Desperate to reclaim at least a sliver of yourself?
I read a Facebook post where a person talked about not letting her disease define her.
It reminded me of how far I’ve come.
My health challenges, that started when I was 21, used to take center stage. They definitely defined me.
I haven’t overcome my health challenges.
I still adapt every minute of every day because of them but they no longer take up center stage.
These were my remarks to the post :
- “It’s been so long since I looked at my medical fragilities straight in the face.
- I’d forgotten how I spent years allowing them to define my life, until at some point I stopped letting them define my life.
- I took over how I defined my life and it’s a great freedom when we do this.
- Thanks for reminding me of this wisdom and strength I had.”
For parents with a child with a catastrophic medical diagnosis it may feel all but impossible not to define yourself around your caretaker role. Around your circumstances.
I’m here to tell you it’s possible to put yourself back in the picture.
- Back on the stage of your own life even when circumstances don’t change.
And it’s important because you’ll suffer less.
My mom, who kept my brother alive over and over again after planning his funerals, put herself back into the equation of her life.
She committed to reading half an hour a day, come hell or high water.
- If big responsibilities pushed you off center stage of your life, it’s important to NOT allow it to totally define you.
What’s one thing you can do to reclaim at least a sliver of who you are, apart from your caretaker role?
If you’d like help, that’s exactly what my New Normal Coaching is for.
The more you help yourself the better parent you’ll be for those depending on you.
Julie Browne, LCSW
www.courage-ignite.com
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