to celebrate. Reduced capacity is just a cycle. That too shall pass once out of remission. Fatigue and low energy/vitality is feedback and not laziness. You have a great day one day, and an unexpectedly difficult day the next. The latter circumstance never means that your recovery from chronic illnesses like cancer, and serious injuries like fractures is going backwards. Once again, recovery is never linear. Your body does not need to prove anything to you in such circumstances, and vice versa.

Better no longer means rushing back into full-time employment. It is wise to gradually expose yourself to work, and that can mean trying out a number of different roles (if you are a jack of all trades ADHD brain like yours truly - a portfolio career type of worker), and sticking with what fits. For example, last week yours truly enjoyed a hospitality role working at a roundtable function refilling water jugs, clearing tables, and serving food to guests. Of course there was anxiety around not wearing an ankle brace from the old ankle fracture injury, and the worry about whether or not my body could cope walking a lot/remaining on my feet for 4 hours straight with plates and screws in my left ankle from the accident in 2025. No sweat, everything was seamless. From that hospitality shift alone (as well as being my own boss for this particular assignment); my confidence and trust in my body soared to new heights. That is the beauty of the gig economy - just try it on, no obligation.

There is nothing wrong with you if you (more so your body) is not ready to return to full-time work yet, and/or to enjoy going out with a group of friends every weekend. You and your body are working together to figure out how many hours a week of working is sustainable to you. For a little while that might only be a few hours a week, and sometimes more. When you respect your body and its limits, unexpected manna from heaven (also known as help and support - financially or otherwise) will help you live in the meantime, until your capacity expands.

There is no shame in having to postpone or withdraw from your studies after a serious injury and/or chronic illness alone. The cognitive load to a body that needs gentleness and grace while being a student is profound. If your body can study a little without tiring out in your new normal after repeated medical setbacks in a short time frame; that is absolutely marvellous.

In trusting your body again after being so unwell for a prolonged period of time, and making it to the other side of being healthy again; observing patterns in your energy levels as a whole, rather than focusing on isolated days that seem to be relapses is a more compassionate way of allowing yourself to trust your body again.

Pay attention to how your body feels after certain activities such as work, exercise, travel, housework, and socialising to name. Then adapt accordingly. Your best and most productive days is not always an accurate thermostat on your capacity to work and earn. Too often people wait for a crisis to slow them down; and that is the feedback that broken bones, and constant illness is a top mentor in the art of slowing down and not overworking your body.

In concluding, the moment you become better and well again with gratitude for making it back from sickness to wellness; it is ever so tempting to fill up your diary or calendar again. Don't. You do not need to prove your worth through being productive. The be-do-have principle in personal development carries significant weight. Be a human being first, and the rest falls into place. No different to how to recover sustainably from burnout. When the body has accumulated stress over several years, it does not immediately bounce back when declared recovered or in or out of remission. The true art of trusting your body is listening to its needs, and believing it when it sends you those "I am not ready yet" signals - whether that means it is ready to walk, run and dance again after a serious ankle fracture. And whether or not you are ready to work, travel and get back into the goals and activities you enjoyed before you became so unwell. Some of these goals and activities in your new life on the other side of survival no longer resonate, and that too is the exact point of bodily trust.

"No matter what I have done or not done, I am worthy of love." - Dr John Demartini

Times Like These by the Foo Fighters (no pun intended) is all about moving from rock bottom into a new life. That is what moving from repeated illnesses and injuries in a short time frame back to health is all about: