The other day I read this. It is a really sad story about someone who had a very successful career, which they had to give up due to a serious injury caused by a freak accident. But there is something inspiring about the way David has maintained a positive attitude throughout his experience, although he acknowledges that it hasn't always been easy to stay positive. He is now using his experience to develop ways of helping other paraplegics. 


I think it is a really inspiring story, well worth a read.


How can you stay positive in the face of challenges? What lessons have you learnt that you would like to share with others in your situation?

I'm so sorry for my lack of reliability over the last few weeks. Moving has been a bit of a hassle, and we have only just got internet sorted. Hopefully from now on I will be able to post a bit more regularly.

Sorry for the lateness of this weeks post, and for the absence of last weeks post. I have been moving, and don’t have much access to the internet.

Today I want to talk about unexpected changes of plan, often due to illness, although they can happen to anyone. At the end of February I finished my study, and will graduate in April. I had planned to stay in Christchurch, and look for a job relating to my study. However, towards the end of last year, my health dramatically worsened, and I have been very unwell ever since. I wasn’t sure what to do, but was told by my doctor there is no way I should be looking for work before easter, and that I would have to wait and see what happened. That came as a little bit of a shock. I have always worked damn hard to make sure that I could continue with work/study despite my health problems. But sometimes, things don’t go as expected. So I am now living down south with my parents, and having to patiently wait and see whether my health improves.

I’m not going to lie. It sucks. I was so excited about this year, and have now had to postpone all of my plans. But I suppose this is something that happens to a lot of people experiencing ongoing illness. Things don’t always go as planned. Sometimes you get worse; sometimes you get another condition to add to your collection. So how are you supposed to deal with this?

It’s all very well to say stay positive, and there is certainly something to be said for that, but staying positive isn’t always that easy. When things change unexpectedly, you need to have a plan for how to stay positive. I think that there is a lot of value in finding things to distract yourself. Find something that doesn’t make you feel sicker, and let it distract you from thinking about your health. Think about what positives there are, and think about what you can do to maintain some sense of normality in the face of change. Change can be a good thing, it can improve your situation, make you stronger, or change your perspective. But it is never easy. It’s okay to be upset or frustrated, but important to remember that change is the only constant. If your situation sucks now, it will change again, and things will get easier.

How do you deal with unexpected changes in your health situation? What positives do you focus on? How do you distract yourself?

 

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