Have you beaten yourself up enough for being chronically ill? Are you ready to view illness in a different way? Are you ready to see the victories? You don’t need a better you, there is nothing wrong with you, exactly like you are. A better view of victory sure seems like a more productive way to move through chronic illness.
I know, it does not usually feel like victory when we are still ill, still “not doing life.”
That is the view that I wish I could help you see more clearly. You ARE doing life, your life, and I bet that it has been more productive than you give yourself credit for.
No, I am not talking about putting a fake smile on or spitting out warm fuzzy sayings that are supposed to make all of the issues of illness disappear. The issues are real. The point is, your life is real too – the one you are living now. It is so easy to get lost in the difficulties of illness and lose sight of the victories.
Those victories are usually hiding behind dark shadows, but they are there…
Where were you a year ago on your wellness journey? What has changed in this last year for your benefit?
Last year did you know as much about your body as you know today?
Did you pick up a new healthy lifestyle habit this last year?
Did you listen to a health podcast that gave you a better understanding of health and wellness?
Did you spend some time in isolation pondering spirituality?
Did you read or listen to a warrior who has survived and thrived from chronic illness and found yourself encouraged?
Did you get a clearer view of who your friends truly are?
And the list goes on.. and on.. and on…
A wellness journey encompasses so many aspects that we cannot always measure improvement by symptoms and diseases. Our victories can be measured by our personal growth in how we perceive disease, not the disease labels themselves.
I hear so many of you beating up on yourselves because you are not yet “back to your life.” THIS is your life, right now. You are not “broken” or “damaged” because you are chronically ill. You are still YOU. You don’t need a new and improved you by beating yourself up some more or wishing you were someone else. By seeing the victories you can accept that this is your life, right now. Identifying those victories gets a momentum going.
I am all about movement. Cycology = moving forward on the bike you are on, whatever that looks like. Cycology = Psychology = moving forward in mind is just as important as getting our bodies to move through illness.
My hope is that we all grow from our view of victory during this new year and the new decade. May your New Year’s Resolutions include a better view of victory.
Maribeth
