Coping
I’m often asked, “How did you cope with your injury”? To be honest, I’m still coping with my injury. It is a life long injury. I have thought about this a lot and discussed this with my family and support crew. There are many things that have helped me cope, but the one thing that I believe has helped me the most, is my faith. My acceptance of my injury and my ability to focus on my abilities and the good in my life are also what has helped me cope along with the unconditional support and love I have received from my family and friends.
Faith
“My faith is like the oxygen to brain, I simply cannot live without it”. This is a quote that I came up with in 2012. My faith in God has kept me strong. It has helped me keep pushing through even when things were exceptionally difficult. With my faith, I have never felt alone. I have trusted that God is with me and through him anything is possible. This belief has helped me to always have hope. I thank God for my mother’s faith and that she passed down her strong faith to me. It has been my saving grace and I’m sure she would share my sentiments.
Support
Undoubtedly, I would not be where I am today if it wasn't for the unconditional and fierce love of my parents, family and friends. They say love conquers all and I am living proof that it sure does!
Surrounding yourself with people who have your back and believe in you and your potential is so important. I encourage all of you to surround yourself with positive people who care about you and lift you up. Sometimes its hard to accept support, but it is crucial.
Acceptance
Accepting what you can’t change that is out of your control is so important. There is no point in struggling with things that you have no power to change. Focus your attention on what is in your control and take small steps to help yourself.
Pleasure
It is so important to do things that you enjoy and be involved in things that give you a sense of purpose and pleasure. I love spending time with family and friends. I love sharing my story to give hope to others. I love having a good laugh. I’m so grateful that I now can participate in activities that I love like swimming, going to the movies and bowling. I recently drove my aunty’s Jet ski!
Positive Attitude
I’m lucky that I have always had a positive attitude to life. I try hard to focus on my abilities instead of my disabilities and I choose to bring new meaning into my life. I always try and see my glass as half full and see the positive in every situation as much as possible.
Gratitude
Being grateful for the simplest things in life is one of the greatest coping strategies we all have. My injury is cruel in many ways, but it is a blessing in others. For instance, my injury helps me stay in the present moment because I have short term memory problems I move on quickly. I don't think of the future too much because my injury doesn't allow me to forward plan unless I have support to do that. This means I don't often worry about the future. I just am grateful for today, grateful for the moment and the people in it. Practicing gratitude helps us all stay connected to what is good in our life and our world.
