Choosing Perspective
I read an article from a lady who has Friedreich’s ataxia. She addressed how she dealt with her disability which she’s had for years, and progressed so much, that she is now dependent on a walker. I absolutely loved her perspective. The ‘positivity’ which she has toward her situation is remarkable and inspiring!
She insists that a 'right perspective' is paramount to getting through any day. In fact, the title to her article asks the question, “Am I living a disabled life, or am I living life with a disability?” Perspective makes all the difference in how that question is answered.
If a person is ‘living a disabled life’, then it’s very likely the disability is in control of life. It is what chooses what you can or cannot do. It denies you the opportunities which you are fearful of trying, like keeping you from holding a job, getting married and having children, or even getting out of bed in the morning!
On the other hand, a person who lives their live as one who has a disability, does not allow the disability to control and manipulate their feelings, attitudes, possibilities, or their day. They are free-er to make decisions on their dreams and all the possibilities that come before them. That’s a positive perspective.
Of course, even with all the positive thoughts and perspective a person can have, there are going to be days where everything becomes murky and skews mindset, plans and goals for any one day. Changing that can be a challenge in itself, not to mention how a person actually feels physically—or even emotionally! Realistically a person cannot change their disability just because they think positive and want it to change. But by choosing to change the mindset, it can change how a person responds and reacts to it.
Interestingly enough, perspective can also be affected by the medical community. The physician in the position of caring for his patient can also impact his patient's perspective about himself.
I remember years back when my husband was dealing with impossible pain in his joints. His primary care physician sent him to a specialist. The doctor literally looked at him, after hearing why he was there and said simply, “How about I give you some shots filled with (whatever the med of choice was at the time) and see if that helps?”
That is certainly an option; but the last thing my husband wanted was more medication. (He was already on quite a few medications from injuries sustained in Viet Nam.) The doctor never even touched him, or checked him in any way. This made the option of more meds even scarier. He didn’t even know what was wrong with him. I get that doctors have their expectations of what ‘most’ people need and what he should do. But each patient is different, and has specific needs.
My husband refused to take the needles, and went with another doctor, who helped him through that specific problem in quite another way. So it’s important to consider your own needs and have some idea of what you want or don’t want, based on your personal goals, desires and perspectives. There are many days my husband still fights the battle of intense pain, but he tries real hard to live a life with a disability, not be a slave to the disability.
We each make choices everyday which affects our moods, outlooks, how we treat people, how we treat ourselves, and even what we can accomplish. When we strive to keep positive, despite the challenges and trials, not only is our quality of life improved, but also those around us.
Keeping positive enables us to leave our comfort zone and reach toward the goals and dreams we’d like to see fulfilled. Our path may take a winding route to get where we’d like to be. But if we can keep moving forward (even with the occasional backward step and faltering a little) we can remained inspired, and be inspiring to those around us!