Life is a funny thing. Challenges come. Stress happens. And we, like white blood cells, rush to the defense of our sanity or whatever is under attack in our life. While giving our trials attention is necessary, giving them ALL of our attention and energy is not. In fact, it is counter-productive. Balance, young grasshopper, is the key.
If our lives stop when we are faced with a problem, we will create more problems. It is the same with illness, especially chronic illness. If we become obsessed with solving our problem we will only make it worse. If you focus on your pain, does it get better? If you constantly think about how tired you are, do you feel more energetic? If you worry about all the lousy treatments and doctor appointments that riddle your schedule, do you feel happier? No. All of that makes you feel worse! I know, it may sound a bit counter-intuitive to not focus whole-heartedly on your problem. How can I solve it? you may ask. You address the possible solutions and then you get on with your life.
When I’m feeling sick and tired of feeling tired and sick, I have renewed determination to refocus my energies where they should be. After years of misery and finally seeing the light of day again, my tolerance is very small for wallowing back in the mire for too long. I force myself to wake up and figure out what I’m doing that is making me so miserable again. Once I do, I remember that only when I focus on living my life rather than just surviving it do I start to feel better. It’s the act of looking outward. When you can see the people around you, their needs, their beauty and what you can do for them do you have energy again and your pain diminishes. Get out of your head! Quit thinking about all of your limitations and start focusing on what you HAVE and what you are GRATEFUL for! That is the trick.
So, the better you get at being grateful and thinking about serving others the more manageable your own worries become. Miraculously! Just remembering that you are much more than your trial and not letting it define you is incredibly empowering. You are not your illness! It may just be the path that will lead you to who you are truly meant to be. Think about that one!
