Episode 5: Chapter 4 - Lloyd Polkinghorne - Recovery from a blast injury (Blast injury) - Final learnings, new beliefs & advice to others.

In the final episode of this initial series we meet Lloyd Polkinghorne, a 36 year old newspaper owner and editor and a former mixed irrigator from Barham in NSW. Lloyd was injured by a misfiring shotgun in 2013 whilst assisting neighbouring farmers to clear birds from their crops. Whilst the injuries he received were largely invisible, the effects upon him were significant. He's a tough, resilient and courageous man and an incredible community advocate.

In the last chapter Lloyd describes additional learnings, new beliefs and his advice to others who're still searching for answers.

Whilst this is the final episode for the year, I've got some great interviews lined up in the months ahead and I look forward to sharing these with you next year. In the meantime, if you have any interview suggestions or feedback on the series thus far please feel free to reach out at: [email protected]

Stay safe... and keep going :)
Cheers, Robbie

Full transcripts and show notes are available for each chapter on the podcast website: storiesofrecovery.buzzsprout.com

Shownotes:

• ^00:30 - Quotes which resonated with and helped Lloyd:
  • "How do you eat an elephant?... One bite at a time",
  • "A lion doesn't lose sleep over the opinions of sheep",
  • Lloyd agrees that different things will resonate with you at different times,
• 02:07 - Lloyd discusses new beliefs which have most improved his life since the accident. The community has always been important to him and this has broadened further. He's reassessed what's important to him and what he values. He explains that he is "more excited about life" now and has become more interested in history, life and progress,
• ^05:18 - Lloyd's advice to those who're still within the darkness - Remember "That change is always possible" and as Winston Churchill wisely said "When you're going through hell... keep going",
• ^09:14 - Lloyd advises that when you are trying new and different things (for your recovery) there are some fundamentals that they must meet. He explains that for him they have to align with his core values. He advises to beware of charlatans and look at treatments and practitioners holistically,
• ^12:17 - When you feel overwhelmed or unfocussed, what do you do? Lloyd explains that he has learnt to become aware of the indicators of when he's getting wound up. For Lloyd this includes spending more time on his phone and/or buying things online. He suggests identifying the indicators for you that you're getting wound up. Become aware of them and take action to intervene if you notice them, by doing things like: meditating, spending quiet time in nature and being strict with the time you spend on your phone,
• ^14:07 - Lloyd describes one of the best meditations he has heard of...'finding the noise'. He explains that it involves (sitting quietly with your eyes closed and) letting the noise come to you. When you realise that you've become distracted by thoughts, gently (compassionately) return to finding the noise,
• ^16:08 - Lloyd's final thoughts and advice to those listening: Be compassionate to yourself. If you are trying to help someone, would you speak to them the way you speak to yourself? Your internal voice is the one constant companion you'll have throughout your life. Become aware of what it is saying and ensure you make it your greatest advocate,
• 17:48 - Continually ask questions. If something is not working there's no harm in trying something else. It's a journey. As Lloyd notes "I probably wouldn't change it for the world now to be honest".

^Lloyd's main learnings